Sport and Exercise Technician

Job summary

Are you a dedicated and compassionate Sport and Exercise Technician? Do you want the chance to help shape a new and genuinely innovative service for the women of Kent and Medway?

We're creating Kent and Medway's first, and only, NHS Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for women, and are seeking a talented Sport and Exercise Technicianto help us deliver this vital service.

Please note that the start date for this post will be March 2026, to allow for sufficient time for onboarding, induction, and training before the anticipated arrival of the first patient in April 2026.

Sports and Exercise Technicians are recognised as essential, core and supportive members of the multi-disciplinary team. You will be part of the sport tech team, which is within the physiotherapy service.

We are looking for an individual who is motivated to take part in service development projects. We offer regular supervision, Personal Development Plans, in-service training and support for Continual Professional Development activities.

If this sounds like the opportunity you have been waiting for, come and join our diverse and compassionate team committed to delivering excellent care and support for service users and their loved ones.

All positions also benefit from a High Cost Area allowance.

Main duties of the job

• To provide and promote sport and exercise to service users in an acute mental health inpatient setting, through individual sessions and group settings
• To educate & motivate service users to adopt healthier lifestyles and provide a range of health promotion activities, including the importance of regular exercise, healthy eating, weight management and smoking cessation
• To work and plan alongside other members of the immediate team and wider MDT, communicating effectively about service users and service changes/developments

About us

Working in a PICU is very rewarding but we want to be honest and share that it is demanding too. It is likely to be needed by people with severe and complex mental health conditions (e.g. Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder and may be associated with Personality Disorder, Substance Misuse and PTSD).

While emotionally challenging, the opportunity to support critically unwell women back to their communities, ensuring 'right care, in the right place, at the right time', is immense, and your skilled, multidisciplinary, team will be there to support you.

You would be working as part of a team of mental health experts, dedicated to making sure the most unwell women in our communities have the same access to specialist care as men.

We are recruiting now to make sure our new female PICU team is in place with enough time to train, form team bonds and prepare. So you can all make a profound difference to patient outcomes from day one.

We also offer ongoing professional development to help you adapt and progress your career, including bespoke training and a comprehensive induction program.

All jobs based at our Dartford unit come with a High Cost Area Supplement: 5% of basic salary, subject to a minimum payment of £1303 per year and a maximum payment of £2198 per year (the agreed annual amount will be divided into 12 equal amounts and paid monthly). The salary listed is inclusive of the High-Cost Area Allowance.

Employer details

Employer name

Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust

Address

Littlestone Lodge

Bow Arrow Lane

Dartford

DA2 6PB

Employer's website

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

---

Employer details

Employer name

Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust

Address

Littlestone Lodge

Bow Arrow Lane

Dartford

DA2 6PB

Employer's website

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

---