An exciting opportunity has arisen for a full-time Band 5 Clinical Housekeeper to join the Haematology team at King’s. We are looking for a caring, motivated individual with a commitment to delivering high-quality patient care.

The Department of Haematological Medicine at King’s is a leading UK centre providing comprehensive care for patients with both malignant and non-malignant haematological disorders, including leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma, aplastic anaemia, MDS, and sickle cell disease.

You will join a dynamic, skilled multidisciplinary team within one of the UK’s top NHS Foundation Trusts, recognised internationally for excellence in haematology and cancer care.

Requirements

• Highly organised, able to manage workload effectively in a busy clinical environment.
• Excellent communication, customer service, and IT skills.
• Previous hospital or healthcare experience is desirable.
• Full training will be provided.
• Working knowledge of Infection Prevention and Control procedures.
• Previous NHS (or care environment) experience.
• Good basic education (e.g., GCSEs including English and Maths or equivalent literacy/numeracy).
• Experience working with the public/customers or in a service environment.
• Health & Safety awareness training.
• Basic Food Hygiene certificate or willingness to obtain one soon after starting (desirable).

Responsibilities

• Work as an integral member of the Haematology multidisciplinary team across all clinical areas.
• Support the delivery of high-quality non-clinical patient services.
• Play a key role in infection prevention and control, audits, and quality assurance.
• Work closely with infection control teams, contractors, and support services.
• Monitor quality standards and ensure any deficiencies are addressed promptly.
• Decontamination monitoring across all areas pertaining to non-ward equipment to ensure it is kept visibly clean during use and prior to return to either the bed store or the equipment library.
• Log all additional equipment in use on the wards from external areas (e.g., bed store, equipment library).
• Ensure equipment to be returned for reprocessing is stored safely.
• Perform environmental monitoring using available tools and liaise with Medirest on their weekly inspection.
• Monitor ward equipment checks for visible identification of decontamination (e.g., commodes, suction, drip stands).
• Deliver regular education to ward staff on the correct methods of decontamination.
• Ensure the department is always safe and tidy (e.g., remove clutter, tidy notice boards, signage).
• Identify any problems with cleanliness and report to the Divisional Supervisor and Ward Manager or Matron.
• Ensure specialist cleaning of surfaces and furnishings.
• Identify patients with infection due to be discharged and ensure over-isolation nursing areas are cleaned appropriately.
• Ensure that all sanitiser and alcohol gel containers are kept filled.
• Ensure light refreshments are available for patients if required, in accordance with National policy/standard.
• Provide eating assistance (e.g., cutting up food, placing food within reach, encouraging patients to eat), as guided by the nursing staff.
• Assist nursing staff with hot/cold beverages, including appropriate trolley/equipment.
• Ensure a pleasant environment for patients is maintained where food and beverages are served/consumed.
• Liaise with nursing staff in notifying the catering department of discharged, transferred, and newly admitted patients’ meal requirements.
• Co-ordinate extra meal requirements that may arise.
• Monitor catering standards.
• Participate in the audit and use of environmental checklists as requested.
• Report environmental repairs and follow up outstanding work as necessary.
• Inform Line Managers of monitoring outcomes and agree action plans, ensuring action is taken.
• Ensure requests through the Housekeeping Monitoring Form are logged, reported, recorded, and closed down as appropriate.
• Facilitate room preparation both for admission and discharges with the support of the ward staff.
• Monitor and co-ordinate other ad hoc maintenance, liaising with the support service helpdesk as required for other services.
• If required, transport clinical, domestic, and confidential waste as per policy to the disposal area (Dirty Utility).
• Minimise the potential for adverse behaviour and security breaches.
• Work with the ward sisters, nurse in charge, bed managers, and ward receptionist in the monitoring and maintaining of the ward e-EPIC system.
• Communicate varied and complicated information (verbally and in writing) in a way that is understood and gets the important facts across.
• Ensure that patient information/literature is available.
• Maintain and update paper-based records and information as required.
• Respond to requests for general information.
• Receive and pass on information to others, maintaining confidentiality.
• Use communication skills to manage any abusive or aggressive behaviour.
• Receive complaints, ensuring the relevant department (PALS & Patient Services) are aware.
• Be aware and implement any new policies and standards, including Food Hygiene, Waste Categorisation, Infection Control, Cleaning, etc.

Benefits

• Click here to see the range of benefits we offer.

Application Process

• Check your email account regularly as this is how we will communicate with you.
• If you delete the job from any of your accounts, you may be prevented from accessing further communications.
• To enquire about your application or inform us of any changes in your circumstances, please contact the named person on this advert.
• Please provide email addresses for referees where possible.
• Please review the documentation on our recruitment microsite, particularly the Trust’s criminal records checking policy.
• All staff have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and for ensuring they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.
• Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. On occasion, we might close a vacancy early due to a high number of applications being received. You are advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
• The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

About King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£1.8 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 15,000 staff based across 5 main sites in South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local hospital services across its different sites, and specialist services from King’s College Hospital (KCH) sites at Denmark Hill in Camberwell and at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) site in the London Borough of Bromley.

We encourage all our staff to have a healthy work/life balance. In doing so, you can apply for flexible working from the beginning of your employment. We offer a range of options which are designed to suit different circumstances and priorities in line with service requirements.

The trust-wide strategy of Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do. By being person-centred, digitally-enabled, and focused on sustainability, we aim to take Team King’s to another level.

We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.

King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.

King's College Hospital is part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC), a pioneering collaboration between King's College London, and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts.

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Annual Reports and Other Corporate Publications King's Health Partners Academic Health Science Centre Website