Location
Ashford, England
Salary
£25,760 - £27,476 pro rata per annum
Profession
Healthcare assistant
Grade
Band 3
Deadline
15 Sep 2026
Contract Type
Permanent
Posted Date
02 Sep 2026
Medical Protection — the side of locally employed doctors from £83

Job requirements

Requirements from the employer’s person specification. These describe the role, not your personal match.

Essential

9 listed

Requirements the employer expects applicants to meet.

  • Working environment

    A full, valid UK driving licence or a full driving licence issued by an EU country (not exchanged from a non-EU country) and the ability to travel independently are essential for this role.

  • Knowledge and skills

    Sound communication skills in order to understand and communicate both verbally and in writing.

  • Knowledge and skills

    A customer focussed approach which is essential to: Provide patients, clients and their families with the best possible experience; represent the Trust when talking to and working with patients, colleagues and visitors; and work together with colleagues and other teams across the Trust.

  • Knowledge and skills

    Able to use IT systems and databases.

  • Knowledge and skills

    Able to remain professional, work well under pressure and organise your own work in order to prioritise care delivery in line with trust policies and procedures.

  • Knowledge and skills

    Have the skill to focus on the details with the ability to spot problems. You will know when you are within your own limits and when to escalate.

  • Qualifications, training and experience

    A Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) Level 3. This could be an NVQ Level 3 apprenticeship, BTEC or equivalent international qualification in healthcare. Or you will be able to demonstrate the equivalent level of experience.

  • Qualifications, training and experience

    Functional Skills at Level 2 (Literacy and numeracy/ GCSE grade A-C/ 4-9 or equivalent in English and Maths)

  • Qualifications, training and experience

    Recent experience of healthcare/ working as a health care assistant gained through education, work experience or previous employment.

Desirable

5 listed

Additional qualities the employer would prefer.

  • Knowledge and skills

    Be adaptable in work as things change throughout the course of the day and to support the wider team.

  • Knowledge and skills

    Have knowledge of up to date clinical practice by using up- to- date skills and adhering to evidence-based procedures and clinical effectiveness frameworks. You will fully understand the role and remit of a health care worker.

  • Knowledge and skills

    Having an awareness of developments within the NHS would be an advantage.

  • Knowledge and skills

    Understand where to signpost clients and families to alternative services to support behaviour change and improve health.

  • Qualifications, training and experience

    You may also have the Care Certificate, but if not, we will support you to achieve this within the first 3 months of starting.

Job overview

Please note: at this stage, the role is open only to colleagues currently employed within Kent and Medway NHS Trusts, the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Medway Community Healthcare or working on the Staff Bank within these organisations. Nursing and AHP vacancies are also open to Student Nurses and Newly Qualified Nurses/AHPs.

Healthcare assistants make a difference by helping to keep people at home and independent for longer. Our community nursing teams are closely aligned with local Primary Care Networks, to make sure patient care is holistic and joined up. We believe in treating the whole person, not just the condition, so we take time to get to know our patients.

Main duties of the job

Healthcare assistants provide care to people at home and in residential care homes, as part of a care plan agreed with local nursing teams.

As a healthcare assistant you'll:

  • Work as part of a team to provide care to local patients and families
  • monitor the quality of care they're receiving
  • provide feedback to managers on the quality of care.

Your patients could be any age, but they'll often be elderly, while others may have been recently discharged from hospital, be terminally ill or have physical disabilities.

As a Healthcare Assistant you will work as part of a team to keep people safe and well at home. You will carry out care plans designed to support people living at home, in care homes or other settings and make sure that people who use our services have a good experience.

Please note, this vacancy does not meet the criteria for skilled worker sponsorship and therefore, we are unable to accept applications from candidates that cannot provide documentary evidence of right to work in the United Kingdom.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

As a community Trust, many of our roles require individuals to be able to drive to perform their duties. Where driving is a requirement of the role, you will be asked to confirm that you hold a full UK driving licence or a full driving licence issued by an EU country (not exchanged from a non-EU country) to proceed with your application. We are committed to supporting candidates with disabilities into employment. If you are unable to drive due to a disability, please contact the Recruitment Team via kentchft.recruitment@nhs.net, quoting the vacancy reference number, so we can support you further.

The job description and person specification gives you all the information you need about this role. Please look carefully at the criteria in the person specification and tell us what you have done that shows you meet this in your application. If you need an application form in an alternative format please let our recruitment team know. All information you supply on your application should, to the best of your knowledge, be true and accurate.

Still have questions? The recruiting manager would love to hear from you, their contact details can be found in the job advert.

We can get a lot of applications for some roles so to be in with the best chance of being shortlisted please make sure you apply as soon as possible. A vacancy may close early if there is a lot of interest in the job.

At KCHFT we strongly encourage colleagues in clinical and non-clinical roles who have direct or social contact with patients to be fully vaccinated. In this way we will be doing all we can to ensure your safety and that of your colleagues and the patients we serve.

Find out more about the community difference here.

Good luck! We can’t wait to meet you and welcome you to #teamKCHFT, #cometocommunity.

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

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Applying for this NHS job

This advert is for Healthcare Assistant with Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust in Ashford, England. It is listed as a Band 3 Healthcare assistant role. The advertised salary is £25,760 - £27,476 pro rata per annum. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 15 Sep 2026.

Before you apply, compare the job description with the person specification and mirror the employer's essential criteria in your supporting information. Use the vacancy title, employer, location, salary, contract type, closing date and posted date (02 Sep 2026) to decide whether this role fits your current NHSjob search. If the employer can close applications early, prepare the application before the stated deadline rather than waiting for the final day.

For more context, review related Job Clerk pages for the same profession, band or location where they exist, then use the application-support guides to tailor your statement and prepare for interview.