Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Healthcare Assistant

This job is now closed

Job summary

You will be working as an Health Care Assistant within our Assessment and Treatment Inpatient Service for adults with Learning Disabilities based at Lexden Hospital, Colchester.

The Assessment and Treatment service (A&T) provides a specialist health service for up to six adults with a learning disability, who require an admission to a specialist learning disability unit. This is usually due to a decline in their mental health and/or behaviour that cannot be safely met within the community, and the level of support they require not being appropriate for mainstream mental health services.

The Requirements:

NVQ Level 3 or equivalent experience
Minimum of 2 years' experience as a Health Care Assistant - working in a Health & Social Care setting.
Experience of working with people with a learning disability &/or autism, who may have mental health needs and / or challenging behaviours.
Demonstrate a positive value base to supporting people with autism and/or mental ill health

Main duties of the job

The Role:

To have regard for the physical, psychological, emotional and environmental needs of the service users and their parents/guardians
To plan and lead group and individual sessions in conjunction with the case holder
To work independently in a variety of settings reporting observations or concerns in a service users' health / behaviour back to case holder
To have a role in the assessment and further development of individual service users' skills. This may include support for service users to access appropriate service/facilities
To keep accurate records of tasks undertaken, observation and events concerning service users and to report to other members of the team, as appropriate, and to prepare reports on individual service users, as requested

About us

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is an outstanding organisation with ambitions to match. We are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission, and our aim is to be the leading provider of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the country.

Our family of over 3500 members of staff provide health and social care for over 400,000 people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. We also deliver a range of nationally commissioned specialist services including Tier 4 services for children and young people, perinatal services, plus medium and low secure learning disabilities services.

The care we provide makes a fantastic difference to the lives of our service users, their families and carers - everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:

Our Trust values are:

Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.

These values are at the core of who we are, everything we do, and how we do it!

Would you like to be part of the HPFT family? Would you like work with us to ensure our service users live the fullest lives possible they can? Would you like to be supported in your career to be the best that you can be?

Then please read on...

Date posted

26 September 2023

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£22,816 to £24,336 a year per annum, pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

367-LD&F-7686

Job locations

Lexden Hospital, London Road, Colchester, Essex, CO3 4DB

London Road

Colchester, Essex

CO3 4DB

Job description

Job responsibilities

For full details of the role and responsibilities for this vacancy please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification documents attached.

Job description

Job responsibilities

For full details of the role and responsibilities for this vacancy please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification documents attached.

Person Specification

Education

Essential

Educated to NQV level 3 or equivalent

Experience

Essential

Experience of caring for people with learning disabilities or complex health needs in a way that is most appropriate for their needs
Knowledge of common physical, mental and emotional health needs experienced by people with a learning disability

Skills

Essential

To be able to work effectively in situations that can sometimes be challenging (E)
Ability to identify and manage changes to clinical risks.
Competent IT skills
Ability to effectively communicate and adapt communication to support people with Learning Disabilities
Skill and confidence to verbally de-escalate service users who may exhibit violence and aggression, as well as using approved physical intervention techniques as necessary
Positively supporting people with a learning disability with their mental and physical ill health
Ability to positively embrace and promote change acting as a professional and positive role model

Person Specification

Education

Essential

Educated to NQV level 3 or equivalent

Experience

Essential

Experience of caring for people with learning disabilities or complex health needs in a way that is most appropriate for their needs
Knowledge of common physical, mental and emotional health needs experienced by people with a learning disability

Skills

Essential

To be able to work effectively in situations that can sometimes be challenging (E)
Ability to identify and manage changes to clinical risks.
Competent IT skills
Ability to effectively communicate and adapt communication to support people with Learning Disabilities
Skill and confidence to verbally de-escalate service users who may exhibit violence and aggression, as well as using approved physical intervention techniques as necessary
Positively supporting people with a learning disability with their mental and physical ill health
Ability to positively embrace and promote change acting as a professional and positive role model

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

Certificate of Sponsorship

Employer details

Employer name

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Lexden Hospital, London Road, Colchester, Essex, CO3 4DB

London Road

Colchester, Essex

CO3 4DB

Employer's website

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

Employer details

Employer name

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Lexden Hospital, London Road, Colchester, Essex, CO3 4DB

London Road

Colchester, Essex

CO3 4DB

Employer's website

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