How to apply for a Healthcare Assistant role in the NHS

Are you passionate about making a difference in people's lives? Considering a career in healthcare? Joining the NHS as a Healthcare Assistant (HCA) is a rewarding way to start your career in healthcare - whether you're new to care altogether or looking for a career change into the hospital setting.

In this blog, we'll guide you through everything you need to confidently apply for an NHS Healthcare Assistant role - from understanding the job responsibilities and qualification requirements, to navigating the application process and writing a strong application. 

What does a Healthcare Assistant do?

HCAs play a vital role in delivering excellent patient care. They work as part of a team along with nurses and other healthcare professionals to help make sure patients' experience is as comfortable as possible. Working under the supervision of registered nurses, HCAs are responsible for:

• Monitoring patients and performing basic health checks
• Serving meals and helping to feed patients
• Provide support to patients to maintain their hygiene needs, such as bathing/washing, care of mouth, hair, nails and eyes
• Provide support to patients to maintain their elimination needs, such as encouraging continence, emptying urinary catheter bags, mobilising to the toilet or using a commode or bedpan and maintaining hygiene needs after episodes of incontinence

Entry requirements and qualifications

To join The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital (SaTH) as a HCA, you'll need your GCSEs (or equivalent qualifications) in Maths and English, or equivalent such as Functional Skills in Numeracy and Literacy. If you have any additional qualifications that are relevant to the HCA role, such as NVQ in Care or first aid, you should also mention these on your application form!

Previous care experience isn't always required, and many of our HCAs join us with little or no prior formal care experience. If you're compassionate, caring and a good communicator who works well in a team, we'll provide the training you need to excel in the role.

All new HCAs with SaTH complete a 2-week induction when they start, and you'll also be required to complete the Care Certificate if you don't already hold this. Continued ongoing training and professional development is available and supported by the Trust, you may even wish to become a Nursing Associate through the apprenticeship route (yes, we offer this!).

Where to find NHS Healthcare Assistant job listings

Our vacancies will be advertised on our SaTH NHS Jobs website. You'll also find our roles listed on NHS Jobs, as well as some general job sites such as Indeed and Find a Job.

It's also worth signing up to our job alert emails. Head to the Clinical Support roles page where you'll find all our current HCA and other healthcare support worker roles. Enter your email address in the box, tick the declaration and you'll receive new jobs direct to your inbox, along with news about exciting careers events!

No matter which site you find your ideal SaTH role on, you'll always be directed to apply through Trac (the recruitment system that we use).

Completing your NHS application

Creating a Trac jobs account

To apply for Healthcare Assistant jobs, you'll need to create a Trac account. To do this, click 'apply now' on your chosen role and job board. This will take you to the Trac login page, and will look similar to the below:

Scroll down and you'll see a 'Sign in' section and a 'Create an account' section. Enter your email address into the 'Create an account' section, complete the anti-spam question (reCAPTCHA) and create your account!

Once you have done this you'll be taken straight to start completing your application form. The first page will ask for your immigration status, whether you are an employee of the Trust and will also ask you to confirm you have read and understood the statement regarding using Generative AI (more on this later).

Completing all application form sections

Each section of the application form has multiple subsections, as shown below. You should open each one, read the sections carefully, and complete accurately and honestly.

We highly encourage you to complete all sections of the application form with care and detail. Many of our healthcare support worker roles receive high application numbers, so it often comes down to the finer details for shortlisting. Be sure to mention qualifications you hold that are relevant to the role, and are asked for on the Person Specification. If it asks for Maths and English GCSEs or equivalent, make sure you include these in the qualifications section.

Some of the application sections will ask for personal information such as your name, contact details, right to work status and background information. None of this will be visible to the managers who will shortlist your application. It is really important that you complete these sections fully and honestly.

You'll need to complete multiple sections for your previous employment history. In these sections, you should include the company name, dates you worked there and an overview of your main duties and responsibilities there. At a minimum, you should include all employment for at least the last 3 years, although it may be useful and support your application to include more than this, particularly if it's relevant to the role you're applying for.

The main section of your application will be the supporting information section. This is the section where you should demonstrate clearly how you meet the criteria for the role.

Writing a strong supporting statement

To write a strong supporting statement, make sure you have the person specification open to refer back to as you write. You want to show the appointing manager that you have the skills, knowledge and qualities that they are looking for.

Work your way through the person specification, explaining how you meet each of the criteria. You should give examples from previous roles to demonstrate this, you may also wish to refer to experiences from your personal life such as caring for a relative, or perhaps a volunteering role.

Your goal is to demonstrate your understanding of the HCA role and show that you have the skills to succeed. You can also mention any personal qualities you have that you feel would benefit you in the role, and you may wish to include any relevant training or transferable skills you can bring to the role, in this section.

It's always worth mentioning the Trust values in your application, and again demonstrating how you live these values in your caring role.

Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your application

We are seeing an increase in the use of AI in job applications. You will be asked to confirm you have read and understood the following statement as part of your application:

We understand that using Generative AI (GenAI) can be a useful and supportive tool when completing your application. However, we have also seen an increase in the over-reliance of GenAI tools which is negatively impacting applications. It can remove the candidate's individuality, and it has become much harder to get a sense of who you are and your authentic experience. If you do use GenAI, it should be used to enhance and support your application not to replace or create your supporting information in its entirety.

If you do use AI to support your application, please ensure that what you are submitting is a true and accurate reflection of your own skills and knowledge. Ideally, your supporting statement should be written in your own words, however you may wish to use AI to help you check the spelling and grammar before submitting.

Next steps

Depending on when the advert closes for applications, there may be a short wait before you hear anything. All our managers try to complete shortlisting as soon as possible, however in cases where there are a lot of applications this may take a little longer. You will always receive an email to let you know whether or not you have been shortlisted and invited for interview. All communications at this stage will be via email, so it's really important you provide the correct email address on your application!

Final tips

Applying for a Healthcare Assistant role in the NHS can be a great opportunity to start, or progress in a career in healthcare. Submitting a great application requires preparation and attention to detail. Remember, by highlighting your relevant experience and demonstrating your passion for patient care, you can increase your chances of being invited for an interview. 

Review your application carefully before submitting. Do a grammar and spell check (perhaps AI could assist you with this?), and wait to hear from us!

We hope that you find this guide helpful, and wish you the best of luck with your application!

Ready to start your NHS healthcare career? Check out our current Healthcare Assistant vacancies and apply today!

**IMPORTANT** Please note that the Healthcare Assistant role is not eligible for sponsorship. Unfortunately we are unable to accept applications from those individuals who require sponsorship to work in this position. This guidance is set by the Home Office and not by the Trust. For more information on roles eligible for sponsorship please visit the Government website.