Domestic Services Staff work in many areas of the NHS and Social Care and are essential to the smooth running of many different services.
As a part of the Domestic Services staff team, you’ll be working to ensure that all areas are kept clean, safe and ready for our patients, staff and visitors.
Working life
Working in Domestic Services means that you will take part in a variety of cleaning tasks each day to keep services operating smoothly. You will:
- Dust
- Use chemicals and spray cleaners safely.
- Clean hard surfaces and floors with mops and electric cleaners.
- Use vacuum cleaners and carpet cleaners.
- Clean bathroom and toilet areas.
- Undertake weekly cleaning on a schedule.
- Deal with emergency cleaning requirements such as spillages or leaks.
- Complete regular deep cleaning on a rota schedule.
Working in Domestic Services could mean that you work in or across:
- Acute hospital settings
- Community hospital settings
- For a GP Surgery
- In a community setting
- For NHS England
- At the head office of an NHS Trust
- In Social Care
Requirements
Becoming a Domestic Services team member usually does not need specific qualifications. NHS and Social Care employers will expect good literacy and numeracy skills as these are an important part of working in Domestic Services and with people in general. Depending on the role, some employers may ask for GCSEs or equivalent qualifications. When applying for a role in the Domestic Services team there may be other skills or qualifications required but this will depend on the role.
Employers will also require you to have some relevant work experience or knowledge of having worked in a similar role previously. If you are considering a role in the domestic services team, it is a good idea if you can demonstrate where you have previously worked or volunteered in a similar role or where you have gained customer service experience.
Working in Domestic Services will provide further opportunities to develop your career through apprenticeships and internal training and there are sometimes other ways to access employment in domestic services such as traineeships or internships depending on the Trust you work for.
Personal Characteristics
To work successfully as a Domestic Services team member, you need to consider your own personal characteristics. You would need to have the following attributes or similar:
- Be accurate and methodical and have good attention to detail.
- Be able to work as part of a team but also able to use your own initiative.
- Be able to work with all people from various backgrounds with different experiences.
- Be physically fit.
Skills Required
To work successfully as a Domestic Services team member, you also need to consider the skills that you have. You would need to demonstrate the following:
- Be well organised and able to plan your time.
- Be able to communicate with a variety of people using different methods.
- Have positive customer service skills.
- Have good attention to detail.
- Be able to work alone.
- To take responsibility for the work you do.
Training and Development Opportunities
When you begin to work in the domestic services team, you will receive training you require to be able to undertake the role successfully. You will receive an induction which will introduce you to the department you will be working in, will support you to access the IT systems and will ensure you are aware of the policies and procedures you will be required to following in the undertaking of your role. You will also have to complete any statutory and mandatory training that your employer requires such as fire training, data security training and customer service.
As a Domestic Services team member, you will be encouraged to work towards further qualifications such as an NVQ in cleaning or by undertaking a qualification offered by the British Institute of Cleaning Science (BICSc). You could also undertake an apprenticeship qualification to help you progress in your career.
Career Development Opportunities
Once you have experience of working within the domestic services team, there are other roles you could progress into. You could become a supervisor or team leader or supervise the work of other colleagues. You could also become a domestic services manager or progress into other areas of support.
Pay and benefits
Domestic Services staff usually work around 37.5 hours per week. Depending on the role and the setting you work in, you may be required to work shifts, nights, evenings or weekends.
Domestic Services staff in the NHS are paid using the Agenda for Change (AfC) system and will typically start their career on AfC band 2 but with experience, further training and additional qualifications, can progress further up the pay scale.
Domestic Services staff working for Social Care settings will be paid according to the employer they work for and the renumeration for the role will be shown on their job advert.
Other benefits of working within the domestic services team include access to a pension scheme, health service discounts such as Blue Light Card and 27 days of annual leave in addition to bank holidays.