Healthcare Assistant - Ardleigh Ward | Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust in Colchester

Join Our Team as a Band 3 Healthcare Assistant!

Location: Ardleigh Ward, Colchester (with flexibility to work across Trust locations)

Hours: 37.5 per week (24/7 service, shift-based)

Are you passionate about delivering high‑quality patient care and making a meaningful difference every day? We’re looking for a dedicated Healthcare Assistant to join our inpatient assessment team and help us provide compassionate, person‑centred care.

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Building positive, respectful relationships with patients, families, carers, and colleagues
• Delivering prescribed nursing care with attention to physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs
• Supporting patients with daily living activities such as personal care, meals, and mobility
• Helping individuals develop essential life, communication, and social skills to promote independence
• Monitoring patient health e.g., blood pressure, temperature, respiration, weight, and screening (following training)
• Participating in the management of challenging behaviour, including de‑escalation and physical intervention where necessary
• Maintaining clear, accurate records and reporting any concerns or incidents promptly
• Ensuring a safe, clean, therapeutic environment for patients and staff
• Protecting patient dignity, privacy and confidentiality at all times

EPUT are looking for motivated staff who share our Trust values of Care, Learn and Empower. In return, EPUT can offer you a range of benefits and development including:

• Season Ticket Loans
• Excellent Training facilities and opportunities
• Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
• The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
• Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work

The Trust supports and actively encourages flexible working for all employees. We offer many options and you are encouraged to ask the recruiting manager what is possible for this role. If appointed, you will have the opportunity to apply for a flexible working request from the first day of your employment.

You will be responsible for assisting the professional team in providing care for patients in an inpatient environment. Working from time to time without direct supervision but under the supervision of a qualified team member, you will implement and assist with the evaluation of individual plans of care for patients and in their management and care under the guidance of the ward manager. You will be expected to work collaboratively with key partner organisations, service users, carers, clinicians and other practitioners within the multi-disciplinary team in delivering services; providing a 7 day a week, 24 hours a day service for 365 days a year working shifts as appropriate and as rostered.

In delivering your duties you are expected to display behaviours that are aligned with the Trust values and as required in accordance with the NHS Constitution at all times.

In addition to the above duties you will also be expected to perform the below key activities in line with your job role:

• Complete mandatory training in line with Trust policy and procedures
• To participate in the staff appraisal process and to undertake for any staff you manage
• To keep yourself updated on all matters relating to Trust policy
• To provide management supervision where appropriate

The Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System (ICS) brings together key health, care, community, and voluntary sector organisations from across our area. Our aim is to work together in partnership to join up health and care services, improving our population’s health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities.

One such example of this collaborative work is the launch of our HCA Academy, an ISC initiative between Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) and Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSEFT) to support the incoming Health Care assistant (HCA) workforce. The academy models a ‘one workforce’ cross system approach to the onboarding, induction, education and experience of Healthcare Assistants. To support this ‘one workforce model’ the successful candidate for this post will be required to attend our 5 day (Monday to Friday) face to face Induction Programme at our MSEICS Education Hub at Brentwood Community Hospital. Your start date will therefore fall on one of two of the HCA Academy induction dates across the month, which will be discussed and agreed during the recruitment process.

Our HCA Academy Induction programme has been designed to train and support the successful candidate through the early stages of their employment at EPUT and will provide opportunities to enhance skills, knowledge and experience. Further information will be provided post interview. This will be followed by an additional 5 day (Monday to Friday) EPUT corporate / mandatory training welcome. (EPUT Welcome will be varied between face to face and virtual delivery).