What is bank healthcare?
Becoming a bank healthcare assistant – where you don’t have a fixed hours contract but pick up shifts as and when you’re available – is a practical solution if you have existing commitments that limit your working hours. Many people have children or other family members to take care of, which means you don’t know when you’ll be free to work, perhaps are studying, or even have an existing flexible hours role and you need another to fit around it. Helping Hands is a well-established company, having delivered outstanding care to thousands of customers in their own homes since 1989, and consequently, you can be confident you’re joining a company with exemplary values and exceptional standards.
Considerations when working in healthcare
Before working in healthcare, you need to think about what the role would entail and decide if it’s something that fits your qualities and skills. We have many people apply to us who’ve been in the industry for years, but we also accept people embarking on their first role in healthcare, which is why you need to ensure it’s the right path for you. There are several things to consider, including what tasks you may be required to do and what personal qualities you need to bring to the role, and some of these are detailed below.
Personal qualities
Becoming a healthcare assistant should never be something you do because you ‘just need a job’. If you don’t have a genuine passion for helping people to live as independently and comfortably as possible in their own homes, then we don’t expect you to apply. However, if you are compassionate towards others, empathetic, patient, and have great communication skills, we want to hear from you. You also need to be able to work as a team, inspiring others to be the best they can be while using your own initiative to achieve great results.
Your expectations
If you’re expecting a healthcare assistant job to be easy, then you should think again! However, while working as a healthcare assistant can be challenging, it is also one of the most rewarding things you can do. You should expect to be kept very busy during your shifts as you support our customers to live as independently as possible in their homes, however you will also have an opportunity to develop a close understanding of your customer. Depending on your customer’s condition, you will have a variety of different duties to undertake for them, for instance:
- Personal care
- Housework tasks
- Medication administration
- Mobility support
- Preparing and cooking meals
- Supporting your customer to attend appointments & activities
You will also have expectations of Helping Hands and how we can help you to get the best out of your role. We will always ensure you have everything you need to fully support your customer properly, such as training, managerial support, and a team of colleagues who always look out for each other. We have a branch network that stretches across England and Wales, as well as a team of managers working in every region to support our healthcare assistants in every aspect of their role. Consequently, you will be empowered to carry out your role to the best of your ability.
The customer’s expectations
Your customer will expect you to be committed to their care whenever you are with them, demonstrating this through your professional attitude and knowledge of their needs. Every customer will have a personalised support plan written for them in their home and available for you to read through before every shift. This is in case their needs have changed since you last cared for them, especially if you haven’t worked with them for some time. Being a bank healthcare assistant means that your shifts may not be close together, and you may see yourself going to different customers every time you work, so it will be even more important that you familiarise yourself with your customer’s conditions and care needs.
Commitment
Being a bank care assistant will mean that you may not work consecutive days, depending on your availability, however it is important that you are committed to your role. We will offer you all of the support you need to undertake your work and also offer you a range of benefits, including:
- Excellent rates of pay
- Superb travel allowance
- Free Blue Light discount card
- A range of contracts to suit your commitments
- £100 refer a friend bonus
We directly employ all of our care assistants and don’t operate franchises, meaning that you will be working for a company that manages all of its branches regionally to ensure that we maintain the highest standards of consistency. In addition, our services are fully regulated by the Care Quality Commission and Care Inspectorate Wales, demonstrating that we consider high standards to be the most important part of our mission.
Applying to become a bank healthcare assistant
Our network of over 160 branches across England and Wales means you’re likely to find one near your home, and you can pop in at your convenience and chat to the team about the opportunities available in your region. Additionally, you can read about our different vacancies on our website and apply through our dedicated jobs page. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.