Care Assistant

Oaklands Rest Home is a family-run care home based on the edge of the New Forest. We are one of the region's leading care homes — national award winners for four consecutive years, including the Caring UK Awards, Dementia Care Awards and Social Care Stars.

We support residents with residential, dementia, respite and reablement care. Our vision is simple: Our Specialty is You. That means we get to know every resident as an individual — their history, their preferences, their humour, their routines — and we build care around those details.

We use the latest care technology, run a rich activities programme, and invest seriously in our team. Many of our staff have been with us for years, and we are proud to have supported people to progress from Care Assistant all the way to Deputy Manager.

Job Title

Care Assistant

Location

Marchwood, New Forest, Hampshire (free parking on site)

Hours

Full time and part time positions available

Reports To

Senior Care Assistant and Registered Manager

DBS Check

Required — funded by Oaklands

This is a care role where the small details matter as much as the big ones. You will support residents with their personal care, daily routines, meals, mobility, emotional wellbeing and social interaction. You will also notice and report changes in a resident's health, mood or behaviour so the team can respond quickly.

Many of our residents are living with dementia. That means patience is not optional — it is the job. You will learn to read behaviour as communication, respond calmly to distress and confusion, and build the kind of trust that takes time and consistency.

This role is not about completing a task list. It is about helping Oaklands feel like home.

Person-Centred Care

• Support residents with personal care in a respectful, dignified way

• Follow individual care plans and adapt your approach to each person

• Encourage independence and take time to understand each resident's preferences, life history and routines

• Support residents with physical, emotional, social and spiritual wellbeing

• Help residents feel safe, unhurried and valued

Dementia Care

• Support residents living with dementia with patience, reassurance and compassion

• Recognise that behaviour is often communication

• Respond calmly to distress, confusion or changes in presentation

• Maintain routines and familiar approaches that support residents' wellbeing

Health, Safety and Reporting

• Report changes in health, mood, appetite, mobility or behaviour promptly

• Answer call bells quickly and respectfully

• Support residents safely with moving and handling, using equipment correctly

• Follow safeguarding, infection control and health and safety procedures

Records and Communication

• Complete care records accurately and on time using our digital care system

• Share important information at handover

• Communicate with respect — with residents, families, visitors and colleagues

• Raise concerns early rather than waiting

No formal qualifications are required to apply. What matters most is the right attitude and approach.

Essential

• Genuine kindness and patience with older people

• Willing to follow care plans and safe working practices

• Reliable and consistent — your colleagues depend on you

• Honest — speaks up when something is not right

• Good communication skills, written and spoken

• Comfortable using digital systems for records

• Comfortable supporting residents with personal care

• Basic English reading and writing to complete records accurately

• Calm under pressure and resilient

• Committed to safeguarding and the wellbeing of residents

Desirable (not essential)

• Experience in a care home or health/social care setting

• Moving and handling or first aid training

• Experience supporting people living with dementia

• Experience using digital care planning systems

• Care Certificate or NVQ Level 2 in Health and Social Care

We would rather be honest now than waste your time or ours. Please do not apply if you:

• Are uncomfortable supporting residents with personal care

• Become easily frustrated by repetition, confusion or distress

• Struggle to treat older people with patience, dignity and respect

• Have a pattern of unreliable attendance or poor timekeeping

• Are unwilling to complete care records or use digital systems

• See care work as a temporary job rather than a responsibility to vulnerable people

We invest in our people. Here is what you will receive as part of the Oaklands team:

• Competitive pay with annual pay reviews

• Salary enhancement on qualification achievement

• 28 days holiday (pro rata for part time)

• Paid online learning time

• Enhanced bank holiday rates

• Pension contributions

• Length of service holiday bonus

• Refer a friend bonus scheme

• Free uniform

• Cycle to work scheme

• Free parking on site

• Annual Staff Awards Programme

• Free DBS check

• Genuine career progression pathway

• Funded training and NVQ qualifications

• Study support for further qualifications

• Residents feel safe, known, respected and unhurried

• Care is delivered with dignity, kindness and attention to personal preference

• Changes in residents' wellbeing are noticed and reported promptly

• Records are accurate, timely and meaningful

• Colleagues can rely on you to do what you say you will do

• Families and visitors experience warmth, professionalism and trust

• You ask for help when unsure rather than guessing

• You treat dementia-related distress as communication, not inconvenience

• You contribute to a calm, supportive and values-led culture

Our core values were developed with our entire team and underpin everything we do at Oaklands. They are not words on a wall — they shape how we care for residents and how we treat each other.

• Caring

• Collaborative

• Respectful

• Honest

• Person-Centred

• Reliable

• Informative

• Open

• Innovative

• Trusted

Every member of the Oaklands team receives a structured induction and ongoing training and development throughout their time with us. We fund nationally recognised qualifications and actively support progression — many of our senior team members started as Care Assistants.

• Bespoke nationally recognised induction programme

• Mandatory and role-specific training included

• Study support and funding for NVQ / Diploma in Health and Social Care

• Salary enhancement on qualification achievement

• Paid online learning time

• Supervision and appraisal to support your development

• Real progression pathway from Care Assistant to Senior, to Deputy Manager

If what you have read sounds like you, we would love to hear from you. Apply via this listing, or if you have questions about the role contact the team directly.

Oaklands Rest Home is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of residents. All appointments are subject to an enhanced DBS check, satisfactory references and right to work in the UK verification.