Health Care Assistant Start Programme Taupo

• Taupo
• Rostered shifts 8am-3pm 5 days/week and 1pm – 8pm 5 days/week
• Permanent

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is dedicated to serving all New Zealanders. Through integration and collaboration, we’re building a health system underpinned by partnership, equity, sustainability, whānau-centred care, and excellence.

About the Role

The Supported Transfer and Accelerated Rehabilitation Team (START) early supported discharge team commenced in May 2024 and has been operating successfully since then. We are now in the position of being able to offer permanent positions working in the team.

START Health Care Assistants provide up to four visits a day, 7 days/week using with oversight from Registered Nurses, Physios, Occupational Therapists and input as required from Medicine / Geriatricians and other specialties e.g. SLT.

About you

You should be a competent healthcare assistant capable of working independently with the support of the RNs. You will have a broad range of experience and good assessment skills.

Competency with te ao Māori, tikanga, and te reo Māori or a commitment to starting your journey and taking ownership of your learning and growth

Experience in projects / initiatives which give effect to Te Tiriti principals and frameworks, and the application of Mātauranga Māori and Kaupapa Māori approaches, particularly as they apply in healthcare settings.

About the Team/Service/ Location

The START team is an early supported discharge team and it has two primary functions, both related to increasing bed capacity in acute hospitals

• Reduce hospital length-of-stay
• Reduce hospital readmissions

Reducing hospital length-of-stay is achieved through being able to accept and enable successful discharge home with just a few hour’s notice. This occurs through rapid package of care planning and immediate provision of supported care delivered by trained health care assistants or support workers

Reducing the risk of readmission to hospital occurs through:

• Improving functional resiliency / independence
• Ensuring seamless re-integration back to primary care
• Managing issues related to medication, nutrition
• Managing carer stress
• Identifying deterioration in conditions
• Supervising, managing care packages

Health New Zealand |Te Whatu Ora Lakes provides healthcare from its two modern and progressive general hospitals in Rotorua and Taupo, New Zealand. The Lakes district is becoming the lifestyle destination of choice and is well known for its many outdoor recreational activities, family friendly beaches, and a growing multi-cultural community. Working at Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora Lakes provides a great opportunity to balance an amazing lifestyle with a rewarding professional experience.

As well as a supportive, inclusive and diverse work environment, Health New Zealand |Te Whatu Ora Lakes offer competitive salary, free staff parking, fee flu vaccination, discounts (with local businesses), and access to Employee Assistance Program.

Know more about living and working at the Lakes district

Salary range

$60,100 to $70,358 pro-rated to hours worked

Click here for Position Description

Click here for Collective Agreement

Working for Health New Zealand

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is ‘the weaving of wellness’. We're dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of Aotearoa/New Zealand. The Equity Work Programme at Health NZ focuses on helping everyone in the health system think about equity when they do their work. It also promotes the cultural change needed for the whole system to reach equity in health outcomes.

Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Health New Zealand are committed to being good employers and honouring our equal employment opportunity obligations.

Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion

• We want to see the real you in your application and welcome the real you on board if you come and work with us. Skills are gained across many areas of our life, not just in formal employment. If you can demonstrate the skills listed in the ad, but the experience was gained through whānau life, community or mahi aroha (volunteering) we encourage you to apply and share your story with us in your cover letter.
• We particularly welcome applications from our diverse Māori, Pacific, disabled, and rainbow communities.

How to Apply

To view the position description and/or apply for the role please click “apply now.” All applications must be submitted through our online careers portal before end of posting date.

The selection process starts from the date of advertising. Due to the fast-paced nature of our roles, the vacancy close date may be subject to change.

Please beware of recruitment scams. Health New Zealand recruitment processes do not ask candidates for money at any stage.