Health Care Assistant

Oxleas; Greater London; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 33,000; Full time

Job summary

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Healthcare Assistant for the Addison Unit at HMP Wandsworth, London. The role involves constant 1:1 observation, recording vital signs, and delivering supportive care within a custodial setting.

You will work nights and weekends, supporting a MDT and clinical staff to ensure patient safety and recovery-focused care while adhering to safer custody procedures.

Qualifications

• NVQ Level 3 in Care or equivalent required.
• Experience in custodial setting or mental health care is advantageous.
• Ability to record clinical information and vital signs accurately.
• Familiarity with observation and safeguarding procedures in a prison environment.

Responsibilities

• Carry out delegated tasks for patients in mental health crisis or admitted to Addison Ward under supervision.
• Record clinical information and complete observations within 72 hours of admission.
• Perform routine physical monitoring (vital signs) and report abnormalities promptly.
• Document daily mental state observations and escalate concerns without delay.
• Deliver and support observation levels and ensure accurate documentation.
• Provide therapeutic engagement and support recovery-focused care.
• Support patients with activities of daily living while maintaining dignity and independence.
• Escort patients during transfers to psychiatric units or other services as required.
• Identify, monitor and escalate clinical and environmental risks including self-harm risk.

Skills

Observation skills

Patient care

Record keeping

MDT collaboration

Education

NVQ Level 3 in Care

Tools

Sys1

Datix

Job description

Main area Offender Healthcare Grade Band 3 Contract Fixed term: 12 months (n/a) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Expected to work nights and weekends) Job ref 277-8052806-WANDS-A

Site HMP Wandsworth Town London Salary £31,554 - £33,270 pa inc Salary period Yearly Closing 12/10/2026 23:59

Job overview

The Addison Unit is a 12 bedded Unit located at Health care wing at HMP Wandsworth.

The Addison team is a multidisciplinary team (MDT) that provides an assessment and treatment service to patients who present to the acute hospital with mental health difficulties. Referrals are received from various department within the prison and triaged by the in-reach team MDT and placed on a waiting list pending vacancy at Addison Unit. The main responsibilities of the HCA is to support the qualified staff in any way required, to deliver this service.

The HCA has a key role in gathering and recording data, carrying out therapeutic engagement with the patient, and recording any interactions about and with patients on the System one as well as initiating an ACCT and managing presenting risk to safeguard patient. HCA’s are also required to support patients in crisis, with personal care and to escort patients who are being transferred to a psychiatric facility or hospital.

Important Sponsorship Information for this post: we are currently unable to offer a certificate of sponsorship for this post.

Main duties of the job

• Carry out delegated tasks for patients in mental health crisis or admitted to Addison Ward under the direction of qualified nursing staff.
• Support admissions by recording clinical information and completing physical observations (vital signs), including within the first 72 hours of admission.
• Undertake routine physical monitoring (e.g. NEWS2, ECGs, phlebotomy, blood glucose, BMI) and report any abnormalities promptly.
• Conduct and document daily mental state observations, escalating any deterioration or risk concerns without delay.
• Deliver and support prescribed observation levels (general, intermittent, constant/1:1), ensuring accurate documentation.
• Engage therapeutically with patients, offering emotional support and promoting recovery-focused care.
• Support patients with activities of daily living, maintaining dignity, respect, and independence.
• Assist patients to identify triggers for crisis and develop coping strategies under supervision.
• Accompany and support patients during transfers to psychiatric units or other services as required.
• Identify, monitor, and elevate clinical and environmental risks, including self-harm and suicide risk.
• Initiate and support ACCT processes as required in line with safer custody procedures.
• Complete incident reports (Datix) and ensure timely reporting of incidents, complaints, and near misses.
• Work in accordance with Trust policies, procedures, and relevant legislation (Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act).

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

Provide constant (1:1) observation to patients within the custodial healthcare setting as directed by a Registered Nurse, maintaining continuous visual contact in line with Oxleas and HMPPS protocols.

Support the safety and wellbeing of patients at risk of self-harm or suicide, including those managed under the ACCT (Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork) process.

Observe and report on patients’ mental state, behaviour, presentation, and risk indicators, promptly escalating any concerns to the Nurse in Charge or relevant healthcare professional.

Maintain dynamic risk awareness within a prison environment, including vigilance around:

• Concealed items

Deliver basic therapeutic engagement, providing reassurance, active listening, and encouraging the use of coping and distraction techniques appropriate to the custodial setting.

Work collaboratively with both healthcare staff and prison officers, ensuring a coordinated approach to patient safety and risk management.

Maintain a safe clinical environment, reporting and escalating any environmental or security risks in line with prison and healthcare procedures.

Accurately complete observation records and entries in ACCT documentation (where appropriate), ensuring all records are timely, factual, and defensible.

Undertake and record physical observations (vital signs)—such as temperature, pulse, respiration rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation—as delegated by the Registered Nurse, promptly reporting any abnormalities or concerns.

Support patients with activities of daily living (ADLs) where appropriate, maintaining dignity within security constraints.

Maintain professional boundaries at all times, recognising the complexities of working in a custodial environment.

Participate in handover processes, ensuring clear communication of risk, care needs, and incidents, with no gaps in observation.

Respond appropriately to emergency situations, including self-harm, medical emergencies, and behavioural incidents, seeking support as required.

Adhere to Oxleas policies and HMPPS security procedures, including safer custody, safeguarding, infection control, and information governance.

Participate in mandatory and prison-specific training, including personal safety, security awareness, and ACCT processes.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION, PLEASE READ :

All applicants must be willing to undertake National Security Vetting in order to work in a Prison Setting. This will be completed as part of the pre-employment checks through Oxleas and the prison vetting team.

You will need to provide:

Proof of right to work documentation

Proof of ID, needs to include 1 photographic ID

Proof of address documentation

Non-UK passport holders will need to have correct documentation (right to work in the UK) and a Home office Share code.

Address History:

5 years address history will be needed.

Applicants that are not UK Passport holders who provide less than 5 years UK address history will need to provide a Police Certificate which must be in English from where they resided previously.

Applicants who are UK Passport holders who have lived abroad for a period of more than six months during the last three years will need to provide a certificate of good conduct or an overseas police check in English from the countries resided in or visited.

In order to assist you in obtaining a Police Certificate, guidance can be sought from:https ://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants

If the country you have resided in is not listed here, you can obtain the necessary information by contacting the relevant Embassy or High Commission for that Country. Their contact details can be found on the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website ( http://www.fco.gov.uk/en ).

Qualifications

• Achieved grade
• Relevant field
• NVQ LEVEL 3 IN CARE

Experience

• Prison or forensic experience
• PICU Experience

IT skill and commuinication skills

• Able to use Sys1
• Experience in writing clinical notes

physical healtrh skills

• Familiar with taking vital signs
• Experience in escalating when patient is in deteriorating

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 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.