What does a health care assistant do?

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Applying for a HCA role in a busy hospital. Bank HCA actually. No previous experience, apparently not required. If I did get the job, what can I expect??

Pretty much everything you’d expect a nurse to do apart from care planning and meds.

So basic stuff like helping patients eat, washing them, assisting with toileting, mobilisation, turns. You’d probably be trained to take observations and chart them, take blood, even cannulation.

Lots of bed making as well! Dishing out meals and water jugs.

www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/wider-healthcare-team/roles-wider-healthcare-team/clinical-support-staff/healthcare-assistant

It is a physical job. You need to have a basic level of literacy and numeracy, be very patient and able to chat with all walks of life (but also get on with the task in hand and not get stuck gossiping!).

You will also probably be required to work shifts; nights, days, weekends and public holidays, if it is a ward job.

Best of luck OP.

Look at NEWS charts (the paperwork used for recording observations/vital signs) and the 6 C’s to help with interview.

Even though you’ve got no experience, it’d be nice to show that you’ve done some prep for the role and know basics like normal ranges for vital signs and the 6 c’s of nursing care.

Obs ( blood pressure, pulse rate, temp etc )
Personal care
Cleaning
Admitting patients
Taking swabs
Helping with dressings
Doing urine dips, sending samples off
Sometimes sitting with dementia patients,
Lying people out ( when they pass away )
Doing skin bundles ( checking for pressure sores)
Emptying catheters
Helping with discharges
Escorting patients to scans if needed
Helping drs do some medical investigations
Responding to cardiac arrests or whenever the red buzzer is pulled

I've been doing it for over 6 years

Depends where you work.
We have HCAs in maternity, they do vastly different jobs.
In community they do home visits to support with breastfeeding, weigh babies, do blood tests etc. In delivery suite a lot of bed making and cleaning, but some cannulate, take bloods, do obs aswell.

Really depends on department

I did it as a student many years ago. Lots of bedpans and hoisting people onto the loo. Also bed-making and supporting patients with their therapy tasks and to regain independence (rehab ward), obs & tea & toast making (surgical ward). A nice job but poorly paid.

Lots of dealing with poop!
And most of the stuff as listed above- which ward or area?