Job overview

Working Full time : 37.5 hours per week 

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Estates Department would like to appoint a Water Safety Technician (Plumber)

You will work predominantly days, based on site at The Countess of Chester Hospital.  There will be the opportunity to work overtime, which will attract enhanced rates of pay.  You will also be part of a team providing on call cover during periods of sickness and annual leave (after a probationary period) and again this will attract an additional on call payment plus any additional hours worked and mileage reimbursement.  

This role receives an additional recruitment and retention payment of £3277 per annum.  The Trust offers a generous benefits package including a career average pension scheme and annual leave entitlement commencing at 27 days increasing to a maximum of 33 days per annum plus bank holidays with service.

The Estates Department values the importance of enabling their team to personally grow and develop within the Trust. The team is very flexible and supportive and work together collaboratively internally and externally to achieve its goals, so it is exciting time to join them.  

You will become an active member of the team working to promote good working practice, minimise downtime and assist in improving standards.  You will be capable of interacting with staff at all levels on a day-to-day basis and will need to possess excellent communication skills.

Main duties of the job

1.    You will undertake work in a safe and effective manner, complying with all relevant safety legislation and procedures; to comply with ESTATES DEPARTMENT HEALTH AND SAFETY PROCEDURES MANUAL on any work undertaken.

2.    As a Water Safety Technician, you will be required to test water temperatures, fit POU Filters, change shower heads and disinfect and chlorinate pipework plus take water samples.

3.    You will carry out maintenance tasks including statutory, mandatory, planned preventative and reactive maintenance.

4.    You will undertake the unblocking of drains both internal and external, in some cases working closely with specialist contractors, often without supervision.

5.    You will have a wide knowledge of all types of plumbing and drainage systems including direct and indirect heating calorifiers, gas fired boilers and steam systems and be capable of undertaking necessary repairs.

6.    You will understand and identify issues addressed on Legionnaire and Pseudomonas Risk Assessments.

Working for our organisation

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust provides services to West Cheshire and to Welsh patients covered by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership. Its services are provided from three locations:

• The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 438 general and acute beds
• Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 56 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility
• Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population.                                                                 

The Trust employs over 5916 staff (headcount) which includes temporary bank staff and provides acute emergency and elective services, primary care direct access services and obstetric services to a population of approximately 411,000. This includes 361,000 residents in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire which has a population of approximately 50,000.​​

The Trust is a busy district general hospital and in 2022/2023, there were more than 503,342 patient attendances (inpatient, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery. This is an increase of nearly 10,000 compared to the previous year when there were 494,387 patient attendances.