Healthcare Assistant / Autism Champion

NHS; Chipping Barnet; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

A specialist mental health service in the UK is looking for an experienced HCA / Autism Champion. The role involves providing compassionate care while working within a multidisciplinary team. Responsibilities include supporting individuals with complex mental health needs, delivering interventions, and training staff on autism-informed practices. Applicants should have a health or psychology-related qualification and relevant experience. This position offers various training and support opportunities.

Benefits

Free lunch at work

Specialist Eating Disorders Training

Blue Light Discount Scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Online Academic Meetings

Qualifications

• Experience supporting individuals with disordered eating or ASC.
• Experience in autism-informed roles or trauma services.

Responsibilities

• Act as the ward lead for ASC-informed care.
• Deliver direct interventions and co-produce support plans.
• Provide in-the-moment coaching to staff on ASC practices.

Skills

Experience supporting individuals with complex mental health conditions

Autism-informed practices

Co-producing support plans

1:1 coaching and training

Education

Health or Psychology-related Qualification

Job description

Ellern Mede Barnet are looking for a HCA / Autism Champion to join the team.

The purpose of the role is to provide high-quality and compassionate care as a Health Care Assistant, while also acting as the Autism Champion for the ward. The postholder will work within a multidisciplinary team (MDT) to co-produce care with patients, adapt environments and interventions for individuals with ASC, and model relational approaches for the wider team. Protected time will be allocated to fulfil the Autism Champion responsibilities effectively.

Responsibilities

• Act as the ward lead for ASC-informed care and promote environmental and interpersonal adjustments for patients with ASC diagnoses or traits.
• Deliver direct interventions and co-produce support plans in areas such as sensory profiling, communication passports, daily activity plans, and post-meal de-escalation.
• Attend weekly MDT and CPA meetings to advocate for ASC-related needs and preferences.
• Provide in-the-moment coaching and training to ward staff on ASC-informed practices, in line with trauma-informed relational principles.
• Lead on the development and regular auditing of ASC care plans and patient feedback tools.
• Collaborate with the Patient Inclusion Lead, Psychology, and Occupational Therapy to ensure care is collaborative, inclusive, and flexible.
• Support families and carers in understanding the environmental and emotional needs of patients with ASC.
• Address sensory needs, implement communication passports (with support from a competent person), support self-harm reduction, de-escalation post-feeds, create daily activity plans, and develop sleep hygiene and personal hygiene plans in collaboration with the team.
• Engage in 1:1 sessions and contribute to interventions and measures (in partnership with Psychology).
• Keep up to date with best practice and research in ASC and complex mental health care, contributing to policy, guidance, and service improvement.

About us

Ellern Mede is an internationally renowned specialist service for people with eating disorders and our expert clinicians offer both inpatient and outpatient treatments tailor-made to each individual. We offer short term recovery-focused treatment as well as high dependency intensive treatment for complex, challenging cases.

Benefits

• Free lunch at work
• Specialist Eating Disorders Training
• Blue Light Discount Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Online Academic Meetings

Job responsibilities

Ellern Mede Barnet are looking for a HCA / Autism Champion to join the team.

The purpose of the role is to provide high-quality and compassionate care as a Health Care Assistant, while also acting as the Autism Champion for the ward. The postholder will work within a multidisciplinary team (MDT) to co-produce care with patients, adapt environments and interventions for individuals with ASC, and model relational approaches for the wider team. Protected time will be allocated to fulfil the Autism Champion responsibilities effectively.

Person Specification

Qualification

• Health or Psychology-related Qualification

Experience

• Experience supporting individuals with complex mental health conditions, disordered eating, or ASC
• Experience in autism-informed roles or trauma services

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.