Health Care Support Worker

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

This job is now closed

Job summary

We are looking for a confident and supportive Health Care Support Worker with a passion for delivering outstanding care within the Eating Disorder Service, Day Support Programme (DSP) on a year's fixed-term contract (22.5 hours per week). DSP works with up to six service users with a diagnosis of Anorexia Nervosa to help with weight recovery and supports an active approach in eating disorder recovery. DSP is primarily based within April House in Southampton and currently runs from 08:30-16:30 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and until 19:30 on Wednesday.

The role includes supporting service users within DSP through both one-to-one and group work with the focus on both meal support and psychoeducation. You will work alongside a supportive team including a Dietitian, Mental Health Nurse, Mental Health Practitioner, Occupational Therapist and other Health Care Support Workers within the team.

April House is made up of a community outpatient department, that offers specialist assessment and psychological treatment for adult clients with a range of eating disorders, the Day Support Programme, which is an intensive community treatment programme, and a physical health monitoring team who monitors service users who present with high physical health risks.

To find out more please contact Lynda Webb, DSP Team Lead, or Derryn Dacre, Lead Dietitian, on 023 8231 2000

Main duties of the job

The Day Support Programme (DSP) is a day treatment programme aimed at supporting individual service users to take responsibility for their recovery from their eating disorder. The programme incorporates a range of therapeutic groups and mealtimes addressing social, psychological and physical factors impacting on someone's mental health. Utilising a recovery orientated approach, DSP encourages individuals to lead their own recovery, identifying what areas they might need to focus on and how to overcome challenges. This approach supports people to develop problem solving skills and feel more able to manage their mental health independently.

As a member of the multi-disciplinary Eating Disorders Team, you will be involved in the day-to-day running of DSP and contribute to delivering recovery focussed care and support, in line with care plans and risk assessments. You will contribute by providing high quality, compassionate healthcare and follow standards, policies or protocols and always act within the limits of your competence. Some of your duties will include administrative tasks, food shopping, planning and preparing mealtimes, supervising and supporting patients during meals and/or snacks, co-facilitating therapeutic groups, providing one-to-one support as needed both within April House and in the community.

Unfortunately, this post is not open to sponsorship.

About us

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a newly established organisation, bringing together expertise from across mental health, learning disabilities, community, and physical health services. We are dedicated to delivering compassionate, high-quality, and accessible care to the diverse communities of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

With over 13,000 dedicated staff working across more than 300 sites, we place patients and staff at the centre of everything we do. Our goal is to create an integrated healthcare system that improves accessibility and ensures more consistent care for patients. By working together, we aim to improve patient outcomes, drive innovation, and meet the unique needs of the populations we serve.

Our Trust unites services from Southern Health, Solent NHS Trust, Isle of Wight NHS Trusts community and mental health teams, as well as Hampshire CAMHS, originally part of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. This transformation enables us to deliver more seamless care across the region, ensuring that patients receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time.

Join us as we embark on this exciting journey to shape the future of healthcare across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. We are deeply committed to our CARE values of compassion, accountability, respect, and excellence, and offer outstanding opportunities for career development, training, and collaborative working.

Date posted

14 February 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,071 to £25,674 a year Based on full time hours

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

348-PSE-7396

Job locations

April House

9 Bath Road

Southampton

Hampshire

SO19 5ES

Job description

Job responsibilities

Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached. It is important to us that we ensure our recruitment processes are accessible and inclusive to everyone - if as a potential candidate you are concerned a person specification may prevent or restrict your application for employment as a result of unintentional barriers on the grounds of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, religion/belief or disability please initially contact the Trust's Recruitment team - detailed in the advert. The Trust will seek to resolve this issue wherever possible.

We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.

Job description

Job responsibilities

We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

*Literacy and numeracy skills
*Driving licence with business insurance and access to vehicle during working hours

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

*Literacy and numeracy skills
*Driving licence with business insurance and access to vehicle during working hours

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.