Nursing

At North Bristol NHS Trust, we are proud to support our nurses in their careers with us, with opportunities available across the four pillars of nursing practice (Clinical Practice, Leadership, Education and Research).

We are a centre of excellence in acute and trauma services and host a wide range of specialist services including:

• Major trauma
• Burns
• Vascular
• Neuromuscular
• Stroke
• Neonatal Care
• Renal

For newly registered nurses, we have comprehensive support available through our newly revised Preceptorship programme.

Want to find out more? Book a place at an upcoming event to meet our teams or explore current roles available below.

Healthcare Support Workers are a core member of the team delivering direct care to patients and supporting registered practitioners to deliver high quality, compassionate health care to people in accordance with assessed needs and a care plan. The HCSW role revolves around patient contact so you will need to have a caring approach, be a team player and have great communication skills to be able to provide the high level of patient care we strive to provide.

Here at North Bristol Trust, we offer 3 Healthcare Support Worker roles:

Healthcare Support Worker (Band 2)

This role is ideal for candidates who are new to care or have little experience. You will carry out a range of non-clinical healthcare tasks, under the direct supervision of the registered healthcare practitioner. A Healthcare Support Worker will be expected to undertake a range of daily living tasks including;

• helping patients feel comfortable and move around 
• monitoring patients and performing basic health checks
• washing, dressing patients and helping them go to the toilet
• serving meals and helping to feed patients

Trainee Senior Healthcare Support Worker (Band 2-3)

This role is for candidates who have a Level 3 Qualification in any subject, Level 2 Functional Skills, and are keen to progress their nursing career. You will initially be paid at Band 2 until you have completed the essential training and ready to be progressed to Band 3. 

If you have no care experience, you will complete the Trust induction programme, which includes the Care Certificate. You will then commence the Senior HCSW development programme once you have sufficient experience and ready to learn the clinical skills required, this will be a minimum of 5 months into the role. 

If you have at least 6 months care experience, as well as holding the educational requirements, on starting with us, you will go through a Senior Healthcare Support development programme. The length of this training will be determined by your experience, qualifications and readiness to perform clinical duties, but could be in little as 8 weeks. 

You will need full support from our Learning and Development Team and your line manager to be progressed into the Band 3 role. 

Senior Healthcare Support Worker (Band 3) 

This role is for candidates who have a Level 3 Qualification in Healthcare, Level 2 Functional Skills and have some care experience. You will carry out a range of clinical and non-clinical healthcare, or therapeutic tasks, under the direct or indirect supervision of the registered healthcare practitioner. As well as the tasks of a Band 2 HCSW, upon successful completion of your clinical skills training, you will also be expected to carry out a range of clinical duties with minimal/ no supervision, including:

• blood pressure monitoring
• oxygen saturation levels
• body temperature
• pulse rate and respiration rate
• glucose monitoring
• wound swabs
• collection and testing of urine, faecal and sputum samples

Whilst the Healthcare Support Worker roles may differ slightly, the shared aim between them, is to deliver high-quality patient care at all times.

Our Nursing Associates work alongside our Healthcare Support Workers and Registered Nurses to deliver exceptional hands on care for our patients.  To work as a Registered Nursing Associate, you must have completed the relevant qualification and be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

For those working in the Trust who would like to complete their training, we can offer a Trainee Nursing Associate Apprenticeship. This training programme is a higher-level Apprenticeship that is two years in length, 

The apprenticeship will lead to the attainment of a level 5 Foundation Degree on successful completion of the End Point Assessment. On successful completion, the individual would register on the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Register.

Working closely with the University of the West of England, we can provide a supported and structured route to return to practice for nurses with lapsed NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council) registration.

All return to practice nurses at North Bristol NHS Trust are paid at Band 3 level whilst undertaking 450 hours of supernumerary clinical placement and a number of study days. We have a variety of placements available and strive to support our return to practice nurses to find a role with the working environment and contract that meets their needs. During placement, our return to practice nurses are assigned a practice supervisor and assessor to provide additional support, alongside the rest of the team.

After achieving  the practice hours and academic requirements, we will offer a band 5 role in the same area so your transition is smooth with no need to re-interview.  

University course fees are paid for by Health Education South West and return to practice students will also receive a bursary to support with childcare, travel and book costs. 

To find out more, email our Return to Practice team: ReturntoPractice@nbt.nhs.uk