Healthcare Support Worker

Job overview
Please note, at this stage, the role is open only to internal staff (including NHSP and Agency staff currently on placement within our organisation) and staff substantively employed within Kent and Medway NHS Trusts and the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB). Any individual who is at risk of redundancy will be given priority, provided they meet the essential criteria.
We currently have an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and motivated Healthcare Support Worker to join our Acute female Inpatient Unit in Canterbury.
Individuals may be expected to work 24 hour shift pattern seven days a week.
Working in an Acute ward is very rewarding but we want to be honest and share that it is demanding too. It is likely to be needed by people with severe and complex mental health conditions (e.g. Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder and may be associated with Personality Disorder, Substance Misuse and PTSD).
While emotionally challenging, the opportunity to support critically unwell women back to their communities, ensuring 'right care, in the right place, at the right time', is immense, and your skilled, multidisciplinary, team will be there to support you.
You would be working as part of a team of mental health experts, dedicated to making sure the most unwell women in our communities have the same access to specialist care as men.

Main duties of the job
• Consistently delivering a patient focused service, which promotes optimum independence.
• Providing and receiving routine information orally, in writing or electronically to inform work colleagues, patients, clients, carers, the public or other external contacts.
• Offering appropriate support and advice to patients and their carers.
• Awareness of different challenging situations where communication needs to be adapted to the needs of the individual.
• Enabling patients to maintain and improve their independence by promoting and facilitating therapeutic activity.
• Giving physical health checks and physical health care as required or instructed documenting the physical health checks on the early warning scoring system (MEWS), chart and reporting changes to the nurse/healthcare professional in charge.
• Undertaking day to day tasks as allocated by Nurse/healthcare professional in Charge.
• Undertaking all relevant training as directed and participating in regular management/clinical supervision and appraisal.

Working for our organisation
We are the Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. We care for the mental health and wellbeing of people across Kent and Medway. Our teams support adults with a wide range of mental health needs. Because we cover the whole county and both hospital and community settings, we can make care more joined up and easier to access for the 1.8 million people of Kent and Medway. Rated 'Good' by the CQC, we care for over 2,000 people in our hospitals and 54,000 in the community each year.
Our vision is simple: We are here to help communities not just live with mental illness, but live well. It's why we're passionate about working with communities to make mental health care better for everyone. And everything we do is guided by our values caring, inclusive, curious and confident.
Join us - if you share our passion for better mental health care and want to be part of a team that's doing well together.
Check out our Canterbury site

Detailed job description and main responsibilities
We also offer ongoing professional development to help you adapt and progress your career, including bespoke training and a comprehensive induction program.
Please refer to the attached job description for the full details on the responsibilities and person specification

Person specification

Training and Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Good general education, competent in literacy and numeracy
• NVQ or equivalent in a relevant subject (e.g. Health and Social Care) or be prepared to work towards this

UK driving licence and have access to a car/vehicl

Essential criteria

• The post holder must hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car/vehicle to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience of working with individuals with complex mental health problems.
• Experience of working in a community mental health setting.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of implementing rehabilitation plans.
• Experience of individual and group work.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential criteria

• Computer literate, Numeracy and English literacy skills
• Health & Social Care Qualification (level 3 or equivalent).
• A varied and considerable experience of working within Mental Health/Learning Disabilities setting.
• To have a good understanding of mental health conditions appropriate to the setting.
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team, under the direction and supervision of a registered practitioner
• Ability to communicate effectively to a wide range of people.
• Able to record interventions in a timely manner
• A working knowledge of relevant policies and procedures
• Ability to act as a role model, support and delegate to others
• Ability to undertake physical health checks and document on NEWS
• To participate in Quality Improvement, Audits, Research, etc.

Desirable criteria

• Care certificate completed/willingness to work towards
• NHS Experience

Important Information:
In cases where we receive a high volume of applications for a post, it may be necessary to bring the closing date forward. Please submit your completed application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
Due to the high volume of applications received, it is not possible to respond individually to your application. Should you not hear from us within six weeks of the vacancy closing, please assume that your application has not been successful.

Probation Period. New employees external to the trust are subject to a six-month probationary period.
To deliver an effective service it is essential in some of our roles that you are able to travel between work bases in a timely manner.
Production of false or forged documents/qualifications in order to obtain employment is a criminal offence and will be reported to the Police.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check.
Certain roles are subject to criminal record checks called Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. Therefore, you will be required to submit a completed Disclosure form to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust are signed up to NHS England's Sexual Safety in Health Care Organisational Charter
The trust takes a systematic zero-tolerance approach to tackle any unwanted, inappropriate and/or harmful sexual behaviours within the workplace and in our care provision. We are committed to sexual safety which encom