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Job summary

Main area
Immunisation Team
Grade
Band 3
Contract
Permanent: Term Time Only (41 weeks)
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
371-CFS251-A
Employer
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Whitley Health & Social Services Centre
Town
Reading
Salary
£22,816 - £24,336 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
17/07/2024 23:59

Employer heading

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust logo

Healthcare Support Worker

Band 3

Job overview

The role of healthcare support worker is fundamental to the smooth running of school and community immunisation clinics. You will be supporting children and young people before, during and after vaccinations. During the Autumn term you will be trained to administer the nasal flu and injectable flu, under the supervision of registered vaccinators and under National Protocols. 

The role is term time only (41 weeks) in the Berkshire West Team (covering Wokingham, Reading and West Berkshire). You will be expected to travel across all three localities to visit schools, support clinics and collect and return vaccine to different bases. 

We are looking for someone to work 37.5 hours over 5 days per week, term time only (41 weeks). It is important that you can be available from 8am on some days to support the collection of vaccines, otherwise start time will be from 08:30. Core hours are between 08:30 and 16:30 and we require someone who is flexible in their approach to their working pattern, which may include starting later if there is a later clinic being held on a certain day.   

Please note all holidays must be taken within the school holidays. 

Main duties of the job

  • Administering nasal flu under the direct supervision of Registered Healthcare Practitioners following local Standard Operating Procedures (SOPS). 

  • Administering injectable vaccines, following National Protocols, under the direct supervision of Registered Healthcare Practitioners. These include COVID and flu but can include other vaccines if the required National Protocol becomes available.  

  • Supporting children and young people following vaccination, to ensure they are well 

  • Supporting children and young people before and during vaccination, especially when anxious  

  • Supporting vaccinators at school and clinic sessions, including the setting up and clearing down of sessions, ensuring there are necessary clinical supplies. 

  • Support vaccinators with home visits, for children and young people unable to be vaccinated at home.  

  • Collecting vaccine from an allocated base prior to a planned vaccination school session, ensuring the cold chain is maintained at all times. 

Working for our organisation

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated ‘outstanding’ by the CQC, we’re committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire.

We value diversity and are proud to be a Stonewall Top 100 Employer. We work hard to create an inclusive environment where you’ll be supported by friendly and professional colleagues to flourish.

Our values at Berkshire Healthcare:

  • Caring for and about you is our top priority
  • Committed to providing good quality, safe services
  • Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

We welcome people who share these values to come and work for us.

Benefits of working for us include:

  • Flexible working options to support work-life balance.
  • 27 days’ annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
  • Generous NHS pension scheme
  • Excellent learning and career development opportunities
  • ‘Cycle to Work’ and car leasing scheme
  • Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
  • Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
  • Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities and armed forces community to support equality
  • Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave.
  • Free parking across Trust sites

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The “must haves” for this role: 

  1. A passion for immunisations and the public health benefits they provide.
  2. A flexible approach to work
  3. Excellent communication skills, with the ability to communicate with people of all ages.
  4.  A desire to make a difference and to work within a caring profession

For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification. We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted. For further application tips – see the help with your application document attached once you click apply. 

If you’re someone who shares our passion for excellence and care, you belong at Berkshire Healthcare! 

We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to call: Julie Henwood or Lucy Milam (West Team Leads/ Senior Vaccinators) via [email protected] who’ll be delighted to help. 

We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants where required. 

Person specification

Education/Qualifications/Training

Essential criteria
  • Educated to GCSE level or equivalent including English and Maths
  • Good working knowledge of IT including Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook
  • NVQ level 3 in childcare or equivalent e.g. Care Certificate

Continuous Professional Development

Desirable criteria
  • Immunisation Training in relation to school aged immunisations, vaccine preventable diseases and injection techniques
  • Working knowledge of safeguarding practice

Previous Experience

Essential criteria
  • Previous experience working with children in a community setting
  • Experience of working as part of a team and on own initiative
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of working within an immunisation team

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Desirable criteria
  • A basic understanding of the childhood immunisation programme

Additional Requirements

Essential criteria
  • Car driver with use of car for work purposes
  • The post requires a degree of agility and the ability to carry/manoeuvre light to moderate loads; Flexibility in working pattern, when required

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoDisability confident employerCarer confident logo, the employers for carers confident schemeCare quality commission - OutstandingStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.Armed Forces Covenant

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Julie Henwood
Job title
Staff Nurse on School Aged immunisation team
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07798685027
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