Health Care Assistant (HCA)

Palliative Care Nurse

Lead Pharmacist Cancer Care

Palliative Care Nurse

Lead Pharmacist Cancer Care

Are you caring and compassionate and great with people?

A Health Care Assistant in Cancer Care is someone who works directly with patients, supporting their needs whilst they are in a hospital setting. It is a varied role with a wide mix of skills.

As a HCA you are most likely to:

Work in a hospital setting, either on the wards or supporting in clinics or day unit;
Work as part of a team, with direct patient contact;
Have a key role in supporting patients in many different ways;
Monitor patients’ health with measures such as taking temperature;
Support with taking blood and other medical procedures;
Physically help patients with needs such as moving, toileting, washing, dressing or eating;
Be responsible for cleaning equipment, setting up clinics and restocking supplies.
Help the clinical staff with any duties they require support with.

Entry Requirements

Whilst there are no set requirements, Health Care Assistants require good literacy and numeracy skills. Some employers may request GCSE’s or equivalent in English and Maths.

Experience of working in a healthcare setting with some patient contact, particularly in cancer care would be desirable.

Training Routes

Health Care Assistants bring a wealth of experience from many different backgrounds. Training is typically on the job and will include basic nursing skills.

You will most likely work towards the care certificate and may have the opportunity to study further via health care apprenticeships in Healthcare support.

Key Skills

You will be:

An excellent communicator, able to work closely with patients and colleagues;
Caring and compassionate, able to put people at ease;
Willing to provide direct patient care, including personal care;
Interested in learning clinical skills like taking blood;
Able to work as part of a team as well as on your own

Pay and benefits

Health Care Assistants are paid on the Agenda for Change (AfC) pay system typically starting at a Band 2, progressing to a band 3 with experience.

Career Development

There are many different directions that a Healthcare Assistant may choose to develop their career;

With experience you could progress to a senior Healthcare Assistant role;
For those who prefer a mixture of administration and patient contact you could look at roles such as Cancer Support Worker and Pathway Navigator;
You could train as a Nursing Associate in cancer care, a role that supports patients between HCA’s and Nurses

Alternatively you may decide to become a registered health care professional such as a nurse by undertaking a degree or degree apprenticeship.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Healthcare assistant | Health Careers
NHS Apprenticeships
Nursing Associate
Nursing careers within the NHS