Community Support Worker

EAST LONDON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST; Dunstable; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

East London NHS Foundation Trust in the Luton and Bedfordshire Mental Health and Wellbeing Service seeks a Community Support Worker to support adults with mental health needs, promoting recovery and wellbeing under supervision of the Care Coordinator and Senior Community Nurses.

You will co-produce care plans, assist with goal setting, help service users engage with community resources, and contribute to physical health monitoring within a multidisciplinary team.

Qualifications

• Experience in mental health support and person-centred care.
• Ability to work within a multidisciplinary team.
• Commitment to recovery-focused practice.

Responsibilities

• Recovery-Focused Support: empower service users to lead their recovery, co-produce care plans, deliver time-limited interventions (up to 12 weeks), and help access community resources.
• Risk Assessment & Safeguarding: assess/manage risk per Trust policies, escalate concerns, and participate in joint visits for high-risk cases.
• Physical Health Monitoring: undertake baseline observations (BP, pulse, glucose, weight, sleep) and escalate abnormal results to nursing/medical colleagues.

Job description

This role is a key part of the Luton and Bedfordshire Mental Health and Wellbeing Service within ELFT, working as an integral member of the Community Mental Health Team (CMHT). The post holder supports adults with acute, chronic, or complex mental health needs, promoting recovery, independence, and wellbeing through time-limited, goal-focused interventions.

The job centres on holistic, person-centred support, delivered under the direction of Senior Community Nurses and the service user's Care Coordinator. As stated in the document, the worker "supports service users to direct their own Recovery process... and co-produce care plans to support these" .

Core Purpose of the Role

The Community Support Worker provides structured, recovery-oriented support for up to 12 sessions, helping service users identify strengths, set goals, and engage with community resources. The role blends mental health support, physical health monitoring, carer involvement, and multi-disciplinary teamwork.

Main duties of the job

• 1. Recovery-Focused Support
  • Empower service users to lead their own recovery, helping them identify goals, strengths, interests, and needs.
  • Co-produce care plans with service users and the MDT.
  • Deliver time-limited, goal-based interventions for up to 12 weeks under the direction of the Care Coordinator.
  • Support service users to access meaningful activities, community groups, and social networks.
  • Promote healthy, positive relationships and help individuals reduce or avoid harmful ones.
  • Assist individuals in managing their mental health on a day-to-day basis... enabling service users to identify, access and engage with local support networks
• 2. Risk Assessment & Safeguarding
  • Assess and manage risk in line with Trust policies.
  • Ensure risk does not unnecessarily restrict recovery.
  • Escalate concerns about wellbeing or safeguarding to the Care Coordinator or Team Lead immediately.
  • Participate in joint visits for complex or high-risk cases requiring two staff.
• 3. Physical Health Monitoring
  • Undertake baseline physical observations, including:
  • Blood pressure, pulse, respirations
  • Weight, height
  • Glucose monitoring
  • Sleep, eating, elimination patterns
  • Identify abnormal results and elevate to nursing/medical colleagues.

Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.