Community Care Assistant in Whitehaven

We are seeking caring and reliable Health Care Assistants to join our dedicated team, supporting people to live independently in their own homes. To provide personal, practical and emotional care to Service Users living in their own homes, in order to help them remain in their own homes while it is still safe to do so. To encourage Service Users to reach and maintain an optimum level of independence. This rewarding role offers training, development opportunities, and a chance to make a real difference every day.

Region: Caring teams in and around Cockermouth, Whitehaven, Maryport, Penrith, Keswick, Workington, Wigton, Aspatria, Silloth and Carlisle.

Pay Rates: During the probation period the hourly rate is £12.71, then it will increase to a base rate of £13.45 per hour.

Working Hours: You’ll be expected to work on a variety of different shifts on a set rota basis across the week and you must be available for weekends. Morning calls start around 6:45am and evening calls finish around 10pm.

Key Details:

• 40p per mile mileage allowance
• Paid travel time
• No experience required - full training will be provided, including Care Certificate and Diplomas

Duties:

• Communication: With Service Users, their relatives or Advocates. With other members of the Bellcare team. By understanding and complying with care plans and fact finding for purpose of Care Planning. By completing the Service User’s Daily Log in the correct manner.
• Provision of personal care: To provide personal care for Service Users according to the care plan in a professional manner, while maintaining the Service User’s dignity.
• Food and meal provision: To provide Service Users with a healthy balanced meal of their choice, in accordance with the care plan, taking into account any special dietary needs.
• Domestic duties: To provide Service Users with light domestic help in accordance with the care plan and the Service User’s wishes. Domestic help is identified as vacuuming, dusting, cleaning kitchens, cleaning bathrooms and laundry.
• Social support: To provide Service Users with assistance to maintain and develop recreational interests and hobbies. To encourage Service Users to maintain and develop relationships with families and friends.
• Staff Meetings, Training and Appraisals
• Understanding of Bellcare’s Policies and Procedures
• Compliance with Health and Safety Standards
• Team On-Call: Team On-call duties will be a requirement after the end of the probationary and Junior Care Worker periods. To be a central point for information gathered and reported, as instructed in the Team On-Call Protocol and to pass information on also as instructed. To provide a support service for team colleagues, by holding a central team mobile phone. To record accurate messages in the On-Call diary. To arrange to pass on the information pack and phone to the next person allocated for Team on-call duty. To assist managers to arrange to cover for staff absences as reported during the designated on-call period.

Personal Attributes:

• Respect for the service users and work colleagues
• Respects confidentiality
• Effective use of time available / punctual
• Responsible
• Communicator
• Listener
• Professional
• Genuine Job Interest
• Team player

Additional Information:

• Details of any required supervision: Supervision will be constant for new employees, until the member of Staff has been proven to be competent. After the probationary period supervision will take place at least once every 3 months. Unannounced supervisions are carried out routinely with no advance notice.
• Working relationships: A Health Care Assistant is part of a team providing care to Service Users but is also required to be a lone worker for the majority of the time. Other members of the team include other Health Care Assistants, Senior Carers, Area Coordinators and Managers. A Community Health Care Assistant's first point of contact will normally be the Senior Carer or Area Coordinator, but all members of the management team are available if you have a problem or query.
• Maintenance records: Health Care Assistants are required to complete the Service User’s daily log (record sheet) on every visit, before leaving the Service User’s home. These daily logs are checked on a weekly basis by the Community Care Manager. Health Care Assistants are required to read and sign as understood the Service User’s Care Plan, which is kept in the Service User’s home; all care carried out must comply with the Care Plan. If you feel that the Service User’s Care requirements have changed you have a duty to inform your Line Manager. Care Plans are checked on a regular basis by your Line Managers. Health Care Assistants are required to keep an accurate record of care times and mileage on a Rota Sheet; these sheets are checked when handed in by the Office Manager. To report and document all perceived Risks or Hazards in the Care Plan on the Risk or Hazard report form. To document all medication that has been prompted or applied, on the Service User’s medication sheet; these sheets are checked on a monthly basis by the Registered Manager.
• Resources for which the job holder has responsibility: Uniforms, First Aid Kit, Hand Gel, Training documents, Mobile telephone, Personal alarm.
• Any other responsibilities: To report any perceived Risks or Hazards that you have indicated on the Risk or Hazard report form to your Line manager. Any printed information about Service Users must be kept in a safe place and must not be available to any third parties; this information must be disposed of in the correct manner. To plan ahead, obtain and return Services User’s keys in the correct manner. To take part in the Team on-call service after completion of the Junior Care Worker period.

Requirements:

• A genuine passion for caring and supporting others
• Flexibility and reliability
• Driving licence and access to a vehicle

Sponsorship:

• Occupation code: 6135
• Additional Hours Opportunity (Skilled Worker Visa Holders): This role may be suitable for candidates seeking additional work alongside their existing full-time sponsored employment, 37.5 hours per week. Continue working in your main, full-time sponsored role. Allowed up to 20 additional hours per week - not an automatic entitlement. Have been first granted Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker permission before 22nd July 2025 and have held continuous permission in one of these visa categories since then.