Main area Adult Acute and Crisis Mental Health Grade Band 3 Contract Permanent Hours Full time – 37.5 hours per week (Full 24 hour internal rotation) Job ref 277-8186393-AAC
Site Oxleas House, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Town Woolwich Salary £30,630 – £32,346 pa inc Salary period Yearly Closing 10/08/2026 23:59
Job overview
ImportantSponsorshipInformation for this post: We are currently unable to offer a certificate ofsponsorshipfor this post.
Launch your career in Mental Health – an excellent opportunity for health-related graduates.
Are you a Psychology or health-related graduate looking to gain valuable NHS clinical experience before progressing to a career in Clinical Psychology , Mental Health Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Medicine, Social Work or another healthcare profession?
Join our Acute Mental Health Inpatient Service at Oxleas House as aBand 3 Healthcare Assistant, working as part of the ward’s safe staffing team to provide compassionate, recovery-focused care for adults experiencing acute mental ill health.
You’ll gain experience supporting people with a wide range of acute mental health presentations while working alongside nurses and other members of the multidisciplinary team.
We provide a comprehensive induction, mandatory training, Prevention and Management of Violence and Aggression (PMVA) training, clinical supervision and reflective practice.
If you do not already hold the Care Certificate, we will support you to achieve this within your first six months in post.
We have vacancies in Avery ward (female only ward) , Maryon ward (male only ward), Shrewsbury ward (mixed gender ward) and Tarn ward (Male only PICU) at our mental health inpatient unit at Oxleas House.
This post does not offer an automatic route to clinical training
Main duties of the job
Acute and Crisis Directorate : Healthcare Assistant (Mental Health) at Oxleas NHS Trust – Make a Difference Every Day
- To work as directed by a registered nurse.
- To provide care physical care to patients in accordance with their care plan
- Understanding the need for and always maintaining confidentiality and security.
- Adhering to all organisational and ward policies, procedures and guidelines.
- Ensuring good working relationships with patients, carers, relatives, other professionals and prison and healthcare staff.
- Developing an understanding of and demonstrating use of clinical supervision to reflect upon and modify practice.
- Behaving at all times in a professionally acceptable manner
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 the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. 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
- Assist patients will all activities of daily living (eating and drinking, movement, physical comfort, personal hygiene and use of toilet facilities).
- To work at the direction of registered nurses
- Communicate effectively with patients and the multi-disciplinary team.
- Participate in planning and liaison activities for patients.
- Inform a registered nurse as soon as possible when any change in a patient’s condition is noticed.
- Support patients in change due to admission, discharge, death or personal loss and in adapting to their new environment.
- Report any complaints or requests for information from patients immediately to the senior nurse on duty to enable prompt response.
- Report all risks to the senior nursing staff.
- Assist in the general running of the department by undertaking housekeeping and clerical duties as appropriate.
- Participate in appraisal and training of self to develop a personal development plan and strive to achieve the set objectives, including NVQs.
- Undertake any other duties commensurate to the grade and as requested by the line manager.
- Attend staff meetings, updates and attend mandatory training as required.
- Take responsibility for carrying a radio and responding as required.
- Work closely with Management to ensure that the Prison Health Agenda is supported at all levels in the Practice.
- Develop and maintain effective communications with all interested parties.
Person specification
Education
- Psychology or Health related qualification
- Experience of working on inpatient setting
Experience
- Experience of working directly with patients for 1 year
Skills
- Able to or willing to lead on patient engagement group activities
- Experience of leading with patient activities and group work
- Training and experience in specialist skills such as ECG, Vital Signs, Phlebotomy
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 require any adjustments to participate fully in the interview process, please let us know by adding the relevant details when scheduling your preferred interview date and time. Please feel free to contact the appointing manager to discuss your needs.
We encourage applicants to contact the hiring manager before their interview, if they have any questions about the role or the process. This is a great way to get clarity and prepare effectively for the interview.
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.
Application numbers
This vacancy may close early if it receives a high volume of applications. Please complete and submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment.
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