University of Leicester Hospitals - Healthcare Assistants Careers

Healthcare Assistants make sure the patient experience is as comfortable and stress-free as possible. It can also be the stepping stone into many other NHS roles, particularly roles such as a Nursing Associate or Registered Nurse.

To become a HCA you will need to possess good literacy and numeracy skills at level 2 or GCSEs in English and maths. Of equal importance we would also like to see candidates demonstrate their ability to be:

caring and kind
cheerful and friendly
willing to be hands-on with patients
willing to do personal care tasks (washing, toileting, etc)
able to follow instructions and procedures
able to work in a team but use their own initiative

Ideally, you should have some experience of healthcare or care work. This could be from paid or voluntary work or even being a carer for a family member.

The role of the HCA will vary depending on the type of environment and patients that you are looking after but some examples of the responsibilities you will perform include :

Personal Hygiene and helping patients to eat and drink
Assisting with Mobility
Taking and recording patient observations
Catheter care and documenting fluid balance
Obtaining samples, for example – Urine, stool & sputum
Weighing and measuring patients
Assisting the Registered Nurse / Doctor with Clinical examinations or procedures e.g Wound Care
Supporting patients to meet their nutritional needs

HCA Care Certificate

Health Education England and Skills for Care and Health have worked together to develop the Care Certificate which will be delivered in our UHL School of Nursing and Midwifery Practice at the Glenfield Hospital.

The majority of your training will contribute towards you achieving the National Care Certificate which is divided into 15 standards. More information on the Care Certificate can be found here.