About this role
Job summary
The Health Care Support Worker Manager provides day-to-day leadership and support for the Health Care Support Workers within either the Inpatient Unit or Hospice at Home service. They ensure that the fundamental aspects of care are delivered consistently and compassionately, and that patients and families feel respected, listened to and well supported.
Working closely with the Head of Inpatient Unit / Head of Hospice at Home and the Nurse Manager, the Health Care Support Worker Manager coordinates the deployment, supervision and development of Health Care Support Worker s, helping them to work safely and confidently within their roles. They champion high standards of personal care, communication, dignity and comfort, and support staff to work effectively as part of the wider multidisciplinary team.
The Health Care Support Worker Manager is first and foremost a people manager for the Health Care Support Worker team. They are responsible for setting clear expectations, delivering monthly one-to-one meetings, undertaking return-to-work discussions, and managing attendance, performance and conduct in line with hospice policies. Alongside promoting excellent hands-on care, they ensure that support workers are well led, well supported and held to consistent standards so that the quality of care and staff experience remain high.
Main duties of the job
Leadership and coordination of support workers
Provide visible, day-to-day leadership and support for Health Care Support Workers within the service. Coordinate the allocation of Health Care Support Worker priorities agreed with the Nurse Manager and Head of Service. Ensure support workers understand their responsibilities, work within their competence and know how to seek help or escalate concerns. Staff supervision, development and wellbeing
Line manage Health Care Support Workers, providing clear expectations, regular feedback and supportive day-to-day guidance. Deliver monthly one-to-one meetings for all direct reports, using the hospice one-to-one framework to review performance, behaviour, wellbeing and development needs. Complete return-to-work meetings following sickness absence in line with hospice policy, ensuring supportive but firm management of attendance and escalation where patterns cause concern. Address performance or conduct issues at an early stage, having timely conversations, documenting concerns and escalating to the Head of Service and HR where formal processes are required. Ensure Health Care Support Workers complete mandatory training, the Care Certificate (where applicable) and role-specific competencies within required timescales, maintaining accurate records of compliance.
About us
Rotherham Hospice is a charity dedicated to the people of Rotherham, offering specialist palliative and end of life care to our community since 1996.
We provide comprehensive, compassionate care through two primary patient services:
24-hour, 14-bed Inpatient Service 24-hour Hospice at Home ServiceAdditionally, we offer wider support to patients and their families through:
Complementary therapies & hairdressing Counselling and Bereavement Support for adults, children and teenagers Day services with individual and group sessions Family memory events Occupation therapy and physiotherapy Social work Spiritual care Tailored experiences for patients and loved ones
Job description Job responsibilities
Key Responsibilities
Leadership and coordination of support workers
Provide visible, day-to-day leadership and support for Health Care Support Workers within the service. Coordinate the allocation of Health Care Support Worker priorities agreed with the Nurse Manager and Head of Service. Ensure support workers understand their responsibilities, work within their competence and know how to seek help or escalate concerns. Quality, safety and clinical governance
Promote safe and effective practice by Health Care Support Workers, including adherence to care plans, infection prevention and control, moving and handling and documentation standards. Ensure Health Care Support Workers use the hospice incident reporting system appropriately and support them to document, follow up and learn from incidents, near misses, complaints and compliments. Lead or support local audits and quality improvement activities relevant to Health Care Support Worker practice and the fundamental aspects of care. Staff supervision, development and wellbeing
Line manage Health Care Support Workers, providing clear expectations, regular feedback and supportive day-to-day guidance. Deliver monthly one-to-one meetings for all direct reports, using the hospice one-to-one framework to review performance, behaviour, wellbeing and development needs. Complete return-to-work meetings following sickness absence in line with hospice policy, ensuring supportive but firm management of attendance and escalation where patterns cause concern. Address performance or conduct issues at an early stage, having timely conversations, documenting concerns and escalating to the Head of Service and HR where formal processes are required. Ensure Health Care Support Workers complete mandatory training, the Care Certificate (where applicable) and role-specific competencies within required timescales, maintaining accurate records of compliance. Support HCSW wellbeing, recognising the emotional impact of the work and encouraging use of supervision, reflection and available support services. Contribute to the development and progression of Health Care Support Workers, identifying staff with potential for additional responsibility or future roles and supporting their growth.Staffing, rota oversight and deployment
Work with the Head of Service, Nurse Manager and the Administration team to ensure safe deployment of Health Care Support Workers within the agreed rota and workforce plan. Provide clear information on HCSW staffing requirements, skill mix and competency needs to inform rota planning. Respond to short-term HCSW staffing issues on the day, reallocating staff in line with agreed principles, and escalating gaps or concerns to the Head of Service and Nurse Manager. Patient, family and carer experience Promote a culture of kindness, respect and good communication in all HCSW interactions with patients, families and carers. Encourage Health Care Support Workers to involve patients in decisions about their daily care, and to feed back any concerns, preferences or changes in condition. Gather feedback related to HCSW-delivered care and share themes with the Nurse Manager and Head of Service. Teamwork and culture
Help foster a supportive, inclusive and learning culture for Health Care Support Workers and the wider team. Act as a role model for hospice values and professional behaviours. Work collaboratively with the Nurse Manager and Clinical Practice Lead to ensure joined up leadership across nursing and care staff.
Person Specification
Personal Qualities Essential
Compassionate, patient and respectful, with a strong commitment to person centred care. Approachable and supportive, with the ability to encourage and motivate others. Inclusive and fair, with a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. Reliable and trustworthy, with high levels of integrity and professionalism. Resilient and adaptable, able to respond positively to change
Desirable
A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle for work purposes (essential for Hospice at Home). Fluency in community languages such as Urdu, Punjabi, Polish, Slovak, Romanian, and Arabic is highly desirable. It enables compassionate, effective communication with patients and families from diverse backgrounds, helping to build trust and deliver culturally sensitive care. This directly supports our Living Lifes Wishes Strategy and our commitment to inclusive, high-quality care at Rotherham Hospice
Experience & Qualifications Essential
Current registration with the NMC as a Registered Nurse (Adult) with no restrictions on practice. Substantial post-registration experience in a relevant setting (for example palliative care, oncology, acute medicine, community nursing, hospice care). Experience of coordinating shifts or leading a nursing team in a clinical environment Experience of working within a clinical governance framework, including use of incident reporting systems and participation in audit or quality improvement. Evidence of ongoing professional development relevant to the role.
Desirable
Experience of working in specialist palliative and end of life care. Experience in both inpatient and community settings (for example if applying to Hospice at Home). Leadership or management training / qualification, or equivalent experience.
Skills and Abilities Essential
Strong caring and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build rapport with patients, families and staff. Ability to organise and coordinate the work of Health Care Support Workers on a shift, prioritising tasks and responding to changing needs. Understanding of safe working practices in areas such as moving and handling, infection prevention and control and basic observations. Good communication skills, including the ability to give feedback and support to colleagues. Basic IT skills, including use of electronic records and email.
Desirable
Skills in mentoring or supporting new staff or learners. Confidence in participating in, or helping to run, small training sessions or huddles.
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name The Rotherham Hospice
Address Broom Road
Rotherham
South Yorkshire
S60 2SW
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.rotherhamhospice.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)