Location: Worthing, Hove and Arundel.
Vacancy type: Full Time / Permanent.
Pay range: Grade 3 – £25,427 (pro‑rata for part‑time roles).
Contracted hours: 37.5 hours per week.
Application deadline: Wednesday, 22 July 2026.
About the role
As a Gardener at Southern Hospices Group, you will play a vital part in creating welcoming, peaceful outdoor environments that offer comfort, reflection, and calm for patients, families and staff. Our hospice grounds range from a polytunnel and kitchen gardens to wildflower meadows, woodland walks, wildlife ponds, patient gardens and large open green spaces. Every area you maintain contributes directly to wellbeing, giving a real sense of job satisfaction and pride in your work.
You will carry out a diverse range of horticultural and grounds maintenance activities, working flexibly both solo and alongside other gardeners to maintain high standards across the hospice grounds. By ensuring compliance with health, safety and environmental requirements, your work will have a visible and meaningful impact every day.
The role also offers the rewarding opportunity to work alongside volunteers and corporate groups, sharing your knowledge and skills to help others contribute positively to the hospice environment. Your guidance will ensure these activities are safe, well organised and fulfilling for everyone involved.
You’ll be responsible for
- Maintaining garden sheds, workshops and all tools and machinery, keeping them tidy and safe at all times.
- Carrying out a full range of horticultural and grounds maintenance tasks independently, without the need for supervision or ongoing guidance.
- Ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations.
- Identifying and treating pests, diseases and plant health issues.
- Maintaining lawns, flower and vegetable gardens, including watering, fertilising and caring for trees, shrubs, turf and associated hard landscaping features such as irrigation systems and water features.
- Managing volunteers and corporate groups on a weekly basis, ensuring guidance and support is adequately provided.
- Working with external suppliers.
- Working within agreed plans and legislative requirements.
- Carrying out and accurately recording grounds compliance checks, including daily and monthly playground inspections and routine water feature treatments.
- Reporting and updating the Grounds Manager on any progression or issues.
- Working collaboratively with team members and following instructions from senior staff.
About us
Southern Hospice Group is the largest group of hospices in Sussex and one of the largest in the UK. We are committed to providing exceptional and compassionate care to adults, children and their families across Sussex. Bringing our teams and resources together as one organisation means we can focus on new and exciting visions and plans for our people and patients and provide even greater opportunities for our workforce.
St Barnabas House provides specialist palliative care to adults in the Worthing, Adur, Arun and Henfield areas through a range of services, including in‑patient care and community living well services.
Chestnut Tree House is the children’s hospice for East and West Sussex and South East Hampshire, providing specialist palliative care for children and young people with life‑limiting conditions.
Martlets provides essential care to people affected by terminal illness in Brighton and Hove and surrounding areas. Our expert teams provide the very best care and support, helping patients and their loved ones to live life to the full during the precious time they have together.
Benefits
- Company pension scheme or NHS pension scheme for eligible employees.
- Up to 35 days’ annual leave inclusive of bank holidays.
- On‑site education support and study leave opportunities.
- Option to access Medicash and cover your everyday cost of healthcare for less.
- Free parking, subsidised meals and various social activities.
- Corporate rate gym membership, discounts with local complementary therapies and Blue Light Card.
- Employee Assistance Programme.
- Death in Service.
We warmly welcome applications from all sections of our community and invite suitably experienced people from all industry sectors who can demonstrate the necessary skills, ability and enthusiasm to work with a people‑centric organisation like ours.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such an enhanced submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
#J-18808-Ljbffr…