Band 3 support worker in Woolwich

Important Sponsorship Information for this post: We are currently unable to offer a certificate of sponsorship for this post.

The Home Treatment Teams are multi-disciplinary teams providing safe and effective home-based treatment to those in mental health crisis as an alternative to inpatient care. The teams provide robust assessment, review and intervention based on defined clinical crisis care pathways. The Home Treatment Teams play a critical role in delivering the Trust Priorities of Great Out of Hospital Care and ensuring appropriate use of mental health inpatient beds.

The Healthcare Support Worker post holder will work as a member of the team providing home treatment to patients in the acute phase of mental illness and crisis. They will assist in the delivery of high standards of care to individual patients under the direction of a qualified nurse.

The post holder should be available to work extended shifts covering a 7-day week service and may be expected to transfer to another Home Treatment Team temporarily or permanently where there is a clear clinical need to do so.

Main duties of the job

As a member of the Home Treatment Team, you will:

• Work as a member of the multi-disciplinary team to provide the best possible treatment options for people in the acute phase of a mental illness.
• Provide a wide range of practical and therapeutic support to people in crisis under the direction of qualified staff, generally in the individual’s own home. This could include promoting social inclusion for patients under the care of the team, paying attention to identified needs relating to housing, benefits, employment, education, recreation, and relationships, and assisting individuals to improve their coping skills, and access appropriate resources.
• Assist in the delivery of high standards of care to individual patients

Working for our organisation

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 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 Listen
• We Care

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will:

• Contribute to and participate in the assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of care and carry out assigned tasks identified for patients in the crisis care plan in consultation with senior members of the multi-disciplinary team.
• Carry out home visits, adhering to Trust policies and procedures
• Identify and provide the necessary support/advice to patients on practical issues relating to living skills such as nutritional management, self-care, social skills, benefits, housing, education, training, and occupational activities
• Implement the principles of “recovery”: encouraging and supporting patients to engage with healthy lifestyles, facilitating psychosocial activities and other activities of their interest.
• Participate in social, recreational, therapeutic, and diversional activities with patients and carers
• Act on own initiative when delivering care, seeking supervision and guidance as required.
• Assist in running therapeutic groups alongside qualified staff when required
• Observe, report, and record any changes in the patient’s physical/ mental health and behaviour
• Assist colleagues in the assessment of physical health needs and the implementation and evaluation of any ensuing care plans around physical health. To have physical dexterity to be able to competently operate monitoring kit e.g. blood pressure machines, blood glucose monitors etc.
• Provide assistance to family and carers in coping with demands placed on them by the patient
• Promote patient and (where appropriate) carer involvement in all aspects of care
• Monitor that patients are receiving the prescribed medication and liaise with the Key worker if problems occur regarding non-compliance with medication. Responsible for ordering repeat prescriptions.
• Respond to the needs of people sensitively and in a non-judgemental way with regard to their age, race, culture, gender, religion, sexuality, and disability
• Recognise and value patients as individuals, acknowledging the importance of always maintaining the patient’s respect and dignity and ensure that the care provided respects equality and diversity
• Demonstrate an empathic understanding of mental health problems and issues.
• Accompany and support patients to appointments and act as an advocate
• Demonstrate knowledge of “professional boundaries” and apply this to working with patients, carers, and significant others.
• Understand the fundamental importance of relationships to social and psychological well-being.
• Respond to the needs of people in an honest, non-judgemental, and open manner, which respects the right of individuals and groups.
• Have a knowledge of risk management and utilise tools in accordance with Trust policy
• Demonstrate a basic understanding of the causes of aggression, and utilise skills in the prevention, de-escalation and management of violence and aggression.
• Adhere to the lone working policy and be responsible for using PeopleSafe.
• Have high regard to patient’s safety and safety of others and report immediately any concerns of risk to the members of the team, particularly where children are involved.
• To take all possible measures to prevent exploitation – physical, financial, or social of vulnerable patients who are receiving support from the crisis service.
• Be aware of and work to the principles of the Mental Health Act (2015) and Mental Capacity Act (2005)
• Recognise scope of own abilities and responsibilities and practice within them, referring matters to and seeking advice from senior trained team members as appropriate.

Person specification

• Experience working with people with mental health problems, ideally with experience of working in mental health acute and/or crisis services.
• Experience working within a multi-disciplinary team
• High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate sensitively and work in a setting in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive.
• Knowledge of Risk Assessment and management tools currently in user within acute mental health settings.
• Admin and clerical skills. Computer literate
• Experience working with people with mental health problems, ideally with experience of working in mental health acute and/or crisis services.
• Able to plan and facilitate various individual therapeutic activities with service users.
• Awareness of safeguarding vulnerable adults and children issues and how to report abuse

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that welcomes and supports individuals of all abilities. Remember, if you meet the minimum criteria for this role and you have a disability, you can be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme - Please ensure you select this on your application form. We would encourage you to be open about your needs so we can work with you to design a comfortable and accessible interview experience. Any information you provide regarding a disability or a need for adjustments will be treated in confidence and will only be shared with colleagues who are supporting this request.

If you have declared you are part of the armed forces community, you may be asked to provide evidence during the recruitment process. If you misrepresent this information, your offer may be withdrawn. For Armed Forces specific support, see our webpage: https://oxleas.nhs.uk/armed-forces-community/

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

If you choose to use AI or other tools to assist in writing your application, it's essential to personalise this information, particularly your supporting information section. While AI can help streamline the writing process, these tools cannot fully grasp the context or requirements of the job you’re applying for. There is also a risk that it can generate false or misleading information. AI-generated job applications can often be generic, impersonal and may not accurately reflect your qualifications, knowledge, skills, and experiences. It is crucial that you personalise your supporting statement by articulating these in your unique voice. Relying solely on AI to write your application or supporting information section is not advocated by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and could negatively impact your chances of success in the application process.

We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully. You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct.Please note that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is prohibited during the interview process.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.

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