Assistant Practitioner / Nursing Associate

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust; Norwich; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 31,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

In-house & external training programs

Career progression

27–33 days annual leave + bank hols

NHS discounts

Job summary

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust is looking to recruit a Band 4 Assistant Practitioner / Nursing Associate to join Whitlingham Ward, a female inpatient unit within Secure Services at Hellesdon Hospital. You will work in a supportive, trauma-informed environment dedicated to safe, patient-centred care.

The role requires an NMC-registered Nursing Associate or equivalent, with a Care Certificate and foundation level qualifications.

Qualifications

• Care certificate or completed within first 12 weeks of start date.
• Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care / Mental Health Level 5 or Apprenticeship in Health & Social Care / Mental Health Level 5.
• Registered Nursing Associate – on the NMC Register

Responsibilities

• Assessments, risk management, care planning and coordination of care delivery.
• Support the Registered Nurses with day-to-day activities and provide patient support.
• Engage in quality improvement projects and develop the role within a multidisciplinary team.
• Deliver compassionate, person-centred care within a secure setting.

Skills

Teamwork

MDT collaboration

Non-routine tasks

Role model

Education

Foundation Degree in Health & Social Care / Mental Health Level 5

Apprenticeship in Health & Social Care / Mental Health Level 5

Job description

Band 4

Main area Mental Health Grade Band 4 Contract Permanent Hours

• Full time
• Flexible working

37.5 hours per week (working long day and night shift pattern) Job ref 246-GYW8183005-A

Site Whitlingham Ward, Hellesdon Hospital Town Norwich Salary £28,392 - £31,157 gross per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 17/09/2026 23:59

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust provides child and adult mental health services, learning disability, wellbeing, older people's and eating disorder services across Norfolk and Suffolk.

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and want to reflect the diversity of our local communities within our teams. We welcome applications from all talented individuals with the relevant qualifications, skills, knowledge and experience.

Please note due to the nature of our roles and patient demographic, you will be required to undertake physical intervention training and remain trained, as required by your role.

Job overview

We are looking to recruit a qualified Band 4 Assistant Practitioner / Nursing Associate to join Whitlingham Ward, a female inpatient ward within Secure Services at Hellesdon Hospital.

Whitlingham Ward is a dedicated and supportive team committed to providing high-quality, trauma-informed care to women receiving treatment within a secure mental health setting. We foster a positive and collaborative working environment where staff are valued, innovative ideas are encouraged, and professional development is actively supported.

Are you highly motivated and passionate about delivering compassionate, person-centred care? Do you believe in keeping service users, their recovery goals, and their support networks at the heart of everything you do? Would you like to work within a dynamic, recovery-focused multidisciplinary team that is committed to making a meaningful difference in the lives of women with complex mental health needs?

We are seeking enthusiastic, resilient, and forward-thinking practitioners who are dedicated to promoting recovery, enhancing patient experience, and supporting service users on their journey towards greater independence and wellbeing. If you share our values and are committed to providing exceptional care within a secure setting, we would love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for energised individuals who will be excited to be part of something very special. We want creativity, innovative ideas and passion towards providing excellent patient care. If you want to make a difference in people’s lives and change it for the better than we want you to be part of our fantastic team!

Working alongside our Clinical Support Workers and Registered Nurses, you will work a combination of shifts including unsociable hours, weekends and bank holidays.

You will be responsible for assessments, risk management, care planning, and co-ordination of care delivery. You will support the Registered Nurses with the day to day activities and provide support to service users throughout their recovery journey.

Working within a well-resourced team, supported with regular supervision and opportunities to work in partnership with health and social care in the wider multi-disciplinary service, we want to develop the role of Assistant Practitioner to enable participation in a wider range of opportunities including change management projects such as quality improvement.

Working for our organisation

Our Trust values of Team, Accountability, Learn and Kind sum up perfectly what this role encompasses. If you have the right values to join our organisation, you will be supported with a programme of training and development.

There are endless opportunities available, and we are keen to welcome new faces to join our team on a permanent basis. We understand that to attract the best people, we need to develop career pathways and support staff to reach their full potential. We pride ourselves on being a welcoming, talented, friendly and supportive team who like nothing better than sharing their experiences and learning from each other.

In addition, we also offer the following benefits:

• a comprehensive in house & external training programmes


• career progression


• starting annual leave of 27 days per annum increasing to 33 days pa based on length of service (plus paid bank holidays)


• NHS discounts and many more.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please note that applicants for this role require:

A Care certificate or completed within first 12 weeks of start date, or relevant equivalent qualification.

AND

Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care / Mental Health at Level 5 or Apprenticeship in Health & Social Care / Mental Health Level 5.

Interview dates are yet to be set; you will be contacted via email and invited to book a time. These emails may go to your SPAM, so please keep checking all your emails if applying.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Registered Nursing Associate – on the NMC Register


• Care Certificate

Experience

• Understanding the importance of the promotion of health and wellbeing – “Making every Contact Count”


• Previous experience of working in an NHS health care setting


• Experience of working in other NHS settings

Skills

• Ability to work effectively as a team player under appropriate supervision and as part of the MDT


• Ability to deal with non-routine and unpredictable nature of the work load and individual SU contact


• Be an effective role model

Other

• Ability to move between Trust sites as required by the needs of the service


• Ability to work on own initiative


• Ability to take part in clinical supervision and reflective practice

Knowledge

• Understanding of the scope and the role of the Nursing Associate in the context of the team and the organisation, and how the role may contribute to service development


• Understanding of evidence based practice

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES. Apart from its legal duties in relation to equality and diversity, the Trust recognises and actively promotes the benefits of a diverse workforce and is committed to treating all employees with dignity and respect regardless of race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief.

As a part of the Disability Confident Employer Guaranteed Interview Scheme we interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job vacancy (outlined in the Person Specification).. We encourage you to indicate your eligibility through TRAC jobs when applying.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post may be subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

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.