Job summary
Are you looking for a challenge?
Do you enjoy variety and dealing with complex patients?
Do you want to make a difference?
We have a number of exciting and challenging new posts in the Offender Healthcare Service at HMP Wandsworth. This is a unique opportunity to be part of Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and to work at one of the largest prisons in the UK. You will assist us to provide excellent primary care and substance misuse services for our population.
Offenders are a challenging population group to work with and they often have complex healthcare needs. Offenders often have chaotic lives in the community and a history of poor engagement with community healthcare services. With high rates of substance misuse and mental health problems, this is a real chance to make a difference.
Main duties of the job
You will be joining us at an exciting time and be involved in the implementation of a Health and Wellbeing Model to improve offender healthcare. You will join our established team of healthcare assistants across the prison. This includes assisting the primary care and substance misuse nursing teams in clinics, inpatient unit, reception, secondary screening and daily substance misuse observations. You will be supported by our friendly team of healthcare staff in an environment where no two days are the same.
You should possess good communication skills and the ability to work as part of a multidisciplinary team. A kind, caring, compassionate and professional attitude is essential, along with being able to work in a busy environment.
All applicants will be expected to take a literacy and numeracy test and only applicants who pass this test will be interviewed.
Oxleas NHS Trust operates a Probationary Period, further details are available on request.
About us
Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes.
We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.
Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:
- We're Kind
- We're Fair
- We Listen
- We Care
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main Duties and Responsibilities
- Assist patients will all activities of daily living (eating and drinking, movement, physical comfort, personal hygiene and use of toilet facilities).
- To work at the direction of registered nurses
- Communicate effectively with patients and the multi-disciplinary team.
- Participate in planning and liaison activities for patients.
- Inform a registered nurse as soon as possible when any change in a patients condition is noticed.
- Support patients in change due to admission, discharge, death or personal loss and in adapting to their new environment.
- Report any complaints or requests for information from patients immediately to the senior nurse on duty to enable prompt response.
- Use resources effectively.
- Report all risks to the senior nursing staff.
- Assist in the general running of the department by undertaking housekeeping and clerical duties as appropriate.
- Participate in appraisal and training of self to develop a personal development plan and strive to achieve the set objectives, including NVQs.
- Undertake any other duties commensurate to the grade and as requested by the line manager.
- Attend staff meetings, updates and attend mandatory training as required.
- Take responsibility for carrying a radio and responding as required.Work closely with Management to ensure that the Prison Health Agenda is supported at all levels in the Practice.
- Develop and maintain effective communications with all interested parties.
- Responding to the needs of offenders in an honest, non-judgemental and open manner, which respects the rights of individuals and groups.
- Actively engaging with offenders in the provision of holistic, needs-led care which takes into account the physical, psychological, emotional, social and spiritual needs of individuals and groups.
- Demonstrates a commitment to equal opportunities for all people. Responding to the needs of people sensitively with regard for age, culture, race, gender, ethnicity, religion and disability, especially regarding privacy and dignity
- Demonstrates a knowledge of the term professional boundaries and how to apply this to working with patients, offenders and others.
- Understanding the need for promoting health & well-being and the delivery of health promotion activities and programmes (including self-help programmes) in support of a registered nurse.
- Understanding the need for and assisting offenders to attain optimal physical health and assisting with physical procedures in support of a registered nurse.
- Demonstrating good verbal and non-verbal communication skills
- Contributing appropriately to risk assessment and individualised care planning
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main Duties and Responsibilities
- Assist patients will all activities of daily living (eating and drinking, movement, physical comfort, personal hygiene and use of toilet facilities).
- To work at the direction of registered nurses
- Communicate effectively with patients and the multi-disciplinary team.
- Participate in planning and liaison activities for patients.
- Inform a registered nurse as soon as possible when any change in a patients condition is noticed.
- Support patients in change due to admission, discharge, death or personal loss and in adapting to their new environment.
- Report any complaints or requests for information from patients immediately to the senior nurse on duty to enable prompt response.
- Use resources effectively.
- Report all risks to the senior nursing staff.
- Assist in the general running of the department by undertaking housekeeping and clerical duties as appropriate.
- Participate in appraisal and training of self to develop a personal development plan and strive to achieve the set objectives, including NVQs.
- Undertake any other duties commensurate to the grade and as requested by the line manager.
- Attend staff meetings, updates and attend mandatory training as required.
- Take responsibility for carrying a radio and responding as required.Work closely with Management to ensure that the Prison Health Agenda is supported at all levels in the Practice.
- Develop and maintain effective communications with all interested parties.
- Responding to the needs of offenders in an honest, non-judgemental and open manner, which respects the rights of individuals and groups.
- Actively engaging with offenders in the provision of holistic, needs-led care which takes into account the physical, psychological, emotional, social and spiritual needs of individuals and groups.
- Demonstrates a commitment to equal opportunities for all people. Responding to the needs of people sensitively with regard for age, culture, race, gender, ethnicity, religion and disability, especially regarding privacy and dignity
- Demonstrates a knowledge of the term professional boundaries and how to apply this to working with patients, offenders and others.
- Understanding the need for promoting health & well-being and the delivery of health promotion activities and programmes (including self-help programmes) in support of a registered nurse.
- Understanding the need for and assisting offenders to attain optimal physical health and assisting with physical procedures in support of a registered nurse.
- Demonstrating good verbal and non-verbal communication skills
- Contributing appropriately to risk assessment and individualised care planning
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Maximum score 4
- Complete secondary education or equivalent
- Able to read English and communicate verbally in writing and to a good standard
Desirable
- NVQ level3 Healthcare qualification or appropriate equivalent
Experience
Essential
- 1 year of experience working within a primary care, social care or mental healthcare setting
Communications skills and IT
Essential
- Good IT skills. An understanding and experience of working with IT packages including Word, Excel and Powerpoint.
- Good communication skills
Desirable
- Experience of working with SystemOne.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Maximum score 4
- Complete secondary education or equivalent
- Able to read English and communicate verbally in writing and to a good standard
Desirable
- NVQ level3 Healthcare qualification or appropriate equivalent
Experience
Essential
- 1 year of experience working within a primary care, social care or mental healthcare setting
Communications skills and IT
Essential
- Good IT skills. An understanding and experience of working with IT packages including Word, Excel and Powerpoint.
- Good communication skills
Desirable
- Experience of working with SystemOne.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
