Job summary
- Main area
- Healthcare Assistant
- Grade
- Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (early, late, night shifts)
- Job ref
- 327-25-164
- Employer
- Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Wotton Lawn
- Town
- Gloucester
- Salary
- £24,071 - £25,674 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 06/03/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Healthcare Assistant (Montpellier Unit, Wotton Lawn Hospital)
Band 3
We love what we do and we think you will, too!
At Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC), we provide joined-up mental health, physical health and learning disability services to people of all ages across Gloucestershire. We run community hospitals and provide care and support in people’s own homes and in a range of other locations across the county.
We are on a mission to enable people to live the best life they can and we have a vision to work together to provide outstanding care. We put people at the heart of our services, focusing on personalised care by asking ‘what matters to you’.
We’re passionate about making sure that everyone can contribute to achieving our mission and we are continually working to support healthy and happy high-quality teams in all areas of the Trust.
Our application process aims to understand each candidates knowledge, skills and experience. We have found that candidates that use AI to generate their answers can lack specificity and fail to address key criteria outlined in the job description.
It is really important to personalise your application to convey your individual skills, knowledge, and experiences effectively and for us to understand why you are applying for this role with GHC. We discourage over reliance on AI-generated applications as it will lessen your chances of success in securing an interview with us .
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a band 3 Health Care Assistant to work with the Gloucester Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust in our award-winning Wotton Lawn Hospital.
The Montpellier Unit is a 12 bedded Low Secure Unit for males suffering from a mental disorder and reaching the threshold for this level of security. The Unit is run by Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust and is a member of the Devon Partnership New Care Model for Secure Services in the South West Region of England.
We are now seeking a highly motivated and committed band 3 Health Care Assistant for Montpellier Unit. The ideal candidate for this post would be seeking an opportunity to make a real difference to people’s lives, with excellent communication skills and a passion for helping those experiencing a mental health concern.
We provide a service to our patients 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, so we are looking for flexible people who would like to work on this rewarding service to cover shifts throughout the week at varying times of the day.
Main duties of the job
· To assist trained nurses in the provision of nursing care including health promotion as detailed in individual care plans.
· Participate in the performing of appropriate tasks necessary to meet the needs of the unit.
· Assist service users outside the ward environment to establish and maintain social contacts.
· Assist in the preparation and delivery of social, sports and recreational activities for ward patients and other suggestions outlined in Star Wards.
· To work collaboratively with staff other departments within Wotton Lawn Hospital and within the Trust.
The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.
Working for our organisation
We have in excess of 5000 staff working over 50 sites, providing a diverse range of services. We strive to support an organisational culture that is welcoming, builds and celebrates inclusivity and diversity and provides a sense of belonging and trust.
The annual NHS Staff Survey gives our people the opportunity to tell us about their experience working at the Trust. For the 2023 survey just over 2800 colleagues gave us their views (58.5%). It was great to see from the results that colleagues are saying that:
- 89.7% believe they are making a positive difference to patients/service users;
- 73.3% would recommend the organisation as a place to work;
- 82.4% agree that care of patients and service users is the organisations priority;
- 76.7% would be happy with the standard of care for a friend or relative
Our results put us as 5th nationally as a Community, Mental Health and Learning Disabilities NHS Employer of Choice and 1st equal amongst all NHS Provider Trusts in the South West. However, we know we have more to do and will continue to drive forward our commitment to making GHC a Great Place to Work.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- On a daily basis, assist qualified nurses in the provision of care as detailed in the individual care plans, undertake tasks that facilitate the smooth running of the ward as directed by qualified nurses, and liaise with other departments to ensue ward environment is safe and welcoming, e.g. hotel services. Tasks can include: assisting with the giving of medication and medical dressings; holding the pagers for ‘first response’; preparing for admissions; escort and driving duties.
- Make appropriate objective written entries in patient notes to ensure that these are up to date and accurate.
- Actively participate in team handovers, providing verbal report or making presentations to the immediate team or the wider multidisciplinary team.
- Provide practical assistance and support in maintaining patient’s social network to include family relationships and cultural needs. This may include periods without direct supervision off the ward.
- Frequently use interpersonal and communication skills to de-escalate and reduce aggressive behaviour if encountered from users and carers.
- Ensure a range of social and recreational activities are always available on the ward for patients which can be implemented by staff at other times.
- Successfully initiate and develop rapport with the patient group to enable patients to balance periods of activity, socialisation and rest.
- Be aware of own limitations, seek support if and when need arises.
- Liaise effectively with nursing colleagues, and other health professionals.
- Ensure feedback is continually sought from users to inform development of services.
- Ensure that health promotion information is available in a variety of forms for individuals or small groups of users.
- Liaise with external organisations to enable opportunities for services users to participate in new activities.
As a Health Care Assistant/ Support Worker you will be responsible for participating and assisting in the delivery of care / services to patients and service users as part of a Mental Health and Social Care Health Service. Health Care Assistant, Social Care Workers and other Healthcare Support Workers employed by the Trust are required to follow the guidance set out in Code of Conduct for Health Care Assistants/ Health Care Support Workers to provide safe and compassionate care of a high standard, and to challenge others who are not.
You will receive direct supervision and partake in reflective practice / training on a regular basis and be required to meet the Care Certificate standards. All successful applicants will also have the opportunity to discuss the prospect of undertaking a Level 3 Healthcare Support Worker Apprenticeship alongside their substantive post. This apprenticeship would include the Level 3 Diploma in Clinical Healthcare.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- NVQ Level 3 in a health or social care or related setting e.g. promoting independence or equivalent level of competency-based training in relevant area. Or Completed a relevant Health Care Assistant transition & development programme.
Desirable criteria
- Formal NVQ 3 in relevant health related subject
skills
Essential criteria
- Significant experience of working in a mental health or social care setting
- Significant experience of working in a team
- Understanding of how mental illness has an impact on motivation, social skills and Activities of Daily Living
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working with patients with severe and enduring mental illness
- Experience in the assessment of patients
- Experience of providing social and recreational activities
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Nichole Bullock
- Job title
- Unit Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0300 421 4815
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