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What are Team Support Workers?

What are Team Support Workers?

25 January 2021
Support Worker
Healthcare careers

​Team Support Worker is a new support role that has been created by North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust in order to help ease the pressure on existing NHS staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

65 new Team Support Workers have been recruited by the Trust for six-month temporary contracts, following a recruitment campaign that generated an 'overwhelming' response. Those who applied included former military personnel and young people wanting to launch their careers.

Chief Nurse, Lindsey Robertson said:

"We are utterly overwhelmed by the success of this recruitment campaign, but we never doubted the support of our Teesside communities.

These roles are so very important in ensuring our current staff are supported to do their jobs during the ongoing pandemic.

These roles have emphasised the needs for ‘an extra pair of hands’ and other back to basics compassionate caring skills the NHS is so well renowned for across the world."

With a budget of around £270m, three hospitals and 5,500 staff, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital-based services to the population of Hartlepool, Stockton on Tees and parts of East Durham and Sedgefield as well as community, therapeutic and screening to a wider population across Durham and Teesside.

The new Team Support Workers will work under the supervision of healthcare teams to record information and assist in the planning for admission, transfer and discharge, as well as orientating patients and visitors to the ward environment and completing basic administrative duties.

Karen Sheard, Deputy Chief Nurse, said:

"Resilience for our staff is the single most important factor for our workforce at present.

I had the absolute privilege of meeting many of the applicants at their induction.

It was truly humbling to see just how much love and support there is out there for the NHS.

I’ve met former military personnel, young people looking for a break into health care and people who just want to give something back."