Healthcare Assistant | South West London and St George\'s Mental Health NHS Trust

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Healthcare Assistant to join the fast growing, dynamic Community Team. This new role follows the development of the Intensive and Assertive Model of Care, which seeks to ensure collaborative work with individuals at high risk who need intensive support. You will play a key role in delivering recovery-focused mental health care.

Qualifications and Experience

• Has lived experience or professional experience in mental health support.
• Is empathetic, resilient, and culturally aware.
• Can build trusting relationships and communicate effectively.
• Is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Has knowledge of local services and community networks.

Key Responsibilities

• Promote independent living, support access to community resources, health services, and welfare benefits, and help individuals develop daily living skills and self‑management strategies.
• Contribute to assessments, care planning, and reviews, while providing practical and emotional support throughout the recovery journey.
• Help individuals achieve goals through brief interventions and low‑level psychosocial support tailored to their needs and abilities.
• Engage with families, carers, and community resources.
• Identify early signs of relapse and ensure timely communication with clinical teams.
• Maintain accurate record‑keeping in line with Trust policies and maintain up‑to‑date knowledge of the client group and services.
• Monitor wellbeing, identify early signs of relapse, and contribute to safeguarding, risk management, and emergency support.
• Foster professional relationships and advocate for service user needs across services.
• Work collaboratively with mental health professionals and voluntary sector partners to promote independence, self‑advocacy, and social inclusion.

Working under the guidance of a Registered Nurse/ AP/NA/B4, to implement the delivery of quality nursing care, contributing to the physical, psychological, social, recreational and spiritual care in a recovery‑focused way through therapeutic engagement and activities, and taking steps to address any issues that arise.

Leading on and undertaking activities to ensure that the fundamentals of care are met - nutrition, hydration, hygiene, comfort, emotional and social support.

Supporting junior staff and leading on providing hands‑on care to service users, including:

• Undertaking 1‑1 engagement with service users in an honest, open and non‑judgmental way.
• Recognising and valuing service users as individuals, acknowledging the importance of maintaining the service user’s respect and dignity at all times and ensuring that the care provided respects equality and diversity.
• Escalating any concerns to a Registered Nurse.
• Monitoring and recording service user clinical observations, such as physical observations and vital signs and escalating as appropriate any signs or symptoms of deterioration or that do not fulfil the personal parameters to the relevant professional (Band 4 or Registered Nurse).
• Implementing the principles of ‘recovery’: encouraging and supporting service users to engage with healthy lifestyles, facilitating psychosocial activities and other activities of their interest.

Escorting service users, as required, in line with Trust policies. Facilitating the admission and discharge of service users, ensuring needs of the patient are met including activities such as property checks, orientation to services, and ensuring that community support needs are met under direction of a senior clinician.

Demonstrating an enhanced understanding of Mental Health signs and symptoms and an understanding of how these may present in practice including recognition of impact on patient presentation and behaviour including risk factors.

Recognising and responding appropriately to challenging behaviour in line with Trust policies and training, actively seeking the supervision and guidance of a Senior Health Care Support Worker, Assistant Practitioner, or Registered Nurse.

Demonstrating knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of the MHA, MCA and DOLS and other legislation applicable to the practice area and how they are implemented in practice.

Contributing to an effective communication process with appropriate and accurate information to patients, carers, family, friends and colleagues; engaging and listening carefully and actively, and responding using appropriate language and accessible communication methods and skills; developing communication skills to enable and support difficult conversations, acknowledging cultural differences and professional boundaries.

Demonstrating effective clinical communication and documentation: effective verbal and written handover of relevant and objective information, ability to determine key information, ability to recognise and describe effectively symptoms of mental illness, distress or of a deteriorating patient, and ability to escalate issues of concerns effectively and in a timely manner.

Benefits and Working Environment

We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust. We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill‑health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’ – we aspire to be ‘outstanding’. We offer flexible working, career development and a variety of benefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive. Come and join our inclusive teams and help our patients on their recovery journey. We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti‑racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co‑produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.