Skip to main content

This job has expired

Healthcare Assistant - Acute and Forensic Mental Health

Employer
Northamptonshire Healt
Location
Berrywood Hospital, Northampton
Salary
Competitive salary
Closing date
26 Oct 2021

View more

  • Do you want to work for an NHS Foundation Trust rated OUTSTANDING by the CQC?
  • Do you want to work in a service where every ward has been AIMS Accredited or is a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrist Quality Network?

If the answer is YES then consider joining a service where innovation and progressive practice is at the heart of what we do; this is evidenced by our work on Body Worn Cameras, Sensory Modulation and Neuromodulation.

We are currently looking for outstanding Health Care Assistants to join our Adult Inpatient Service at Berrywood Hospital in Northampton. We currently have vacancies on Marina Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (Marina PICU), Wheatfield Low Secure Unit and our acute mental health wards . The roles also involve supporting the Health Based Place of Safety.

We have 3 acute mental health wards; these wards are for patients who require a hospital admission when they are mentally unwell. Staff work in co-production with patients to develop a plan of care, support them to manage any risks associated with their illness and achieve their goals. Whilst patients can be admitted both informally and under the Mental Health Act, we work together with patients to progress them in their journey towards discharge in a timely manner. We have ongoing quality improvement projects on our wards as it is so important that we are continually improving the care we deliver to our patients.

Marina PICU is a 7 bed ward for adult males predominantly between the ages of 18 and 65. Patients are referred to the ward who are unable to be managed safely on an acute mental health ward due to disturbed behaviours associated with their mental illness. Patients predominantly present with risks towards others in the form of violent and aggressive behaviour; their behaviours may also lead them to being a risk towards themselves; patients may also be at risk of absconding. The staff on Marina PICU attempt to work collaboratively with patients to co-produce plans of care and treatment enabling them to progress on their recovery journey.

Wheatfield is a 12 bed, forensic Low Secure Unit for males predominantly between the ages of 18 and 65. Its primary role is to provide a comprehensive range of services for patients with a mental disorder who are detained under the Mental Health Act and cannot be treated in open mental health settings because of the level of risk they present. Wheatfield provides security arrangements that impede (rather than completely prevent) those who wish to either escape or abscond. Whilst there are physical security arrangements in place, Wheatfield's security provision has a greater reliance on relational security. Wheatfield provides services for people with long term, chronic and challenging disorders. Patients may have an offending history and be subject to additional restrictions under the Mental Health Act.

The team at Berrywood Hospital are committed to the reduction of restrictive practices however at times you might be required to deliver restrictive interventions in order to ensure the safety of patients and staff. Marina PICU has recently been part of a National Collaboration in reducing restrictive practices; to support the outcomes which have already been achieved, the ward will be a key player in a local collaboration of a similar nature. All learning is shared with the other wards in the service.

We are looking for Health Care Assistants to support in the delivery of outstanding care to this vulnerable group of patients. Delivery of care will include: conducting mental health observations, facilitating 1:1 time with patients, escorting patients outside the ward, activities, meal time support, personal care, physical health observations, recording on patient record, de-escalation of incidents, supporting the Health Based Place of Safety and tasks delegated by the qualified nurses.

Whilst it would be desirable for you to have experience working in a mental health setting, we will consider your application if you demonstrate drive and enthusiasm and the right values for working in this challenging environment. We will provide you with training and supervision to support you to undertake your role; it is expected that you will become confident in supporting highly volatile and emotive situations. Through supervision and debriefing, we will expect you to continuously learn from situations in order to deliver quality care and improve your practice.

You will be committed to working in co-production with patients to ensure the best possible outcomes can be achieved safely. You will be able to work effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary team. We have an expectation that you will be able to work together with your colleagues, take responsibility, be authentic and embrace change; we will support you to develop these leadership behaviours so that you become an exceptional member of your team delivering outstanding compassionate care to our patients.

The post is a rotational post with the expectation of you being able to work day shift and night shift. There is also the expectation of you being able to work over the 7 day week. Full and part time positions are available.

You will be required to successfully complete our 5 day Prevention and Management of Violence and Aggression (Teamwork) course and undertake a 2 day refresher course each year. As such, where it is necessary, you will be required to deliver the taught interventions with the support of your team.

We will support you to take responsibility for your learning and development. We will provide you with a full induction if you are successfully appointed. If you are interested in career progression, we also offer committed staff the opportunity to apply for Apprenticeship roles to progress to roles such as Nursing Associate and Register

.external_test_container { margin-left: 15px; } .external_test_short_desc { color: #990066; font-weight: bold; } .external_test_long_desc { color: #990066; font-weight: bold; }

NHFT is an integrated primary care and mental health Trust, providing physical, mental health and specialty services in both hospital settings and out in the community. Because we put the person at the centre of all we do, we focus on delivering care that is as easy to access as possible. This means many of our services can be provided at home, work or in schools. We also provide health services to several prisons and detention centres in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire etc.

It is our vision to be a leading provider of outstanding, compassionate care. Our most recent Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection recognised this with an 'Outstanding' rating overall, as well as an 'Outstanding' rating for the Caring domain. Applicants will need to demonstrate a commitment to delivering outstanding compassionate care and also commit to the Trust mission statement: Making a difference for you, with you. Our vision, mission and values are all part of the roadmap for all we do.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order (as amended) and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Tier 2 Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Tier 2/skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information please visit the UK Visas and Immigration website .

From 6 April 2017, Tier 2/skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement.

For further advice, please visit Applying from overseas .

To stay safe in your job search we recommend that you visit SAFERjobs ( https://www.safer-jobs.com ), a non-profit, joint industry and law enforcement organisation working to combat job scams. Visit the SAFERjobs website for information on common scams and to get free, expert advice for a safer job search.

Get job alerts

Create a job alert and receive personalised job recommendations straight to your inbox.

Create alert