Health Care Assistant

Also known as:

Auxiliary, Health Care
Care Assistant, Health
Hospital Care Assistant
Nursing Assistant

Introduction

Health care assistants work for professional medical staff within the health sector. They care for patients of all ages, and are involved in feeding, cleaning, making beds, sorting laundry and helping patients dress. They may chart temperatures, perform simple urine tests and change simple bandages.

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Work Activities

Health care assistants carry out the routine care tasks required to look after patients who are staying in hospital or at home. They work under the supervision of qualified nursing staff. Health care assistants may have a variety of duties, depending on the type of environment they work in and the people they look after.

Many patients cannot get about very easily. It is the health care assistant's job to help them to the bathroom and assist them with their personal hygiene. If they cannot get out of bed at all, the health care assistant gives them a bed bath, dresses and undresses them, and looks after other intimate care needs. Manual handling aids and equipment are used to help with lifting.

If patients are confined to bed for a long time, the health care assistant helps to turn them at regular intervals to prevent them from getting pressure sores. Some patients may also need help in feeding themselves.

Hospital based health care assistants make sure that the ward is kept clean and tidy - they change the linen on the beds and either put it down a chute or bag it up to be collected by the laundry staff. They must dispose of used dressings, incontinence pads and anything else that may be a health risk into special containers that are taken away to be burned.

The more technical side of the job involves taking patients' temperature and pulse rate, performing urine tests and applying simple dressings. Some of the work that health care assistants do must be accurately recorded on special charts, for example temperature and fluid intake.

Health care assistants may also provide emotional support, for example, by reassuring patients before an operation or explaining hospital procedures.

Within the community, heath care assistants may help promote independence in patients with learning difficulties by accompanying them on shopping trips.

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Personal Qualities and Skills

You need to be able to communicate with and get on well with people. You should be patient, caring, tactful and prepared to carry out routine and messy tasks. Some elements of the work can be distressing, but also rewarding. You need to be able to work as part of a team and to use your initiative.

Strength, stamina and physical fitness are needed, as health care assistants are on their feet most of the time.

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Pay and Opportunities

National Health Service (NHS) employees are paid on a rising scale within defined pay bands, according to their skills and responsibilities.

On the NHS Agenda for Change pay scales, health care assistants are on Band 2. From April 1, 2008 this has been £12,922 - £15,950 a year. With promotion to higher level health care assistant, the salary rises to Band 3, £14,834 - £17,732.

Health care assistants work a basic 37.5 hours. Shift work is usual. Some employers offer flexi-time working, and overtime is common. Agency and 'bank' working is increasingly available.

Health care assistants work in the NHS (in hospitals and in the community). Other employers are the armed forces and private health care providers.

There is a shortage of health care assistants, so employment prospects are good.

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Adult Opportunities

It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Many employers offer flexi-time, job sharing and term-time working. Overtime is common. Agency and 'bank working' is increasingly available.

• 40% of health care assistants work part-time.
• 5% have flexible hours.
• 5% of employees work on a temporary basis.

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