Housekeeper

Housekeeper

Cleanliness · Dignity · Resident Comfort

About Oaklands Rest Home

Oaklands Rest Home is a family-run care home based on the edge of the New Forest. We support residents to feel safe, respected, known and cared for as individuals.

In a care home, housekeeping is not just cleaning. It directly affects dignity, infection prevention, safety, comfort, first impressions and how residents feel in their own home.

About This Role

The Housekeeper / Domestic Assistant maintains high standards of cleanliness, hygiene, presentation and comfort throughout the home — including residents' rooms, bathrooms, communal areas and other agreed spaces.

You will follow cleaning schedules, use products and equipment safely, report concerns promptly and work respectfully around residents and colleagues. You will help ensure Oaklands feels clean, fresh, safe and welcoming — without making residents feel disrupted or rushed.

This is not a background role. You are part of the care environment. What you do, how you do it and how you interact with residents matters.

Role Details

Reports To

Head Housekeeper

Accountable To

Registered Manager and Deputy Manager

Location

Oaklands Rest Home, Marchwood, New Forest

DBS Required

Yes — enhanced DBS check required

What This Role Is Really About

A resident's room is their home

You are not cleaning an empty space. You are working in someone's personal environment — their photos, their belongings, their bed, their space. Every room must be treated with that level of respect.

Standards matter even when nobody is watching

The right person for this role takes pride in doing the job properly every time — not because someone is checking, but because they care. Cutting corners in a care home has consequences for real people.

You are part of resident wellbeing

Clean rooms, fresh bathrooms, well-stocked supplies and a calm presence all affect how residents experience Oaklands. Families form opinions about the quality of our care partly from what they see and smell when they walk through the door.

Main Responsibilities

1. Cleaning and Presentation

• Follow agreed cleaning schedules and task lists

• Clean residents' rooms, bathrooms, wet rooms, toilets, corridors, lounges and communal areas to a high standard

• Dust, vacuum, mop, disinfect, empty bins, clean mirrors, clean surfaces and refill supplies as required

• Spot clean walls, carpets, furniture and surfaces where needed

• Support deep cleans and room turnouts in line with schedules

• Help ensure the home smells fresh, feels clean and remains presentable

• Leave residents' rooms and shared areas tidy, safe and comfortable after cleaning

2. Infection Prevention and Safe Practice

• Follow infection prevention and control procedures at all times

• Use cleaning products, colour-coded equipment and PPE correctly

• Store chemicals and equipment safely in line with COSHH requirements

• Report spills, hazards, defects, odours or infection control concerns promptly

• Avoid creating trip hazards or unsafe conditions while cleaning

• Clean bathrooms, toilets and high-touch areas thoroughly and consistently

3. Respectful Working Around Residents

• Knock before entering residents' rooms and respect privacy and dignity

• Explain what you are doing where appropriate

• Work calmly and respectfully around residents, including those living with dementia

• Be mindful that a resident's room is their home — not just a room to clean

• Avoid moving personal items unnecessarily and report any concerns about belongings

• Be kind, patient and friendly in everyday interactions

• Report any concerns about a resident's wellbeing to the senior person on duty

4. Laundry Support (Where Required)

• Support laundering of bedding, towels and garments as required

• Follow garment labels and laundry procedures carefully

• Handle residents' clothing respectfully

• Report missing, damaged or wrongly labelled items promptly

• Help ensure laundry is returned clean, fresh and appropriately managed

5. Communication and Records

• Complete cleaning records accurately and promptly

• Report completed tasks, missed tasks or issues to the appropriate person

• Communicate respectfully with residents, relatives, visitors and colleagues

• Raise maintenance issues, equipment faults or low stock promptly

• Work with the Head Housekeeper, care team and management to maintain standards

What Good Looks Like

In this role, strong performance means:

• The home feels clean, fresh, safe and welcoming

• Residents' rooms are treated as personal homes

• Bathrooms and toilets are hygienic and well-stocked

• Cleaning records are accurate and completed on time

• Hazards and concerns are reported promptly

• Residents, relatives and visitors experience the home as well cared for

• Infection prevention procedures are followed consistently

• You work around residents with kindness, dignity and patience

• Colleagues trust you to follow schedules and hold standards

• Oaklands feels homely rather than institutional

This Role Is Not Right For Everyone

Please read this honestly. This role is not suitable for someone who:

• Dislikes routine cleaning tasks or physical work

• Cuts corners when under time pressure

• Is careless with infection control, chemicals or equipment

• Is uncomfortable working around older people or people living with dementia

• Does not respect residents' rooms as personal spaces

• Is unreliable with timekeeping or attendance

• Avoids reporting problems, hazards or concerns

• Struggles to follow schedules, instructions or safe systems of work

• Sees housekeeping as unimportant to resident experience

Person Specification

Essential

• Pride in cleanliness, hygiene and presentation

• Reliability and good timekeeping

• Ability to follow cleaning schedules and instructions

• Attention to detail

• Willingness to work around residents respectfully and patiently

• Understanding that housekeeping contributes to dignity, comfort and safety

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team

• Willingness to follow infection control and health and safety procedures

• Ability to report hazards, defects or resident concerns promptly

• Willingness to complete required training

Desirable

• Previous housekeeping, domestic, cleaning or laundry experience

• Experience in a care home, healthcare, hotel or hospitality environment

• Infection control or COSHH training

• Experience working around older people or people living with dementia

Additional Requirements

DBS Check

Enhanced DBS check required

Right to Work

Must have right to work in the UK

References

Satisfactory references required

Training

Completion of Oaklands induction and all mandatory training

Flexibility

Flexibility to meet the needs of residents and the home

Our Values

Everything we do at Oaklands is guided by our core values: Caring · Respectful · Person-Centred · Informative · Innovative · Collaborative · Honest · Reliable · Open · Trusted.

Our specialty is you — our residents. Every clean room, every fresh bathroom and every respectful interaction makes that real.