Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

Support Worker - First Response Recruitment Event

The closing date is 22 June 2025

Job summary

Join Our Growing Team at North and Mid-Mersey First Response Services!

Are you a compassionate and committed support worker looking to make a real difference? We're expanding our First Response Services and are looking for dedicated individuals to join our dynamic team.

In this vital role, you'll support individuals experiencing crisis by helping them access the right support, achieve positive outcomes, and develop safety plans alongside our clinical staff. You'll play a key part in:

  • Providing guidance, information, and signposting to appropriate services
  • Handling referrals from professionals, families, and carers
  • Assisting clinical teams with urgent assessments
  • Empowering service users to take an active role in their care and recovery

If you're passionate about supporting others and thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment, we'd love to hear from you.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend our recruitment event taking place on 7 and 10 July 2025.

Main duties of the job

To carry out assigned duties, involving supporting and signposting service users, family, carers and other professionals under the guidance and indirect supervision of a qualified nurse.

To report to the qualified nurse any concerns observations made whilst providing care to service-users.

To take part in a 24 hour system of rostering including internal rotation.

About us

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

Details

Date posted

09 June 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,625 to £25,674 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

350-MHC6800840-C

Job locations

Clock View Hospital/Hollins Park Hospital

Liverpool/Warrington

WA2 8WA


Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical

To contribute to the assessment and delivery of a planned programme of care under the guidelines of ECC and with guidance and indirect supervision from the qualified practitioner.

To support individuals so that they are able to recognise, cope and self-manage with crisis situations and to help them develop independence where possible.

To contribute to the effective running of the service by providing and receiving information to/from other departments. Ensure this information is provided in the most effective way i.e. telephone, fax or in writing.

To use a variety of verbal and non-verbal skills to overcome communication barriers presented by service-users due to their mental health needs.

To contribute to maintaining a safe environment for service users in the community.

To carry out specific duties that contribute to the assessment of service-users as requested by a qualified practitioner.

To develop and maintain links with other agencies and services, both statutory and voluntary.

To contribute to the development of risk management plans for service users by reporting, to the qualified practitioner, any incidents of risk to the service user or risk to others as a result of the behaviour or actions of service users.

Professional

To participate in the Directorates performance management/supervision framework and work towards meeting identified goals and objectives as agreed in a PACE.

To act, at all times, in accordance with Trust policies and procedures.

To undertake mandatory training as stipulated by the Trust and ensure that all interactions with service users are in line with this e.g. Manual Handling.

Under the guidance and supervision of a qualified practitioner, to make accurate and appropriate entries into health records.

To participate in staff meetings to assist effective two-way communication.

To seek advice and further training, if appropriate, before carrying out any duty you are unsure of.

To make the qualified practitioner aware of any incidents arising during your span of duty and carry out any actions arising from this as directed.

Take direction from the qualified practitioner as to any duties or tasks assigned to you for your span of duty and carry them out as requested.

To participate, as directed in the induction of new staff.

Organisational

To adhere to the Trusts rights based approach taking into account service user choice.

To take responsibility for ensuring your own personal safety and that of the service user when using equipment.

To take reasonable care for the health and safety of yourself and any others that may be affected by your acts and omissions at work.

To ensure that you are familiar with the terms and conditions of your post.

To participate in service development activities as required.Other

To maintain the dignity of service users at all times whilst dealing with aspects of personal care.

To seek appropriate advice and support from the qualified practitioner during occasions when service users or their carers become agitated or distressed.

To maintain service user confidentiality at all times both on and off duty.

To maintain appropriate professional boundaries with service users at all times both on and off duty.

To ensure that work is conducted in accordance with the Trusts Equality and Diversity Strategy.

In exceptional circumstances to co-operate with reasonable requests from more senior staff to vary your area of work to meet unplanned clinical need.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical

To contribute to the assessment and delivery of a planned programme of care under the guidelines of ECC and with guidance and indirect supervision from the qualified practitioner.

To support individuals so that they are able to recognise, cope and self-manage with crisis situations and to help them develop independence where possible.

To contribute to the effective running of the service by providing and receiving information to/from other departments. Ensure this information is provided in the most effective way i.e. telephone, fax or in writing.

To use a variety of verbal and non-verbal skills to overcome communication barriers presented by service-users due to their mental health needs.

To contribute to maintaining a safe environment for service users in the community.

To carry out specific duties that contribute to the assessment of service-users as requested by a qualified practitioner.

To develop and maintain links with other agencies and services, both statutory and voluntary.

To contribute to the development of risk management plans for service users by reporting, to the qualified practitioner, any incidents of risk to the service user or risk to others as a result of the behaviour or actions of service users.

Professional

To participate in the Directorates performance management/supervision framework and work towards meeting identified goals and objectives as agreed in a PACE.

To act, at all times, in accordance with Trust policies and procedures.

To undertake mandatory training as stipulated by the Trust and ensure that all interactions with service users are in line with this e.g. Manual Handling.

Under the guidance and supervision of a qualified practitioner, to make accurate and appropriate entries into health records.

To participate in staff meetings to assist effective two-way communication.

To seek advice and further training, if appropriate, before carrying out any duty you are unsure of.

To make the qualified practitioner aware of any incidents arising during your span of duty and carry out any actions arising from this as directed.

Take direction from the qualified practitioner as to any duties or tasks assigned to you for your span of duty and carry them out as requested.

To participate, as directed in the induction of new staff.

Organisational

To adhere to the Trusts rights based approach taking into account service user choice.

To take responsibility for ensuring your own personal safety and that of the service user when using equipment.

To take reasonable care for the health and safety of yourself and any others that may be affected by your acts and omissions at work.

To ensure that you are familiar with the terms and conditions of your post.

To participate in service development activities as required.Other

To maintain the dignity of service users at all times whilst dealing with aspects of personal care.

To seek appropriate advice and support from the qualified practitioner during occasions when service users or their carers become agitated or distressed.

To maintain service user confidentiality at all times both on and off duty.

To maintain appropriate professional boundaries with service users at all times both on and off duty.

To ensure that work is conducted in accordance with the Trusts Equality and Diversity Strategy.

In exceptional circumstances to co-operate with reasonable requests from more senior staff to vary your area of work to meet unplanned clinical need.

Person Specification

Knowledge/ Experience

Essential

  • Experience of working in a care setting
  • Understanding of issues of confidentiality

Desirable

  • Experience of individuals with mental health problems or personal lived experience of mental health problems

Qualifications

Essential

  • Health and Social Care Level 2 qualification or equivalent experience

Desirable

  • Care Certificate
  • Phlebotomy trained
  • Physical Health competency basic passport
  • MEWS
  • Level 2 Smoking Cessation
  • Good standard of education
  • Qualification in craft, domestic skills, leisure or health equivalent to City & Guild Part 1, or 2 year experience working in a health setting
  • Willing to work towards Level 3 Health Care qualification

Skills

Essential

  • Able to communicate effectively
  • Ability to work as a member of a team
  • Ability to demonstrate a non-judgemental attitude
  • Ability to work on own initiative under the supervision of a qualified practitioner
  • Ability to provide support and guidance to junior staff
Person Specification

Knowledge/ Experience

Essential

  • Experience of working in a care setting
  • Understanding of issues of confidentiality

Desirable

  • Experience of individuals with mental health problems or personal lived experience of mental health problems

Qualifications

Essential

  • Health and Social Care Level 2 qualification or equivalent experience

Desirable

  • Care Certificate
  • Phlebotomy trained
  • Physical Health competency basic passport
  • MEWS
  • Level 2 Smoking Cessation
  • Good standard of education
  • Qualification in craft, domestic skills, leisure or health equivalent to City & Guild Part 1, or 2 year experience working in a health setting
  • Willing to work towards Level 3 Health Care qualification

Skills

Essential

  • Able to communicate effectively
  • Ability to work as a member of a team
  • Ability to demonstrate a non-judgemental attitude
  • Ability to work on own initiative under the supervision of a qualified practitioner
  • Ability to provide support and guidance to junior staff

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Clock View Hospital/Hollins Park Hospital

Liverpool/Warrington

WA2 8WA


Employer's website

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


Employer details

Employer name

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Clock View Hospital/Hollins Park Hospital

Liverpool/Warrington

WA2 8WA


Employer's website

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


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Clinical Team Manager

Emily Wszolek

emily.wszolek@merseycare.nhs.uk

Details

Date posted

09 June 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,625 to £25,674 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

350-MHC6800840-C

Job locations

Clock View Hospital/Hollins Park Hospital

Liverpool/Warrington

WA2 8WA


Supporting documents

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