Palliative Healthcare Assistant

Acorns Children's Hospice Trust are looking for Children's Palliative Healthcare Assistants for our Birmingham Hospice to deliver holistic care to children and young people with a range of complex health needs, life-limiting or life-threatening conditions.

About The Role

Acorns provides care for babies, children and young people, who have life-limiting or life-threatening conditions. Our Healthcare Assistants are part of a supportive, multi-disciplinary team delivering care packages that are tailored to each child’s individual holistic needs – and we’re structured so that you’ll simply ‘have the time to care’.

Each hospice is purpose-built with individually decorated rooms overlooking our gardens. We try to make it as welcoming and friendly as possible – a homely environment for the children, young people and their families.

As a Healthcare Assistant, You Will

• Work under the direction of the registered nurse to provide care in a variety of settings
• Provide personalised care to children, young people and families as per the child’s holistic care plan and identify changes in condition, ensuring these are escalated to the registered nurse
• Empower children, young people and their relatives to make decisions about their care and to exercise choice
• Help ensure that children and young people are introduced to and encouraged to engage in a wide range of stimulating and creative activities by interaction and play, both indoors and outdoors, encouraging the use of local community facilities where appropriate
• Ensure that the child’s or young person’s psychological and social needs are met as well as their physical care

We’re open every day of the year and are fully responsive to the needs of our children and young people, so we will ask for some flexibility as there will be day and night shifts.

About You

• Care Certificate or willing to work towards
• Previous experience of working with children with complex health needs
• Ability to provide care sensitively, taking into account culture, beliefs and wishes
• Knowledge of procedures related to safeguarding adults and children

What We Offer

• £26,227.50 to £26,800 per annum
• Additional enhancements for nights and weekends
• 37.5 hours per week
• Based in our Birmingham Hospice (B29 6HZ)
• Employee discounts from leading retailers – including the Blue Light Card
• Discounts on refurbished tech
• Health cash plan
• Gym membership and equipment discount scheme
• Time off to volunteer
• Bike2Work scheme - save up to 42% on bikes and equipment
• Wellbeing, legal and financial support
• Career development through our Acorns Academy offering leadership, coaching, fundraising, clinical training and more.
• Generous contribution to group personal pension plan (7.5%) or continuation of current NHS pension scheme
• NHS pension scheme life assurance or Acorns group life assurance scheme
• Annual leave entitlement increases with length of service

Interviews are scheduled to be held on 1st October.

You need to be eligible to work in the UK to be considered for this role. We are committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and therefore any successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check for children and will be asked to provide two satisfactory references. In addition, candidates will be asked to provide evidence of immunisation against specific diseases or confirm their willingness to receive the necessary vaccinations.

As a UNICEF Gold Rights Respecting organisation we are committed to ensuring that the United Nations Convention for the Rights of the Child is embedded into both culture and practice within the organisation. As an employee you will be a Duty Bearer for Children’s Rights and support all children to be Rights Holders.

If you have any questions, please contact us at

Find out about our culture, career development, benefits and more here: Why Work for Acorns?

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