Job summary
Healthcare Support Workers (HCSWs) are vital to our services at AWP, and play a key role in supporting people with mental health problems and learning disabilities to live fulfilling lives.
We are very excited to invite Band 3 Senior Healthcare Support Workers to join our Specialist Secure Mental Health Services at Blackberry Hill Hospital in Bristol. We have ten dynamic and creative inpatient teams, each providing specialist forensic mental health care and treatment. These teams support service users with a criminal history, or whose clinical presentations require specialised, secure care.
To succeed you will need to be highly motivated and passionate about mental healthcare, and genuinely curious about the experiences of people who struggle with the complex and (sometimes) disturbing challenges of mental illness and disorder. You'll also need to have really good, compassionate values - this means being open-minded, and not judging people on their behaviour, appearance or beliefs. If this is you, then please apply right now!! *We are particularly keen to hear from BAME and LGBTQ+ colleagues.
Sponsorship
If you are a candidate wishing to apply, and you would require a skilled worker sponsorship, you can determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for the role by assessing your circumstances against the current criteria on the Government website below.
Health and Care Worker visa: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Main duties of the job
The work is interesting and challenging, and there are great opportunities to develop your career in forensic mental health (for example, by applying to train as a Nursing Associate, a Registered Nurse or an Occupational Therapist). You do not need any prior qualifications to join us as a healthcare support worker, we will enrol you onto a relevant programme of development (such as the Senior Healthcare Support Worker Apprenticeship). This will help you to become very skilled very quickly, and will form the basis of any career development activity you choose to pursue in the future. Aside from regular training, there will also be opportunities to develop areas of interest, and to work on a range of different wards.
Our Secure Services are made up of six medium-secure wards for men, one for women, and three low secure wards for men. All these wards are at Blackberry Hill Hospital in the Fishponds area of Bristol.
Blackberry Hill Hospital is situated in the grounds of UWE Bristol's Glenside Campus in the Fishponds area, about three miles from Bristol city centre: Visit Bristol!! There are great bus and cycle links in and out of the city, and Fishponds itself is the vibrant home to many trainees in nursing, therapies, healthcare and social wellbeing from the university.
We offer: NHS pension contributions, up to 33 days annual leave plus bank holidays, career development opportunities, health service discounts, childcare vouchers, and employee support services.
About us
We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust) a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care. We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.
Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.
At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Please note that it is a requirement of this role that all post holders will complete the Care Certificate (Cavendish Certificate of Fundamental Care) as part of their probation period
- Basic level of written and spoken English, and basic numeracy skills
- Willingness and ability to undertake a relevantvocational qualification (e.g. Diploma in Mental Health)
- Experience of working with people, and using a range of communication / interpersonal skills. This may be in a range of settings: professional, social and voluntary
- An understanding of how mental health issues can affect the lives of individuals, their families and their community.
- Experience of situations in which being flexible and adaptable to change have been important
- Ability to communicate clearly in both written and verbal form about routine matters
- Ability to use computer systems efficiently and effectively to record data clearly and accurately.
- Ability and willingness to work as part of a busy team, and to work as directed by senior colleagues.
- Ability to conduct oneself in a professional and tactful manner, and to champion core care values such as dignity, compassion and safety.
- Possession of attitudes and behaviours that promote recovery, diversity and equality, and ability to retain these under pressure.
- Ability to think about the perspective of others and to value the importance of individual experiences, values and preferences.
- Ability to reflect on ones own conduct, and to learn from such reflection.
- Understanding of the AWP motto, vision and values.
- Empathy for individuals who have experienced mental health problems and ability to cope with behaviour which may be challenging at times.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Please note that it is a requirement of this role that all post holders will complete the Care Certificate (Cavendish Certificate of Fundamental Care) as part of their probation period
- Basic level of written and spoken English, and basic numeracy skills
- Willingness and ability to undertake a relevantvocational qualification (e.g. Diploma in Mental Health)
- Experience of working with people, and using a range of communication / interpersonal skills. This may be in a range of settings: professional, social and voluntary
- An understanding of how mental health issues can affect the lives of individuals, their families and their community.
- Experience of situations in which being flexible and adaptable to change have been important
- Ability to communicate clearly in both written and verbal form about routine matters
- Ability to use computer systems efficiently and effectively to record data clearly and accurately.
- Ability and willingness to work as part of a busy team, and to work as directed by senior colleagues.
- Ability to conduct oneself in a professional and tactful manner, and to champion core care values such as dignity, compassion and safety.
- Possession of attitudes and behaviours that promote recovery, diversity and equality, and ability to retain these under pressure.
- Ability to think about the perspective of others and to value the importance of individual experiences, values and preferences.
- Ability to reflect on ones own conduct, and to learn from such reflection.
- Understanding of the AWP motto, vision and values.
- Empathy for individuals who have experienced mental health problems and ability to cope with behaviour which may be challenging at times.
Person Specification
Education & Qualifications
Essential
- Basic level of written and spoken English, and basic numeracy skills
- Willingness and ability to undertake a relevant vocational qualification (e.g. Diploma in Mental Health)
Desirable
- Care Certificate
- Level 2 or 3 Apprenticeship - (e.g. Diploma in Mental Health or Health and Social Care)
Experience & Knowledge
Essential
- Experience of working with people, and using a range of communication / interpersonal skills. This may be in a range of settings: professional, social and voluntary
- An understanding of how mental health issues can affect the lives of individuals, their families and their community
- Experience of situations in which being flexible and adaptable to change have been important
Desirable
- Experience of working in a health or social care related role
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Ability to communicate clearly in both written and verbal form about routine matters
- Ability to use computer systems efficiently and effectively to record data clearly and accurately.
- Ability and willingness to work as part of a busy team, and to work as directed by senior colleagues
- Ability to conduct oneself in a professional and tactful manner, and to champion core care values such as dignity, compassion and safety.
- Possession of attitudes and behaviours that promote recovery, diversity and equality, and ability to retain these under pressure.
- Ability to think about the perspective of others and to value the importance of individual experiences, values and preferences.
- Ability to reflect on one's own conduct, and to learn from such reflection.
- Understanding of the AWP motto, vision and values
- Empathy for individuals who have experienced mental health problems and ability to cope with behaviour which may be challenging at times.
Person Specification
Education & Qualifications
Essential
- Basic level of written and spoken English, and basic numeracy skills
- Willingness and ability to undertake a relevant vocational qualification (e.g. Diploma in Mental Health)
Desirable
- Care Certificate
- Level 2 or 3 Apprenticeship - (e.g. Diploma in Mental Health or Health and Social Care)
Experience & Knowledge
Essential
- Experience of working with people, and using a range of communication / interpersonal skills. This may be in a range of settings: professional, social and voluntary
- An understanding of how mental health issues can affect the lives of individuals, their families and their community
- Experience of situations in which being flexible and adaptable to change have been important
Desirable
- Experience of working in a health or social care related role
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Ability to communicate clearly in both written and verbal form about routine matters
- Ability to use computer systems efficiently and effectively to record data clearly and accurately.
- Ability and willingness to work as part of a busy team, and to work as directed by senior colleagues
- Ability to conduct oneself in a professional and tactful manner, and to champion core care values such as dignity, compassion and safety.
- Possession of attitudes and behaviours that promote recovery, diversity and equality, and ability to retain these under pressure.
- Ability to think about the perspective of others and to value the importance of individual experiences, values and preferences.
- Ability to reflect on one's own conduct, and to learn from such reflection.
- Understanding of the AWP motto, vision and values
- Empathy for individuals who have experienced mental health problems and ability to cope with behaviour which may be challenging at times.
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.
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
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.
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).
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