Activity Co-ordinator

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust; Basildon; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 25,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days holiday + bank holidays (33 in

Excellent NHS pension

Relocation package of up to £8k

Job summary

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an Activity Co-ordinator for Basildon Mental Health Unit to assist in delivering recreational activities on the ward. The role involves one‑to‑one and group work, with creative, social, and physical activities, and sessions may occur on evenings or weekends.

You will liaise with ward staff to plan activities, prepare materials, maintain supplies, and develop rapport with patients to involve them in participation decisions.

Responsibilities

• Liaise with ward staff to plan recreational activities.
• Lead on recreational activities with groups and individuals.
• Prepare craft and equipment before activity sessions.
• Maintain stock of supplies and inform ward manager of shortages.
• Develop rapport with patients and involve them in planning activities.
• Be aware of patients' needs through communication with nursing staff.
• Collaborate with the multi-disciplinary team to align with the therapeutic timetable.
• Observe patients' behaviour and responses to activities.
• Be mindful of situations that may put patients at risk.
• Report concerns to qualified staff immediately.
• Respect patient choices and confidentiality at all times.
• Record interventions in an agreed format.
• Perform any other tasks delegated by qualified staff.

Job description

Activity Co-ordinator - Basildon Mental Health Unit

Under the guidance of the Ward Manager, you will be expected to assist in the delivery of recreational activities within the service. Activities will be delivered one to one and through group work and may include creative, social and physical activities, the majority of which will be on the ward environment.

We are looking for someone who can work flexibly; as well as working week days, you are required to work some evenings and weekends.

Main duties of the job

• To liaise with ward staff in the planning of recreational activities.
• To lead on recreational activities, working with groups of patients and patients on their own.
• Prepare craft and any other appropriate equipment before patients arrive.
• Maintain stocks of appropriate supplies for use in the activities provided; informing the ward manager of any shortages of stock or equipment needed.
• To develop rapport with patients to encourage their interests and skills, and actively involve them in deciding and planning their participation in activities.
• To be aware of individual patients’ needs through communication with nursing staff.
• To liaise with the wider multi-disciplinary team in order to encourage collaboration with the therapeutic timetable.
• To observe general behaviour, ability and response of patients to activities.
• To have an awareness of the situations that may make patients vulnerable or at risk.
• To report any concerns immediately to qualified staff.
• To respect patients choices and confidentiality at all times.
• To record interventions in an agreed format.
• Any other tasks delegated by qualified staff as appropriate to grade and experience.

Working for our organisation

• Receive supervision and support to help you fulfil your potential.
• Join an inclusive EPUT community and connect with others through engagement events and equality or champion networks.
• If you need help, we provide mental health and wellbeing services, occupational health advice and counselling.

Benefits

• 27 days holiday, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days after 10 years’ service.
• Excellent pension of up to 14.5% of your pensionable pay.
• Staff discounts include Blue Light Card, NHS discount offers, and staff benefits.
• £8K relocation package if you move to Essex to join us
• Season ticket loans are interest‑free to cover the cost of travelling to and from work via tram, rail, or bus.

Please be aware that, due to current allocation constraints, Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) are being prioritised for registered roles at this time.

Important note: please ensure that as part of your application, you include professional references with business contact information covering your last three years of employment history. We are unable to accept personal or character references.

As a newly appointed employee, you are responsible for incurring the cost of your initial DBS check relevant to your post; the amount will be deducted from your first salary with the Trust.

Our Trust is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We particularly welcome applications from people with experience of using mental health services. We also hold the Disability and have made the pledge to commit to employing more people with learning disabilities, we encourage people with a disability to apply. If you require this application form in another format i.e. Braille or audio tape etc, please contact the Recruitment Department on 01375 364513 or email [e-mail] and we can arrange for this to be dispatched to you.

The Trust has the right to expire vacancies prior to the closing date if they so wish. The Trust makes every attempt to contact all applicants and we strongly advise that you check the email account which is registered with NHS Jobs regularly, we would advise however due to the high number of applications we receive that if you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expect all staff to undertake this commitment. Applicants will be subject to robust safer recruitment processes.

Important Notice: Recently the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2021 (the Regulations) which amended on 22 July 2021 and come into force on 11 November 2021 that anyone directly employed to work in a Care Home or who are required as part of their role to be deployed to a CQC registered care home are required to have had both their COVID vaccinations, unless they are exempt. This is therefore a requirement of this role and will form part of our pre‑employment checks.

Please note staff who are formally at risk within the organisation will be given priority in securing alternative employment. Should it come to light that a post being advertised by the Trust is considered ‘suitable alternative employment’ to an individual who is at risk, the recruiting manager will be advised and the post will be withdrawn from NHS Jobs.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.