Health Care Assistant

The job role

Based in hospitals, residential homes and within the community, Health Care Assistants work in conjunction with other members of a multi-disciplinary team to ensure that the highest standards of patient care are delivered.  The client base is often diverse and can include the elderly and those with a variety of mental and physical illnesses and disabilities.

On a daily basis, a Health Care Assistant will help clients with their health and hygiene routines and will maintain accurate records of their vital signs.  They can accompany clients on leisure outings designed to encourage their independence and integration within the community and to enhance their overall quality of life.  Ultimately, the Health Care Assistant ensures the well-being of their clients and helps them to maintain their dignity.

Although the NHS and private nursing homes or hospitals employ the majority of Health Care Assistants, there are also field-based roles available within the community where Health Care Assistants travel extensively to visit clients in their homes to provide care and assist with household duties where appropriate.

Relevant qualifications

There are no set academic requirements for entry into the role of Health Care Assistant although the majority of organisations will require them to undertake training in such areas as Manual Handling and Health & Safety.  It is also possible to achieve NVQs in Health and Social Care based on competence and experience.

Skills requirements

This can be a very demanding and emotional job role that involves working with people who are extremely unwell and entirely dependent.  As such, a Health Care Assistant must have a strong personality and the ability to treat clients with appropriate respect.  Working unsociable hours is often a requirement, including weekends and nights, and they should also be physically fit enough to help lift and carry clients.  Health Care Assistants are often the only contact their clients have so they should be capable of building rapport and helping to entertain them.

Career development

As this is a notoriously low-paid job with little chance for promotion, Health Care Assistants have been known to use this experience as an initial grounding for future qualification in nursing.