Healthcare Assistant (APOA/Sedation)

Job overview

We are looking for a highly organised, compassionate and enthusiastic individual to join our APOA and Sedation Team as a Band 3 Healthcare Assistant at Great Ormond Street Hospital. You will support the delivery of high-quality, child-centred pre-operative assessment and nurse-led sedation services, ensuring effective communication and the smooth running of clinical and administrative processes across the service.

You will work closely with anaesthetists, registered nurses, ODPs and multidisciplinary teams across all hospital specialties to ensure children are appropriately assessed, investigated and optimised prior to undergoing general anaesthetic or nurse-led sedation.

Main duties of the job

You will work as part of the wider health care team in providing high quality and compassionate care to the child/young people/young person and family and will carry out clinical and non-clinical duties that your manager and other registered health practitioners delegate to you, in line with relevant standards, policies and protocols as required:

• To be able to work effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary team within the APOA and Sedation Team.
• To demonstrate effective communication skills.
• To work within agreed ways of working, under indirect supervision of a registered health care professional (usually a registered nurse), following relevant standards, policies and protocols and always acting within the limits of your training and competence.
• To exercise autonomy within your given area of responsibility, being accountable for your work and reviewing the effectiveness of your actions.
• To demonstrate best practice and supervise others as required.
• To follow and demonstrate the Trust Values, Expected Behaviours and Core Values of Compassion in Practice (NHS Commissioning Board Dec 2012), and adhere to the GOSH Code of Conduct for Healthcare Support Workers (2013).

Working for our organisation

We are committed to recruiting the best person for the job through a fair, open and consistent process that is free from bias and discrimination.

We are working towards becoming an anti-racist organisation. This means creating a workplace where every colleague feels seen, heard and valued, and where racism in any form has no place. Our anti-racism commitment is backed by action through our Anti-Racism Statement and action plan, developed in collaboration with our REACH staff network.

We actively challenge discrimination, dismantle barriers and embed equity across all aspects of our workforce, including recruitment, progression and development. All applicants will receive equal consideration regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, health condition or employment history.

We particularly welcome applications from ethnically diverse communities, people with disabilities or long-term health conditions, and LGBTQ+ community members. We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer, a member of the Business Disability Forum, and a Stonewall Diversity Champion.

Our staff networks, including REACH, PRIDE, ENABLED and Women’s Networks, are active and executive supported. These employee-led networks play a vital role in shaping an inclusive culture at GOSH and are open to all colleagues.

Together, we are building a culture where inclusion is not optional - it is essential.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. For both documents please view the attachment/s below.

Person specification

Combined Values

Essential criteria

• Combined Values

Academic/Professional qualification/Training

Essential criteria

• GCSE (Grade 4 – 9) in English and Mathematics or Functional Skills level 2 pass in English and Mathematics or equivalent recognised qualification
• NVQ Level 2 in Health and Social Care ( University Certificate of Competence in Principles of Children & Young People Healthcare, advanced diploma, Higher apprenticeship Level 3) or Healthcare Support Worker Level 2
• Evidence of accepted* Care Certificate achievement (*Accepted care certificate achievement must evidence online/workbook component in addition to workplace based skills acquisition and assessment. We do not accept Care Certificates gained solely via an online platform.)
• Willingness to develop and undertake in-house study

Experience/Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Has the ability to recognise situations that require reporting and demonstrates the ability to escalate to a senior person where appropriate
• Knowledge and understanding of the health service
• Knowledge and understanding of the needs of child/young person and their families. Including: • Nutrition and hydration • Dignity and respect • Infection control • Safeguarding vulnerable people • Health promotion
• Experience of contributing to an inclusive workplace culture.
• Able to provide essential care to patients as directed
• Experience of working as part of a diverse team
• Understanding of working with children/young people and their families who are critically or chronically ill
• Demonstrable previous experience of providing direct patient care in a hospital or experience in caring for children/young people in a child/young person community healthcare/hospice setting
• Previous experience of working with children/young people
• Experience of working within a team

Desirable criteria

• Previous experience in participating in audits, clinical trial programmes and training