Health Care Support Worker - Learning Disabilities | Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

Lancashire Care Foundation Trust; Preston; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 24,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in Preston is seeking passionate Health Care Support Workers for a new mental health inpatient unit. You will support a multidisciplinary team in delivering outstanding, person-centred care. Responsibilities include fostering relationships, providing feedback, and engaging empathetically with patients. Existing roles offer flexible working arrangements, enhancing work-life balance. This position offers an opportunity to positively impact the lives of individuals with learning disabilities.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Professional growth opportunities

Qualifications

• Must maintain a friendly and helpful attitude towards patients and colleagues.
• Ability to engage with patients empathetically and provide information.
• Experience supporting patients with learning disabilities is valued.

Responsibilities

• Support patients' community contacts and recreational activities.
• Foster effective working relationships within the multidisciplinary team.
• Provide feedback regarding patient presentation during handovers.

Skills

Empathy

Communication

Teamwork

Job description

Please note that, following recent national updates, the minimum salary threshold for Certificates of Sponsorship issued after 9 April 2025 has increased to £25,000 per year. This change also affects the Health and Care Visa route for occupations paid by NHS bands, making entry-level Band 3 roles ineligible for sponsorship.

Water Meadow View is a new mental health inpatient unit for adults with learning disabilities, scheduled to open in late Autumn 2025 on our site in Whittingham, Preston. We are seeking passionate Health Care Support Workers to join us in supporting the Multi-Disciplinary Team to deliver outstanding, person-centred care.

Our aim is to provide the best possible care, and Water Meadow View will exemplify clinical excellence, support, and safety, with patient-centred care at its core.

As an integrated team member, you will work within a rotational shift system to support patients based on their individual needs, including those who may exhibit distressed or challenging behaviour. You will contribute to ongoing patient and carer support, ensuring the health, safety, and security of our environment.

Joining us means making a positive impact on the lives of people with learning disabilities by delivering compassionate, person-centred care in a purpose-built, co-produced environment with opportunities for professional growth.

Your key responsibilities will include:

1. Maintaining a friendly and helpful attitude towards patients, visitors, and colleagues.
2. Supporting patients to maintain community contacts and participate in recreational activities.
3. Fostering effective working relationships within the multidisciplinary team.
4. Providing verbal feedback during handovers regarding patient presentation.
5. Attending and actively participating in handovers.
6. Engaging with patients empathetically, providing information, and overcoming barriers to communication.

Please note that the start date will be confirmed closer to the opening in Autumn 2025.

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust offers a range of services including secondary mental health care, inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health, and forensic services. We also provide physical health and well-being services in the community across Lancashire, Cumbria, and Sefton, in partnership with local organizations.

We support flexible working arrangements, including term-time, part-time, compressed hours, flexi-time, and career breaks. Applicants are encouraged to specify their preferences on the application form and discuss these during the interview process.

For more information, please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT. Review the attached job description and person specification for additional details.

Previous applicants need not reapply.

This advert closes on Thursday, 17 July 2025.