CAMHS Eating Disorder Healthcare Assistant

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust; Huddersfield; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 29,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare trust in Huddersfield seeks a motivated Healthcare Assistant for the Eating Disorder team. The role involves developing care pathways, providing compassionate support, and engaging with young people and their families. Ideal candidates will have experience in personal care, strong communication skills, and a Level 2 qualification in Health & Social Care. Join a dedicated team focused on improving the lives of young people and their families in a supportive community environment.

Qualifications

• Experience providing personal care for those with health/social needs.
• Ability to work effectively as a team member.
• Demonstrated decision-making and prioritization skills.

Responsibilities

• Support the Eating Disorder team in developing care pathways.
• Provide high-quality interventions following care planning.
• Assist with daily meal support for young people.

Skills

Compassionate care

Team collaboration

Empathy

Communication

Initiative

Education

GCSE A-D or grade 3-9 in English and Maths

Level 2 qualification in Health & Social Care

Care Certificate

Apprenticeship level 3

Job description

Overview

Go back South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust

CAMHS Eating Disorder Healthcare Assistant

The closing date is 12 February 2026

Calderdale and Kirklees Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) has an exciting opportunity to recruit to a post within the Eating Disorder team and will include the developing ARFID pathway.

These posts are part of a service development to provide additional support to both the Eating Disorder Team and embed an ARFID pathway within it to ensure the needs of these children, young people and their families are met.

By identifying children and young people earlier and providing the right support, we can work with families to provide a dedicated treatment plan to be able to prevent escalation and reduce long term difficulties and decrease the pressures in the ED and acuteservices.

We are looking for someone highly motivated and enthusiastic who has an interest in Eating Disorders and ARFID. We are a community team who works weekdays and cover the Calderdale and Kirklees area.

Support is offered both from the team and wider service. The service supports professional development. We take pride in working together to maintain a supportive and friendly workplace that enables our staff to thrive and influence positive change to the lives of the young people and families who have the support of our service.

All employees of the Trust are strongly encouraged to have their up-to-date flu vaccination to protect staff and patients.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will be part of an Eating Disorder pathway and will support the team in developing and driving this pathway within the Eating Disorders service. This will include supporting service development based on best practice guidelines and existing research and evidence. Further requirements can be found within the person specification and job description. You will deliver high quality interventions following care planning, treatment and regular reviews (CPA) from the qualified practitioners in your team for children and young people who meet the criteria of the pathway with a diagnosis/presentation of both Eating Disorders and ARFID.

This could include daily meal support for young people, offering support within groups for both parents and young people or offering packages of intervention as agreed with the qualified staff. Someone who can engage with people well and is able to work well within a team. You would receive supervision and line management regularly to ensure you feel well supported and able to deliver the agreed work to a high standard.

Visa sponsorship under the Health and Care Worker visa route can only be considered if the prorated salary meets the minimum threshold of £25,000, as required by the UK Visas and Immigration. For Band 3 roles, only full-time positions at the top of the pay scale meet this threshold. Therefore sponsorship may not be possible depending on salary increment placement and working hours.

About us

We are a specialist NHS Foundation Trust that provides community, mental health and learning disability services for the people of Barnsley, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield. We also provide low and medium secure services and are the lead for the West Yorkshire secure provider collaborative.

Our mission is to help people reach their potential and live well in their communities, we do this by providing high-quality care in the right place at the right time. We employ staff in both clinical and non-clinical services who work hard to make a difference to the lives of service users, families and carers.

We encourage and welcome applications from all protected characteristic groups, we value diversity and want our workforce to be reflective of our communities.

Being a foundation Trust means we’re accountable to our members, who can have a say in how we’re run. Around 14,300 local people (including staff) are members of our Trust.

Join us and you will be one of over 4,500 staff committed to supporting and improving the mental, physical and social needs of the thousands of people we meet and help each year.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expect all colleagues and volunteers to share this commitment.

We do reserve the right to close vacancy before the advertised closing date if necessary, so please apply as soon as possible.

Job responsibilities

JOB SUMMARY

The post holder will:

Under the supervision/direction of registered health care professionals/associate practitioner, within a delegated framework for agreed tasks, seek support as and when necessary, in the delivery of psychological and physical care to a defined group of people.

As part of a healthcare team, provide the highest standards of safe and compassionate planned care to people that maximises their recovery and rehabilitation potential.

Develop and maintain meaningful therapeutic relationships with people. Adopt a polite, positive and empathetic approach, communicating effectively and informatively.

Demonstrate an understanding of the care and treatment programmes of a designated group of service users to enable you to instruct, advise and guide service users, family and carers. To make the appropriate adjustments within own level of competence and be able to communicate any changes to service users and registered healthcare professionals.

Be required to concentrate for periods of time, depending upon the care intervention/care plan, e.g. following the observation policy, taking, recording of physical observations etc, and responding to issues of concern appropriately. This may include areas of work requiring physical effort, with regard to risk, health & safety.

Exercise a degree of independence, initiative and judgement and consider different approaches when delivering tasks. Assess situations, e.g. following the observation policy, identify and resolve potential problems within own levels of competence.

Ensure the care experienced is positive and service user safety is maintained. Treat everyone eg, service users, their relatives, visitors, colleagues etc, with respect, dignity, courtesy and in accordance with the Trusts Values.

Feedback their observations to the registered professional / clinical team to contribute to the care planning process. Understand the principles underlying care planning, enabling the service user to reach an optimum level of functioning/independence/recovery.

Implement care within well-established policies, procedures, protocols, guidelines and established clinical care plans. Organise a range of activities eg, facilitate meaningful activities.

Apply basic knowledge of longer-term health conditions, within the remit of care planning, providing advice, support and feedback to a registered professional.

Undertake the physical aspects of care eg, moving and handling of service users. Use items of equipment in delivering care eg, hoists, wheelchairs etc. (as appropriate to the role), ensuring appropriate instruction on their use has been received.

Assist in dealing with verbal/physical aggression using de-escalation techniques, this may include the need for restraint and/or seclusion (as appropriate to the role).

Support service users with personal care duties (bathing, toileting, dressing, support with meals, assist patients with their appearance), as part of a healthcare team, provide the highest standards of safe and compassionate planned care to people that maximises their recovery and rehabilitation potential.

Undertakes a limited range of delegated clinical care duties relevant to the service provided/work area and records patient observations: e.g. taking blood pressure, blood glucose monitoring, pregnancy testing, observing patients for signs of agitation or distress, removal of peripheral cannula urinalysis, removal of catheter.

Participate in a flexible rostering arrangement providing 24-hour/7 day care (as appropriate to the role).

For full job description, please see attached supporting documents.

We are aware that an increasing number of applicants are using AI technology to generate responses on NHS Job application forms. Over reliance on AI-generated content in application forms is strongly discouraged and we will conduct a thorough screening process before selecting candidates to progress to the next stage. If you are using AI to enhance your application, please disclose this in your NHS Jobs application form.

Person Specification

Experience

• In providing personal care and related procedures for those with health/social needs.
• In working in a caring environment at a band 2 or equivalent level of competence.
• In dealing with the public.
• In working as an effective team member.
• Of demonstrating own duties.
• Ability to work effectively, professionally and under own initiative or as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• In demonstrating initiative, decision-making and prioritisation skills. Evidence of a commitment to user/carer involvement.

Qualifications

• GCSE A-D or grade 3-9 in English and Maths or equivalent.
• Level 2 qualification/or working through, with the ability to demonstrate competencies at level 3.
• Care Certificate or required to achieve within 12 weeks of commencement.
• Apprenticeship level 3 or equivalent e.g., RQF NVQ level 3 in Health & Social Care or equivalent.
• Experience of the speciality area.
• Willingness to undertake further study.

Personal Attributes

• Responsive attitude and approach.
• Dress appropriately for the environment.
• A current driving licence and access to a car during the working day is essential (reasonable adjustments will be considered for any applicants who are unable to drive due to a disability).

Training

• Must be willing/able to undertake all appropriate Trust mandatory training requirements, and subsequent refresher training relevant to the area.
• Must be willing/able to undergo job development and training.
• Demonstrate excellent knowledge of service user safety, e.g., Prevention & management of violence & aggression, moving and handling, etc.

Special Knowledge & Skills

• As appropriate to the role:
• Demonstrates excellent customer care skills.
• Enthusiastic, able to work flexibly on a 24hr shift pattern to meet the needs of service users.
• Demonstrates safe decision-making skills commensurate with role.
• Knows responsibilities regarding confidentiality and trust.
• Resilience to pressure and exposure to emotional, distressing or hazardous situations e.g., verbal aggression, body fluids, etc.
• Non-judgemental, empathetic manner.
• Demonstrates Trust Values.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Good administration and organisational skills.
• Able to use observation skills to identify potential service user, environmental risks etc. and act appropriately.
• Able to fulfil the requirements of the value-based induction.
• Language skills other than English.
• Experience of supervising/inducting others.

Physical Attributes

• A satisfactory sickness record over previous 2 years (subject to the need to act with fairness and equality of opportunity, particularly where sickness is related to a disability and/or pregnancy).
• Able to fulfil Occupational Health requirements for the post (with reasonable adjustments if necessary).

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is 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 name

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust