Job summary
As a band 3 HCA apprentice you will attend classes and work alongside dedicated and passionate colleagues caring for our patients. In your role you will assist patients with their personal care such as washing, dressing, feeding and support the registered nurse to care for the patients. As you may be aware patients require care for 24 hours a day and therefore you will be expected to work a combination of long days, weekends, and night shifts of 12 hours. You will only be expected to work 37.5 hours a week. Please consider how you will travel to work as you may be based at any of our hospitals.

Main duties of the job
Working long day/night shifts & as part of the multidisciplinary team, to deliver the highest quality care to our patients, in line with our trust shared commitments to patients.

You will be responsible for delivering excellent care to an allocated group of patients providing direct patient care, assist in personal hygiene, nutritional intake, recording of routine observations, moving & handling of patients, maintaining safe & clean clinical environment; adhere to Trust's policies and ensure up to date with own mandatory/statutory training

About us
Every single member of staff has an important role to play in bringing the best of the NHS to all our patients.

More than 17,000 people make up the incredible Royal Free London (RFL) team: caring for those when we need them most; ensuring our buildings are clean; providing food for our staff; transporting patients through our endless corridors; and making sure our support services run smoothly.

We have set out an ambitious plan to enable our staff to deliver world-leading healthcare for all our patients, meet growing demand and create a healthier future for local people and those further afield who come to our hospitals for specialist treatment.

Our clinical vision is transforming how we deliver world-class care, and the way people access our services.

Our plan is underpinned by five key principles:

• o our focus on world class care, ground breaking research, and best in class teaching
• o improving our populations' health
• o reducing health inequalities
• o working in partnership
• o continuous improvement

We are embedding these principles across all our hospitals and satellite sites

Details
Date posted: 28 September 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 3
Salary: £24,291 to £25,213 a year
per annum inclusive of HCAS
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 13 months
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 391-RFL-8322505
Job locations: Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, Hampstead, NW3 2QG, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
The Apprentice Healthcare support worker works as part of the ward/department team under the supervision of registered nurses and midwives and:

• Participates in the delivery of patient care
• Contributes towards ward/department organisation
• Supports registered nurses in the provision of a safe and caring environment

Key working relationships
Internal stakeholders (teams and departments)
Registered Nurses, Nursing Associates, HCSWs, Ward/Department Managers, multidisciplinary team, Practice Development/Education Team, Apprenticeship Team

External stakeholders (patients, partners, community services)
Patients, families and carers, assessors, and relevant community and partner services.

For details, please refer to the JD (job description)

Person Specification
Essential

• Demonstrable ability to meet the Trust shared commitments.

Education and professional qualifications
Essential

• Willing to undertake the Care Certificate
• Willing to undertake L2 HCSW Apprenticeship Programme
• Achievement of or willing to undertake level 2 functional skills

Personal qualities and attributes
Essential

• Demonstrates understanding of importance of maintaining privacy and dignity
• Demonstrates compassion for patients
• Willing to assist with essential care for patients as directed
• Able to use a computer/ learn how to use a computer to record information
• Able to communicate accurately and effectively with patients and colleagues, verbally and in writing
• Able to follow instructions and complete assigned tasks
• Able to deal with the public in person and on the phone
• Understands importance of maintaining confidentiality
• Willing to produce a personal development plan with manager
• Willing to develop self & undertake in-house study

Desirable

• Demonstrates understanding of own role within the team

Experience
Essential

• Carrying out assigned duties/assisting qualified staff after training
• Good standard of written and spoken English
• Interest or experience of working within a care role/setting

Desirable

• Working in a team

Maths & English Assessment
Essential

• Maths & English Assessment

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details
Employer name: Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, Hampstead, NW3 2QG, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.royalfreelondonjobs.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Lead Education Nurse - Bands 2-4
Babita Narang
babita.narang@nhs.net
02077940500

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).