Healthcare Assistant (mental health)

Transformation Unit; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 31,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation package

Flexible working

Job summary

CNWL NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Healthcare Assistant (Band 3) to support women’s mental health in a custodial setting at HMP Downview, Sutton. You will work within a multi-disciplinary team to provide compassionate care and assist with welfare checks, risk assessments and interventions.

The role involves managing a caseload under supervision, contributing to care planning, and supporting group/individual interventions while maintaining high professional standards.

Qualifications

• Spoken and written English to an appropriate standard.
• Care Certificate—complete within 3 months.
• Venepuncture and patient assessments.
• Numeracy and literacy skills for medicines administration.

Responsibilities

• Hold a caseload of low level need cases, supported by qualified Practitioners.
• Undertake welfare checks and task centred crisis support.
• Contribute to care planning and risk assessments.
• Support a trauma informed integrated framework under supervision for low level assessments.

Skills

Communication

Empathy

Teamwork

Trauma-informed care

Education

English proficiency

Care Certificate

Venepuncture

Numeracy/Literacy

Patient assessments

Job description

Employer Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site HMP Downview Town Sutton Salary £30,630 - £32,346 per annum inc HCAS (pro rata if P/T) Salary period Yearly Closing 09/11/2026 23:59

NHS AfC: Band 3

CNWL (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) has almost 8,000 staff providing integrated healthcare to a third of London's population, Milton Keynes and areas beyond. We involve service users, carers, the public, staff and partner organisations in the way that we are run.

Our catchment area spans diverse communities, with over 100 first languages spoken. It contains areas of great affluence as well as areas of much deprivation. We are committed to providing services that meet the needs of the people who use them, and we actively encourage involvement from local people who can help make a difference. We’re proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME and people with disabilities to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.
We are recognised locally, nationally and internationally for providing high quality, innovative healthcare. We aim to employ only the best people, and our experts are frequently called upon to contribute to national health strategy and policy, and many models of our care have been adapted for use in other countries.

We offer a generous relocation package (subject to eligibility assessment) and flexible working options, including bank assignments for most roles. For more information on these and other benefits of working for us, see our Benefits, Reward and Wellbeing page

Become part of our team. We care for you as much as you care for others.

CNWL NHS Foundation Trust are committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We follow safe recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults.

Job overview

This is an exciting opportunity for a motivated Healthcare Assistant to develop their skills and experience working to support the mental health of women within a custodial environment. The successful candidate will be an integral part of the multi-disciplinary team. Yor role will be to support women who are on your caseload, contribute to assessments and risk managements, as well as undertaking welfare assessments. You will help facilitate some group interventions, support registered practitioners with more complex cases as well as undertaking some project work to develop services.

Main duties of the job

To provide individual support, (both short term and longer term) to prisoners with mental health needs.

To manage a caseload of those who require mental health support.

To undertake welfare assessments

To help and facilitate group and other interventions

To undertake and support assessments and interventions to individuals under the supervision of a qualified practitioner as appropriate to your level of competence and training.

To undertake clinically related administration and project work.

To liaise with other professional services and various stakeholders, including families and significant others as appropriate, sharing information where appropriate.

To be an active member of the multi-disciplinary team and as such contribute fully to care pathway planning meetings.

Working for our organisation

You will be joining a skilled and diverse multi-disciplinary team, focused on providing trauma informed care, assessment and support to women in custody. You will work alongside different disciplines that include psychiatry, psychology, Occupational Therapy, Registered Practitioners and Therapists. As a department, we value the relational approach we adopt in our work to achieve the best possible outcomes for the women we work with in terms of their mental health and neuro-divergent needs. You will also work in close partnership with other services that we commission and with the various departments within the prison as well as external and community based agencies.

In return, CNWL will prioritise your professional and personal development needs and you will have the opportunity to attend a wide array of training relevant to your role. You will receive high quality supervision and reflective practice opportunities as part of this role.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To hold a caseload of low level need cases, supported by qualified Practitioners.
• To undertake welfare checks and task centred crisis support in accordance with skills and competency.
• To contribute to care planning and risk assessments.
• To support a trauma informed integrated framework under the supervision of a qualified practitioner. This will include being a visible presence on wings to provide low level mental health assessments, support and interventions, as agreed with your supervisor.
• Developing positive working relationships with staff and prisoners; supporting the delivery of key aspects of the health & wellbeing framework.
• Contributing to formulations of those individuals we work with.
• To support clinical staff in the assessment of individuals referred to the team. This may include using self-report measures, risk assessment, rating scales, direct and indirect observations and semi-structured interviews with patients and others involved in the patients care.
• Assessments will involve making judgements involving complex facts or situations which require the analysis, interpretation and comparison of a range of options.
• To work in a highly emotive atmosphere with clients with offending histories and / or mental health problems on a regular basis, and be able to communicate sensitive and complex information, whilst maintaining a high degree of professionalism at all times.
• To support qualified practitioners in preparing for and conducting therapeutic interventions, both group and individual.
• To co facilitate groups and workshops with qualified clinical staff when appropriate.
• To attend and contribute to multi-disciplinary meetings within the Mental Health In-Reach Team including staff support/reflective practice and other core staff activities.
• To attend and contribute to other meetings, and to present the view of the Mental Health In-Reach Team for relevant clinical issues. To ensure any actions taken from these meetings are met or that the appropriate individual to carry out the action is informed.
• To work closely with resettlement workers, and to communicate effectively with them regarding client care. To utilise their knowledge of the wider prison population to gather appropriate referrals for psychological interventions.
• To ensure that efficient pathways of care are being created for the clients, including collecting collateral information for new clients and making appropriate referrals into the community when they are approaching discharge.
• To gather historical information about individuals from other services and to share case formulations and recommendations with them when appropriate.
• To liaise with other services in order to facilitate safe and seamless release planning and onward management upon release.
• To work closely with senior colleagues to ensure information in relation to risk is collected and communicated sensitively and comprehensively.
• To maintain the highest standards of clinical record keeping, including electronic data entry and recording.
• To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to both the specific patient group and mental health.
• To ensure that with all aspects of professional activity (e.g. communication with patients, relatives, colleagues as well as in the assessment, development/delivery of interventions)issues of diversity such as race, culture, identity, gender and sexuality are sensitively considered and incorporated to reflect individual differences appropriately.

Education

• Spoken and written English to an appropriate standard to fulfil the job role and requirements.
• Numeracy and Literacy skills required to keep accurate records and administer medicines (if appropriate
• Care Certificate-You will be supported to complete this within 3 months of starting if not achieved elsewhere.
• Venepuncture
• Patient assessments and observations

Experience

• Previous experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team.
• Healthcare / NHS or similar experience in community or hospital settings.
• Experience of communicating with a range of different people.
• Previous experience of working within a fast paced environment.
• Previous experience of working within a customer focused environment
• Working within offender care, prison or secure setting
• Experience in a caring role
• Previous experience of working in a mental health setting.
• An understanding of mental health and criminal justice legislation.

Skills

• Evidence of undertaking assessments and interventions relating to mental health
• Able to communicate with the multi disciplinary team, update others in the team and use handover effectively.

Skills and Aptitude

• Evidence of delivering compassionate and person centred support
• Evidence of understanding of trauma informed practices

Knowledge

• An understanding of working within a prison mental health setting and some legislative knowledge
• Some evidence of understanding of the Mental Health Act, MCA and relevant criminal justice processes

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI can be used as a support tool, not a replacement for the applicant’s own work.Applications must remain personal, accurate, and reflective of the candidate’s real experience.AI-generated content must not misrepresent skills, qualifications, or experience.Over reliance on AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances of success.

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.

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

• Due to the high response levels we receive for some vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date and advise you to submit your application as soon as possible.
• Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. Before submitting your application and to avoid disappointment please check that you are eligible under the UKVI points based system
• Our Agenda for Change employment contracts are subject to a contractual 13 week probationary period.
• If you are offered a job, information will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

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.