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NHS Housekeeper CV Template Example

The role of a Housekeeper within the National Health Service (NHS) is often under-estimated but absolutely essential. In hospital wards, clinics and other healthcare settings, the NHS Housekeeper ensures that cleanliness, hygiene, patient comfort and safety are delivered to the highest standard. According to job adverts, many NHS Housekeeper posts are placed at Band 2 under the Agenda for Change scheme; for example one recent opening listed a salary of £22,383 per annum (pro rata). NHS Jobs+1 Other adverts show around £24,465 per annum for full-time equivalent roles. NHS Jobs+1
In short: the role is vital, stable, and offers you an opportunity to contribute to patient care through non-clinical—but hugely important—support work. If you’re aiming to craft a CV that lands you the interview, the guidance below (drawing on 25+ years of UK career coaching) will steer you through building an interview-winning NHS Housekeeper CV.

Job description & role snapshot
As an NHS Housekeeper you will typically be responsible for:

  • Maintaining cleanliness and hygiene standards across ward, clinical or support areas (ensuring a safe, tidy working environment for patients, visitors and staff). NHS Jobs+1
  • Handling cleaning equipment, reporting defects and ensuring consumables and supplies (linen, patient kits, specialist cleaning agents) are correctly stocked and stored. NHS Jobs+1
  • Following infection-control procedures, COSHH regulations (hazardous cleaning chemicals), safe disposal of clinical and domestic waste, and adhering to the trust’s cleanliness policy. NHS Jobs+1
  • Supporting catering/ward services in some trusts (for example assisting with meal tray distribution, tidying kitchenettes or wards, monitoring fridge temperatures), depending on the specification. NHS Jobs+1
  • Collaborating with multidisciplinary teams – you’ll liaise with nursing staff, support services, cleaning contractors, store-rooms, and estate/maintenance teams. This requires good communication and a sharp eye for detail. NHS Jobs+1

Because of the structured nature of roles within the NHS—via the Agenda for Change pay and banding system—your CV should clearly highlight how you match the job description, person specification and required skills.

Why a strong CV matters

In my 25 + years as a UK-based career coach, I’ve seen many capable candidates lose out simply because their CVs did not articulate their value in the right way. For an NHS Housekeeper role, mechanisms are in place (job profiles, trust standards, cleaning audits) which means recruiters are looking for very specific capabilities: reliability, cleanliness, precision, adherence to procedure, teamwork, and a safe-working mindset. If your CV doesn’t reflect those key phrases and capabilities, it may never make it to the interview stage.

Your CV acts as your personal marketing document: it needs to demonstrate at a glance that you understand the role of an NHS Housekeeper, you have evidence of performing (or ready to perform) the tasks, you meet the required credentials (e.g., Food Hygiene level 2, a basic level of numeracy/literacy and IT ability) and you are a safe and trustworthy candidate in a healthcare setting.

Key sections of the CV – structure that works

Here’s the structure I recommend for a compelling NHS Housekeeper CV:

  1. Personal Details & Professional Profile (or Personal Statement)
    • Your name, contact details, and optionally your LinkedIn URL.
    • A concise professional profile: e.g., “Reliable and detail-oriented Housekeeping operative with 3 years’ experience in healthcare environments, strong understanding of infection-control and committed to delivering a safe, clean and welcoming ward environment.”
    • Use keywords like “cleaning standards,” “infection prevention,” “COSHH,” “ward environment,” “patient-care support,” “monitoring audits.”
  2. Key Skills or Core Competencies
    • A bullet list of your most relevant skills: e.g.
      • Cleaning and deep-cleaning procedures in clinical settings
      • Knowledge of COSHH, Health & Safety and infection control
      • Stock control and equipment maintenance
      • Effective communication with multidisciplinary teams
      • Time-management and ability to prioritise under pressure
      • Familiarity with cleaning equipment (floor scrubbers, carpet cleaners) and kitchen/ward kitchen support tasks
    • Make sure these echo terms you’ve seen in the job description.
  3. Professional Experience
    • List your roles in reverse-chronological order (most recent first). For each role include: job title, employer, dates, location, and a short description plus bullets of key achievements/responsibilities.
    • For example: Housekeeper – Ward 8C, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Oct 2023 – Present • Carried out weekly clinical environment audits on Tendable, achieving > 95% pass rate. • Managed and logged defect-call book, working with estate services to ensure swift resolution of maintenance issues. • Maintained specialist cleaning of incubators, drip-stands and commodes according to trust policy. • Ensured ward kitchen areas were kept to Food Hygiene Certificate level 2 standards and fridge-temperature logs maintained.
    • Use quantifiable metrics where possible (e.g., audit pass rates, number of rooms cleaned, shift achievements).
  4. Education & Qualifications
    • Include relevant qualifications: Food Hygiene Certificate Level 2 (or working towards), ITQ Level 2 (if applicable), NVQ Level 2 in Housekeeping (desirable). NHS Jobs+1
    • Also include GCSEs (or equivalents) demonstrating literacy and numeracy if required.
    • If you have any additional training: e.g., infection-control modules, COSHH awareness, manual-handling, DBS clearance, that helps underline your suitability.
  5. Other Relevant Information
    • You may include relevant volunteer experience (especially in healthcare/cleaning), any awards or recognition for cleanliness/quality, or any shift/rota flexibility that you offer.
    • If you are applying for a role in London or with London weighting, mention any willingness to work flexible shifts, weekends, bank holidays.
  6. Professional Memberships / Certifications / Additional Training
    • If you hold any body-certifications (e.g., BICSc cleaning certifications) or have completed NIL or e-learning modules.
    • Also note any DBS-check status (relevant in many NHS roles).
  7. References
    • Either mention “References available on request” or provide contact details of referees (if you have permission). NHS recruiters value timely references.

Advice for Graduates / New Entrants

If you’re a recent graduate or someone new to the NHS Housekeeper role, you may feel less confident about filling a CV. Here’s how to approach it:

  • Emphasise transferable skills: your degree may not relate directly to housekeeping, but you will have developed time-management, teamwork, attention to detail, written communication – highlight those.
  • Use any work experience: even part-time jobs, volunteering, student jobs with cleaning/maintenance, hospitality or facilities – link them to cleaning standards, customer/patient care, hygiene.
  • Show willingness to learn: mention your eagerness to complete Food Hygiene Certificate Level 2, ITQ Level 2, or NVQ Level 2 in Housekeeping. Employers in the NHS often support training. NHS Jobs
  • Include a strong personal statement that emphasises your reliability, flexible approach to shift work, and your commitment to delivering safe and clean environments for patients.

Advice for Middle & Senior Management (Domestic Services / Housekeeping Leadership)

If you’re applying for a supervisory, senior or lead Housekeeper/Head Housekeeper role within the NHS setting, your CV must reflect leadership, audit-based results, cost-control, team management, strategic planning and compliance. Here’s how to tailor:

  • In the professional profile, position yourself as “Housekeeping Lead with x years’ experience in healthcare environments, leading teams of x staff, managing cleaning audits, budget control, stock management and infection-control protocols.”
  • In your experience section emphasise:
    • Team supervision, scheduling and shift-planning for domestic services.
    • Implementation of cleaning-standards improvement programmes, cost savings (e.g., optimized consumables, reduced waste).
    • Audit-compliance achievements: e.g., “Reduced re-clean rate from 7 % to 2 % within six months by introducing continuous monitoring and staff training.”
    • Supplier/contractor liaison and maintenance coordination, procurement oversight, roll-out of new equipment/cleaning technology.
    • Policy development: e.g., writing cleaning protocols, training domestic staff, managing compliance with trust standards, health & safety and COSHH.
  • In skills: include leadership, staff training & development, budget management, contract supervision, audit tool management (TendabLe, PLACE, etc.), H&S governance.
  • Qualifications: include any management or leadership training, diploma qualifications, certifications in cleaning services management, health-and-safety leadership courses.

Do’s and Don’ts of an NHS Housekeeper CV

Do’s:

  • Do use clear, professional formatting. Keep it neat, consistent and easy to read.
  • Do tailor your CV for the specific job advert: use the same key phrases (e.g., “cleaning standards,” “infection control,” “patient environment,” “COSHH,” “clinical equipment cleaning”).
  • Do quantify your achievements where possible (e.g., audit pass rate, number of rooms/wards cleaned, reduction in defects, etc.).
  • Do show you’re trustworthy, punctual, safety-conscious and able to work under supervision or independently.
  • Do highlight any relevant qualification or training (Food Hygiene Level 2, ITQ Level 2, NVQ, DBS clearance).
  • Do include any volunteering or extra experience that shows you understand ward/environment demands or team-work.
  • Do check spelling, grammar and consistency – cleanliness in presentation reflects your cleaning role!
  • Do use active verbs: managed, supervised, audited, cleaned, monitored, liaised, coordinated.
  • Do include your availability/flexibility (shifts, weekends, bank holidays) if applicable.
  • Do make sure your contact details are up-to-date and professional (email address, phone number, LinkedIn if relevant).

Don’ts:

  • Don’t include irrelevant personal information (e.g., date of birth, full marital status) unless required.
  • Don’t use overly-complicated fonts, graphics or fancy layouts – the recruiter should focus on your content not be distracted by design.
  • Don’t leave large gaps in employment unexplained – include brief notes for career breaks or temporary roles.
  • Don’t exaggerate your skills – honesty is key (especially in healthcare settings).
  • Don’t use vague language like “helped with cleaning” – be specific about what you did and the standard you delivered.
  • Don’t ignore required qualifications – if the person specification states Food Hygiene Level 2 (or willing to gain it), make sure you mention it.
  • Don’t forget to tailor – one generic “housekeeping” CV may not emphasise the clinical/healthcare context required by NHS roles.
  • Don’t submit without checking for typos and formatting issues. First impressions count.
  • Don’t forget to emphasise your understanding of patient privacy/dignity, infection-control and teamwork – these are critical in NHS Housekeeper roles.
  • Don’t add unprofessional or irrelevant hobbies unless they have direct relevance (e.g., volunteering in a hospital environment, achieving high standards).

Putting it all together: a quick CV checklist for an NHS Housekeeper role

  • Professional-looking layout, up to 2 pages maximum (or 3 if very senior).
  • Strong personal statement aligned to the role.
  • Key skills listed as bullet points.
  • Experience section with clear job titles, dates and achievements focusing on cleaning/maintenance/hygiene.
  • Education and qualifications emphasised (including healthcare-relevant certificates).
  • Additional training, workshops, volunteer work, shift-flexibility, DBS status.
  • Tailored keywords: “NHS Housekeeper,” “cleaning standards,” “infection control,” “patient ward environment,” “COSHH,” “equipment cleaning,” “ward kitchen,” “audit,” “TendabLe,” “ward housekeeping.”
  • Evidence of alignment with job description/person specification (especially for NHS Band 2 roles or higher).
  • For management/senior roles: leadership, budget/staff management, quality improvement, audit outcomes.
  • A compelling closing line: e.g., “Commitment to delivering a safe, clean and welcoming healthcare environment, within NHS standards.”
  • Proofread and final check: no typos, correct grammar, professional tone.

In conclusion, your CV is your passport to that all-important interview. Whether you’re the new entrant hoping to break into the NHS as a Housekeeper, or you’re advancing into a senior domestic-services leadership role, you need to present yourself as reliable, detail-oriented and deeply aligned with the high standards of the NHS workplace. A carefully crafted CV, aligned to the job specification, can open doors—and an interview is your opportunity to build on it.

If you’d like expert support to sharpen your CV or optimise your LinkedIn profile to attract more interviews for roles such as NHS Housekeeper (or other healthcare support roles), I’d love to help. Book an appointment and let’s work together to position you confidently and competitively.
👉 Book an appointment

— Jerry Frempong, UK Career Coaching Professional (25 + years)

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