Health Support Worker (Apprenticeship/Development Post)
Job Description
Job summary
Do you want to make a difference? Are you passionate about mental health and wellbeing?
This is a fantastic opportunity to take your first steps into a career in the NHS as a Health Care Assistant in Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust.
You will be a HCA Apprentice on our acute inpatient wards that provide inpatient mental health care for adults (over 18) in the borough of Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich. We have vacancies in a number of locations including (Green Parks House, Oxleas House, Woodlands Unit, Barefoot Lodge and Oaktree Lodge). While we cannot guarantee a specific ward we will aim to accommodate successful candidates' preferences of location as much as possible.
The HCA scheme will include Training and Development opportunities either through Oxleas funded CPD route or Apprenticeship funded route to enhance further career opportunities.
The level 2 Apprenticeship programme will provide you with a work-based training programme focusing on the whole job, not just individual skills, and provides you with a set of vocational and functional skills and a nationally recognised qualification. The HCA scheme (either route) will provide you with the expertise and knowledge required to become competent in supporting patients in hospitals across a range of specialities. At the end of the first 12 months if you meet the required competencies you will automatically progress to a Senior Health Care Assistant (Band 3) role.
Main duties of the job
Healthcare Support Workers play a vital role in delivering high quality standards of care to patients in the hospital. Our Healthcare Assistants work at the heart of our multi-disciplinary teams who support our patients by assisting the Registered Nurses in planning, delivering, and evaluating care.
Your duties will be varied and include:
- Demonstrating what it means in practice to promote and provide person centred care and treatment
- Supporting by obtaining valid consent, and carrying out risk assessments
- Working in partnership with the individual, their carer, families and the wider healthcare team
- Promoting clinical effectiveness, safety and a good experience for the individual
- Assisting patients during mealtimes
- Maintenance of their personal hygiene
- Making patients comfortable
- Talking and listening to patient
- Involvement in patient activities
- You will also gain experience in gaining a number of key clinical skills such as undertaking observations - temperature, blood pressure, blood glucose and urine tests
This is a demanding yet rewarding role. It is a highly fulfilling profession with options to progress your career.
You will be working a variety of shifts including long days, nights, weekends, and bank holidays.
About us
Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes. We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people. Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:
- We're Kind
- We're Fair
- We Listen
- We Care
Job responsibilities
- Providing physical care and psychological support to patients according to a written care plan.
- Being an effective communicator, observer & listener.
- Understanding the need for and maintaining patient confidentiality at all times.
- Adhering to all organisational, policies, procedures and guidelines.
- Ensuring good working relationships with patients, carers, relatives, other professionals and the public.
- Developing an understanding of and demonstrating use of clinical supervision to reflect upon and modify practice.
- Behaving at all times in a professionally acceptable manner.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- A basic standard of written and spoken English.
- Will work toward a Care Certificate and to complete this at the earliest opportunity of employment.
- Be proactive in the completion of all training opportunities and courses designed for the role to enhance your knowledge and understanding.
Experience
Essential
- Some work experience in working with people in a care, non-care, or education setting - paid or voluntary.
Skills/Abilities/Knowledge
Essential
- Able to provide quality care that is responsive to service user's needs
- Communications skills - receiving and conveying information and able to support record-keeping
- Ability to calm and reassure people
- Resilient: able to respond appropriately with potentially difficult interpersonal situations
- Self-aware, self-confident and intrinsically motivated to do a good job and to motivate others
- Positive attitude even when dealing with distressing situations
- Ability to consistently demonstrate the values of the Trust and NHS.
- Forms very effective working relationships with colleagues
- Advocates for all individuals, particularly those with protected characteristics; promotes equality and diversity.
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
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Oxleas House
Queen Elizabeth Hospital Stadium Road
Greenwich, London
SE18 4QH
