Pennine Care NHS FT

Mental Health Support Worker

The closing date is 05 August 2025

Job summary

The post holder will participate in the running and development of the GM SMI Physical Health Team, sitting alongside the treatment support team, focussing on patients who have been identified as having a Severe Mental Illness (SMI), supporting them to access an annual primary care physical health screen, reducing barriers and helping patients who cannot access services directly, and offering a level of outreach work for patient interventions. The post holder will also be providing physical health monitoring and escalating the information to be reviewed by senior practitioners.

The post-holder will provide support, for patients on the GP held SMI register.

Their register includes patients who are, and patients who are not under the direct care of PennineCare.

The post holder will work across primary and secondary care settings, promoting continuity of care and effective communication. You will participate in the on-going development of the service and in the education programmes of nursing students and other disciplines.

Main duties of the job

To provide annual physical health checks as part of the Severe Mental Health (SMI) physical health function which operates across primary and secondary services.

About us

Treatment Support Team (TST) manage the treatment of patients in the community. There are various pathways for service users under the Treatment Support Team.

The aim of the Treatment support team is to offer and provide an efficient, high-quality service and standard of treatment and care for patients in the community, adhering to NICE guidelines, underpinned by policies and procedures under Pennine Care Foundation Trust.

Severe Mental Illness team, (SMI): This team sits alongside Treatment Support and offers support to GP's to help engage clients with an SMI to complete their annual physical health check

Details

Date posted

22 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,937 to £26,598 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

311-T600-25-A

Job locations

Health Support Team, Trust HQ

225 Old Street

Ashton Under Lyne

OL6 7SR


Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical To support and implement care that meets the mental, physical, spiritual, psychological and social needs of the patient, being sensitive to age, culture, race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality and disability. To support the delivering of care, to address the health and wellbeing needs of patients, within the scope of the Greater Manchester SMI Physical Health project, and as directed from relevant professionals, following appropriate training on smoking, healthy eating andexercise. To refer onto expert services in the community where a need has been identified To support the day to day functioning of health/treatment Clinics with support and guidance from relevant professionals, such as the nursing team, consultants and pharmacists. To monitor the effects & side effects of medication, with guidance from relevant professionals, such as the nursing team, consultants and pharmacists. To be able to identify and respond to concerns appropriately.

To undertake venepuncture after relevant training and ongoing guidance. To undertake physical health checks, and respond to & report concerns appropriately.(No moving and handling required). To support the safe storage of medical equipment within the clinical setting, in line with Trust Policy. To monitor stock levels in clinic and report low stock to the team. To contribute to the provision of a safe clinical environment and to adopt a nonjudgemental approach with patients based on respect and dignity. To provide health promotion to patients, understanding the relationship between mental health and physical health. To be able to enhance a patients overall wellbeing, and promote parity of esteem. To support multi-disciplinary meetings and contribute to information sharing & clinical decisions regarding patients To support patients whose health and wellbeing is at risk, acting upon and escalating concerns appropriately. Provide support to enable patients to engage in meeting their health needs. This will include arranging initial appointments and attending with the service user if required, contacting them by phone and enlisting other services to support To work within Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust policy, professional and legal frameworks at all times. This requires awareness of local child and adult safeguarding protocols, relevant mental health legislation and the Care Programme Approach. To demonstrate an understanding of the impact of poor physical health on a patients mental health, and support their carers/family to be able to promote their wellbeing. To have the ability to identify limitations and to be able to seek assistance and guidance from senior staff as necessary. To assist patients to access healthy activities and ensure the safety, wellbeing and interests of patients and carers. To recognise and respond appropriately to challenging behaviour in line with Trust policies. To attend and participate in team meetings and contribute ideas to multi-professional team discussions. To develop and demonstrate skills in the supervision process, both for personal benefit and in supporting junior staff and students.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical To support and implement care that meets the mental, physical, spiritual, psychological and social needs of the patient, being sensitive to age, culture, race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality and disability. To support the delivering of care, to address the health and wellbeing needs of patients, within the scope of the Greater Manchester SMI Physical Health project, and as directed from relevant professionals, following appropriate training on smoking, healthy eating andexercise. To refer onto expert services in the community where a need has been identified To support the day to day functioning of health/treatment Clinics with support and guidance from relevant professionals, such as the nursing team, consultants and pharmacists. To monitor the effects & side effects of medication, with guidance from relevant professionals, such as the nursing team, consultants and pharmacists. To be able to identify and respond to concerns appropriately.

To undertake venepuncture after relevant training and ongoing guidance. To undertake physical health checks, and respond to & report concerns appropriately.(No moving and handling required). To support the safe storage of medical equipment within the clinical setting, in line with Trust Policy. To monitor stock levels in clinic and report low stock to the team. To contribute to the provision of a safe clinical environment and to adopt a nonjudgemental approach with patients based on respect and dignity. To provide health promotion to patients, understanding the relationship between mental health and physical health. To be able to enhance a patients overall wellbeing, and promote parity of esteem. To support multi-disciplinary meetings and contribute to information sharing & clinical decisions regarding patients To support patients whose health and wellbeing is at risk, acting upon and escalating concerns appropriately. Provide support to enable patients to engage in meeting their health needs. This will include arranging initial appointments and attending with the service user if required, contacting them by phone and enlisting other services to support To work within Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust policy, professional and legal frameworks at all times. This requires awareness of local child and adult safeguarding protocols, relevant mental health legislation and the Care Programme Approach. To demonstrate an understanding of the impact of poor physical health on a patients mental health, and support their carers/family to be able to promote their wellbeing. To have the ability to identify limitations and to be able to seek assistance and guidance from senior staff as necessary. To assist patients to access healthy activities and ensure the safety, wellbeing and interests of patients and carers. To recognise and respond appropriately to challenging behaviour in line with Trust policies. To attend and participate in team meetings and contribute ideas to multi-professional team discussions. To develop and demonstrate skills in the supervision process, both for personal benefit and in supporting junior staff and students.

Person Specification

education/qualifications

Essential

  • Good standard of general education including good numeracy and literacy skills.
  • NVQ 3 or equivalent
  • Commitment to undertake Continuing Personal Development

Desirable

  • Evidence of recent further development / training.

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of undertaking a supportive role.
  • Experience of working with individuals with mental health needs
  • Experience of working with individuals in distress

Desirable

  • Experience of lone working
  • Working with groups/coordinating activities for service users
  • Working with people with mental health problems

Knowledge

Essential

  • Understanding of mental health issues and how these impact on individuals
  • Understanding of confidentiality and data protection issues.
  • Knowledge of physical health observations.
  • Knowledge of diversity and anti-discriminatory practice/equal opportunities

Desirable

  • Awareness of local services.
  • Knowledge of benefits / employment systems.
  • An understanding of the mental health system.
  • Basic first aid skills
  • Ability to work sensitively with people in a mental health crisis

skills and abilities

Essential

  • Ability to listen effectively
  • Good written and verbal communication skills
  • Ability to empathise with service users
  • Ability to implement care plans for individuals with the support of others as appropriate.
  • Ability to create innovative solutions to help empower service users.
  • Ability to work unsupervised in a range of settings
  • Ability to form positive therapeutic relationships with service users and carers.
  • Willingness to make a positive contribution to improving the quality of life for people with mental health problems.
  • Ability to acknowledge diversity and promote antidiscriminatory practice / equal opportunities.
  • Ability to provide practical support with daily living activities.
  • An ability to act calmly in emergencies and to respond in a professional manner to stressful and challenging behaviour.
  • Basic IT Skills
  • Ability to work flexibly and to prioritise workload
  • Ability to work as part of a team

Desirable

  • Willingness to engage with or have undertaken Venepuncture and physical health checks training.
Person Specification

education/qualifications

Essential

  • Good standard of general education including good numeracy and literacy skills.
  • NVQ 3 or equivalent
  • Commitment to undertake Continuing Personal Development

Desirable

  • Evidence of recent further development / training.

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of undertaking a supportive role.
  • Experience of working with individuals with mental health needs
  • Experience of working with individuals in distress

Desirable

  • Experience of lone working
  • Working with groups/coordinating activities for service users
  • Working with people with mental health problems

Knowledge

Essential

  • Understanding of mental health issues and how these impact on individuals
  • Understanding of confidentiality and data protection issues.
  • Knowledge of physical health observations.
  • Knowledge of diversity and anti-discriminatory practice/equal opportunities

Desirable

  • Awareness of local services.
  • Knowledge of benefits / employment systems.
  • An understanding of the mental health system.
  • Basic first aid skills
  • Ability to work sensitively with people in a mental health crisis

skills and abilities

Essential

  • Ability to listen effectively
  • Good written and verbal communication skills
  • Ability to empathise with service users
  • Ability to implement care plans for individuals with the support of others as appropriate.
  • Ability to create innovative solutions to help empower service users.
  • Ability to work unsupervised in a range of settings
  • Ability to form positive therapeutic relationships with service users and carers.
  • Willingness to make a positive contribution to improving the quality of life for people with mental health problems.
  • Ability to acknowledge diversity and promote antidiscriminatory practice / equal opportunities.
  • Ability to provide practical support with daily living activities.
  • An ability to act calmly in emergencies and to respond in a professional manner to stressful and challenging behaviour.
  • Basic IT Skills
  • Ability to work flexibly and to prioritise workload
  • Ability to work as part of a team

Desirable

  • Willingness to engage with or have undertaken Venepuncture and physical health checks training.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Pennine Care NHS FT

Address

Health Support Team, Trust HQ

225 Old Street

Ashton Under Lyne

OL6 7SR


Employer's website

https://www.penninecare.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Pennine Care NHS FT

Address

Health Support Team, Trust HQ

225 Old Street

Ashton Under Lyne

OL6 7SR


Employer's website

https://www.penninecare.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Health Support Team Manager

Sally Jones

sally.jones10@nhs.net

01617163500

Details

Date posted

22 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,937 to £26,598 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

311-T600-25-A

Job locations

Health Support Team, Trust HQ

225 Old Street

Ashton Under Lyne

OL6 7SR


Supporting documents

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