Encore Care Homes, which has four purpose-built care homes based across Dorset and Hampshire, is looking to recruit permanent Healthcare Assistants to support the work of the team by providing practical, physical, social, and emotional wellbeing support to the residents in the care homes. The Encore family includes Fairmile Grange in Christchurch, Oakdale in Poole, Great Oaks in Bournemouth, and Hamble Heights in Fareham.

Individuals who live in Dorset and Hampshire and have good listening and communication skills, as well as a natural ability to be friendly, kind and reassuring to others are invited to apply to become a Healthcare Assistant (HCA) at Encore’s four purpose-built care homes. As well as providing companionship to residents, HCA responsibilities include washing and dressing residents, serving meals and helping those that need support with eating, assisting residents to move around, making them feel more comfortable, and monitoring a resident’s condition by recording their temperature, pulse, or weight. 

There are no set entry requirements to becoming an HCA, with all training being provided by Encore. New starters will also be included in the rollout of vaccines in line with the team’s key worker status. However, there are some skills and characteristics that a person must have including a minimum of six months of ‘caring’ experience which could be from working in a school, childcare, or simply caring for a relative. Alternatively, candidates could come from a people-focused role with a customer service background in retail or hospitality, but they must have a compassionate nature and transferable caring skills. 

Pavla Poustevnik, who works as a mortgage advisor during the weekdays, gives up her time to work as an HCA one day a week at Great Oaks care home in Bournemouth every weekend. She started working as an HCA in April last year when she was put on furlough. 

Pavla said: “I had never worked for a care home before, but I had cared for my grandmother when she was ill with Parkinson’s. The training at Encore was extensive and there is just so much support available. I was worried if I would be able to do it without the right professional experience, but my colleagues have taken the time to teach me how to do things properly. 

Pavla added: “I love the people as well, as I have built good relationships with my colleagues and the residents. You can see the look on their faces about how much it means to them that you’re able to look after them.”

All care home residents are tested for Covid-19 on a weekly basis, with staff accessing twice-weekly Lateral Flow rapid testing. All staff and residents have been offered their first dose of the Covid vaccine and will have their second dose in the coming weeks to provide greater protection against catching the virus and becoming seriously ill, and reducing the transmission of the virus. 

For more information and to apply for a Healthcare Assistant role at Encore, go to Encorecarehomes.co.uk/careers