Job summary
Are you energetic, positive, and great with people?Do you enjoy motivating others and leading by example?Do you believe physical health and routine play a key role in mental health recovery?
If so, we'd love you to join George Mackenzie House.
George Mackenzie House is a secure inpatient unit for adults requiring care in a safe, structured environment. We work collaboratively with patients, using compassion-focused approaches to support recovery, skill development, and preparation for community transition. Meaningful activity, health, and engagement are central to our care model.
As a Healthcare Assistant - Activity & Health Champion, you will focus on promoting physical health, fitness, and therapeutic group engagement. You will motivate patients to take part in physical activity, add structure to their day, and role model positive behaviours for patients and colleagues.
Alongside this specialist focus, you will carry out the full range of Healthcare Assistant duties, supporting personalised care, daily needs, and independence within the secure setting.
This is a visible, hands-on role requiring energy, creativity, resilience, and strong communication skills. The work can be demanding but highly rewarding, within a supportive multidisciplinary team committed to recovery-focused care.
If you want to make a genuine difference every day, we welcome your application.
Main duties of the job
As an integral and highly valued member of the multi-disciplinary team you will provide support and practical assistance to service users for them to regain confidence in their skills and abilities to enable a successful re integration into the community.
You should demonstrate abilities to inspire hope and belief that recovery is possible in others. Ability to form relationships with patients and colleagues which are mutuality respectful, facilitate and support information sharing and understanding to achieve agreed goals
The role includes listening and talking with patients/relatives/carers, observing patients' behaviour and promotion of safety consideration of the unit and individual.
To provide and co-ordinate meaningful group and activity sessions for service users. To develop activities with individuals and support people to use these.
To offer group-based sessions with a focus on health, fitness and recovery.
To work alongside the nursing team in provision of treatment interventions.
About us
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health and social care organisation dedicated to providing high-quality care with compassion to improve the health and wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting andempowering them to lead a fulfilling life.
Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services, not only via inpatient and primary care settings, but also within the community. These services include children's, adult and older people's mental health, forensic and specialist mental health, learning disabilities, primary care and liaison psychiatry, substance misuse, social care, research and development.
To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high-calibre candidates who share our vision and values. As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including people with long term conditions and members of our ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ communities.
Please be advised we reserve the right to close adverts earlier than the closing date should we receive sufficient applications.
Regrettably, we cannot offer sponsorship for all our job roles. If you apply for a role that we cannot offer sponsorship for, unfortunately, your application form will be rejected from the process.
For further information on CPFT, please visit our website at www.cpft.nhs.uk
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description and personal specification for full details of responsibilities
To establish a supportive and respectful relationship with service users.
Have a clear focus on promoting physical health, fitness, and therapeutic group engagement, including engagement in physical activity and exercise opportunities to support physical and mental health
Help individuals identify their own achievable and meaningful recovery goals and set recovery objectives, drawing on individual resources and utilising a range of recovery tools, techniques and experience.
Model personal responsibility, self-awareness, self-belief to inspire and instil confidence
Uses own initiative and job-related training in deciding on the approach and interventions required when working with a service user in delivering support, although supervision is available.
Teach coping, self-help and self-management techniques
Support service users to identify and overcome fears and within a relationship of empathy, trust and honesty, challenge negative self-talk.
Act as a positive role model showing professional and caring attitudes and behaviour towards other multi-disciplinary team members, service users and carers.
Always have a focus on the rights of service users.
Ensure that recovery goals are integrated into the Trusts CPA process and are reviewed on a regular basis, liaising closely with primary nurses as necessary.
Work in a way that acknowledges the personal, social, cultural and spiritual strengths and needs of the individual.
To raise awareness of recovery language with Trust staff by modelling positive strengths based, non-discriminatory, non-jargon, non-medicalised language in all areas of work.
Support other members of the multi-disciplinary team in promoting a recovery orientated environment and in identifying recovery focused activities imparting information/education as required.
To demonstrate care and compassion in your work.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description and personal specification for full details of responsibilities
To establish a supportive and respectful relationship with service users.
Have a clear focus on promoting physical health, fitness, and therapeutic group engagement, including engagement in physical activity and exercise opportunities to support physical and mental health
Help individuals identify their own achievable and meaningful recovery goals and set recovery objectives, drawing on individual resources and utilising a range of recovery tools, techniques and experience.
Model personal responsibility, self-awareness, self-belief to inspire and instil confidence
Uses own initiative and job-related training in deciding on the approach and interventions required when working with a service user in delivering support, although supervision is available.
Teach coping, self-help and self-management techniques
Support service users to identify and overcome fears and within a relationship of empathy, trust and honesty, challenge negative self-talk.
Act as a positive role model showing professional and caring attitudes and behaviour towards other multi-disciplinary team members, service users and carers.
Always have a focus on the rights of service users.
Ensure that recovery goals are integrated into the Trusts CPA process and are reviewed on a regular basis, liaising closely with primary nurses as necessary.
Work in a way that acknowledges the personal, social, cultural and spiritual strengths and needs of the individual.
To raise awareness of recovery language with Trust staff by modelling positive strengths based, non-discriminatory, non-jargon, non-medicalised language in all areas of work.
Support other members of the multi-disciplinary team in promoting a recovery orientated environment and in identifying recovery focused activities imparting information/education as required.
To demonstrate care and compassion in your work.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- GCSE level education or equivalent.
- NVQ Level 3 / AS Level or equivalent.
- Understanding of recovery-focused mental health care.
Desirable
- Health or Social Care qualification.
- Health, fitness or wellbeing-related qualifications.
Experience
Essential
- Experience in a supportive or enabling role.
- Experience working within a team or group environment.
- Experience in health, fitness or activity engagement.
- Experience supporting, training or mentoring others.
Desirable
- Experience working in the public sector.
- Experience working across organisational boundaries.
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Strong written, verbal and non-verbal communication skills.
- Ability to engage and build rapport with a wide range of people.
- Competent in using electronic systems and willingness to learn Trust systems
- Professional appearance and behaviour.
Desirable
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office and other digital tools.
Physcial Requirements
Essential
- Ability to undertake physical interventions when required.
- Physically able to meet the demands of a busy inpatient ward.
- Willingness to work flexibly, including evenings and weekends (07:00-21:00).
- Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusive practice.
Desirable
- Interest in developing additional therapeutic or fitness-based skills.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- GCSE level education or equivalent.
- NVQ Level 3 / AS Level or equivalent.
- Understanding of recovery-focused mental health care.
Desirable
- Health or Social Care qualification.
- Health, fitness or wellbeing-related qualifications.
Experience
Essential
- Experience in a supportive or enabling role.
- Experience working within a team or group environment.
- Experience in health, fitness or activity engagement.
- Experience supporting, training or mentoring others.
Desirable
- Experience working in the public sector.
- Experience working across organisational boundaries.
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Strong written, verbal and non-verbal communication skills.
- Ability to engage and build rapport with a wide range of people.
- Competent in using electronic systems and willingness to learn Trust systems
- Professional appearance and behaviour.
Desirable
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office and other digital tools.
Physcial Requirements
Essential
- Ability to undertake physical interventions when required.
- Physically able to meet the demands of a busy inpatient ward.
- Willingness to work flexibly, including evenings and weekends (07:00-21:00).
- Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusive practice.
Desirable
- Interest in developing additional therapeutic or fitness-based skills.
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, 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. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, 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. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
