You can expect your health care assistant (HCA) to undertake a combination of the following:

• Healthcare assistants work in hospital or community settings, such as GP surgeries, under the guidance of a qualified healthcare professional. The role can be varied depending upon the healthcare setting.
• Most commonly, HCAs work alongside nurses and are sometimes known as nursing auxiliaries or auxiliary nurses. HCAs also work alongside qualified midwives in maternity services.

The types of duties include the following:

• Washing and dressing
• Serving patients meals and assisting with feeding when necessary
• Helping people to mobilise
• Toileting
• Bed making
• Generally assisting with patients’ overall comfort
• Monitoring patients’ conditions by taking temperatures, pulse, respirations and weight
• Nursing HCAs usually work a 37.5 hour week on a shift or rota system, typically including nights and weekends
• Part-time and flexible working is often available