Health Care Support Worker Deputy Lead
Location: Skanda Vale Hospice, Saron, Llandysul, SA44 5DY.
Hours: One day per week, plus being available from time to time through the week for occasional meetings and to answer team members’ emails.
Supported by: HCSW Lead (and Head of Care Delivery)
our service
Most good teams have someone the leader can confidently lean on — the person who steps in without being asked, and can be trusted to understand what is needed. At Skanda Vale Hospice, that person is our volunteer Health Care Support Workers Deputy Lead.
We are led by volunteers, and our HCSWs are at the centre of everyday care: helping someone wash and dress, sharing a meal, sitting a while with a patient who would rather not be alone. The HCSW Lead holds that team together. As the Deputy, you help them do it — and you take the lead yourself when they are away.
It is a hands-on role as much as a leadership one. You do not need to have run a hospice team before, but you do need real experience in care and a clear head when things change quickly. You will have a steady, approachable and supportive nature that people naturally turn to and that will help shape the care that reaches families across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire — and beyond — within a community unlike any other you have encountered.
What you’ll be doing:
- Supporting the HCSW Lead in leading, supporting and developing our team of volunteer HCSWs, and deputising for them in their absence.
- Giving hands-on care across inpatient respite and day hospice, under the direction of our nurses, and seeking advice from them straight away if a patient’s condition deteriorates, if a patient or those closest to them have concerns, or if someone no longer consents to an aspect of their care.
- Helping supervise, support and train the team, encouraging everyone to take part in ongoing training, support meetings and Storysharing Rounds (emotional support) — and taking an active role in your own ongoing development.
- Helping Recruitment colleagues to interview and select both volunteer and paid HCSWs, so the team has the capacity to provide the care needed as services develop.
- Helping with the running of regular team meetings, so that every member feels valued and listened to, and the needs of patients and those closest to them remain at the centre of everything the team does.
- Being a steady, supportive presence as situations arise, supporting team members in line with SVH’s Supervision & Support Policy and Procedure.
- Working alongside the HCSW Lead, Head of Care Delivery and other Leads to develop person-centred care that reflects the ethos of the hospice.
Personal Qualities & Experience:
- Recent experience in a professional care role, ideally qualified to at least QCF Level 2 (or equivalent).
- Experience of supporting, supervising or mentoring others — or a real readiness to grow into team leadership.
- A calm, organised approach, and instinct to respond quickly when a situation changes.
- Warm, clear communication, with genuine active listening and a feel for professional boundaries.
- A compassionate, non-judgemental manner, and a natural instinct to advocate for patients and their families.
- A sound understanding of confidentiality and data protection, and confidence with everyday IT.
- A commitment to the hospice’s ethos and its volunteer-led, volunteer-managed model of care.
- A positive, can-do attitude, a sense of humour, and the ability to look after your own and others’ well-being.
It would also help — though it is not essential — if you can speak Welsh, have led or coached a care team before, and/or bring experience in palliative and end-of-life care.
Training & support:
- A full hospice induction, with ongoing supervision and support from the HCSW Lead and Head of Care Delivery.
- Regular team meetings and Storysharing Rounds (emotional support), so you never feel you are doing this on your own.
Joining our team:
- The chance to grow as a leader within a supportive, volunteer-led hospice.
- The experience of shaping genuinely person-centred palliative care, and seeing the difference it makes.
- A real sense of belonging within the Skanda Vale Hospice community.
YOUR STEPS TO JOINING OUR TEAM
Choose how to submit your application:
- Option 1: Complete and submit the online form below.
- Option 2: Download and email the form to: volunteers@skandavalehospice.org
- Option 3: Download print and post the form to: People Team, Skanda Vale Hospice, Saron, Llandysul, SA44 5DY.
One of our team will be in touch to talk through the details.
Come and meet us for a friendly conversation / interview to ensure we’re a good fit for one another.
After we’ve run our checks we’ll invite you to an Induction Day and welcome you into the team!
Volunteering application form
All our teams take part in training, so please ensure you’re happy with that before submitting your form. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide sponsorship for overseas volunteers.
Interested in volunteering?
Nicky Gilbert, our Recruitment Lead, reads every enquiry and will be in touch within a few working days.
