Mental Health Support Worker

Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust; Poole; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Violence and aggression course

Job summary

Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust is seeking compassionate Mental Health Support Workers to join the Allocate on Arrival team at St Ann’s Hospital, Poole, working across inpatient wards and units including Psychiatric Intensive Care, Adult and Older Persons Acute Assessment and Treatment wards, and Health Based Place of Safety.

We value a calm, therapeutic approach, with experience of supporting people with mental health needs or learning disabilities.

Qualifications

• Experience of supporting people with mental health and/or learning disabilities.
• Ability to work across different clinical wards and environments.
• Approach patients in a calm and therapeutic manner under supervision of registered practitioners.

Responsibilities

• Work across inpatient mental health wards and units according to service need.
• Engage therapeutically with patients and report/escalate to the on-shift registered staff.
• Ensure privacy and dignity for patients and support emotional regulation in distress.

Skills

Empathy

Teamwork

Calm under pressure

Patient listening

Education

Experience in mental health or learning disabilities

Job description

We are looking for compassionate and adaptable Mental Health Support Workers, to join us in an exciting new opportunity to work as part of the Allocate on Arrival team based at St Anns Hospital, Poole. This team will work according to service need across our mental health wards and units; including Psychiatric Intensive Care Units, Adult and Older persons Acute Assessment and Treatment wards, and Health Based Place of Safety.

St Ann’s Hospital provides care and treatment to those experiencing acute episodes of mental illness and supporting patients through distressing and vulnerable time in their lives. All wards aim to promote a calm and therapeutic approach and environment where our patients are supported by friendly, skilled and enthusiastic teams to enable them to move forwards with their recovery.

This role requires the experience, willingness and skills to work in different clinical wards and environments and take a positive approach in team working. Experience of supporting people with mental health and/ or learning disabilities is required. We are looking for people who can support patients in a calm and therapeutic manner, especially in difficult or distressing circumstances, in accordance with their care plans and under supervision of registered practitioners.

Full or part time hours available (minimum 22.5 hours per week) - this post requires shift working including nights, weekends and Bank Holidays.

• To work flexibly according to service and clinical need across the inpatient mental health wards and units.
• Take a positive approach to teamwork.
• Therapeutically observe and engage with patients in accordance with their care plan. Appropriately report and escalation to the registered member of staff on shift.
• Spend time listening to people with empathy and compassion, helping them to identify solutions to the problems they are facing and access resources that may enable their recovery.
• To ensure provision of privacy and dignity to all patients.
• To therapeutically engage and support patients in emotional regulation strategies during times of distress, and especially in de-escalation of aggression and conflict situations, in line with care plans, Trust policy and guidance of registered practitioners.
• To undertake and accurately record physical health monitoring and observations, and report/escalate as required to registered practitioner.
• You may be required to accompany patients outside of the hospital, or on occasion to work on another clinical site, this will be within your working hours and with any required transport arranged.

You will be required to undertake a Prevention and Management of Violence and Aggression course, and it is a condition of your employment that you successfully complete all aspects of this course; if this is not achieved you will not be able to commence working in the post.

At Dorset HealthCare we’re on a mission to empower people to make the most of their lives through our outstanding, joined-up healthcare services. We’re a dynamic, forward-looking Trust, running 12 community hospitals, specialist inpatient facilities and a wide range of integrated community and mental health services for a population of almost 800,000 people.

We do things differently here – it’s one of the reasons the CQC rated us ‘outstanding’ in 2019. It’s also why 95% of patients across our services say they have a good or very good experience of our services and 89% of staff feel they can really make a difference.

Whether you’re looking to work with us in one of our bustling market towns, vibrant urban locations, thriving seaside spots, or among the rolling hills of Dorset, there are lots of ways you can make a difference in our communities.

Our 7,000-strong workforce is at the heart of what we do and our success is a testament to our brilliant people. We're all about building a workplace for the future, we believe in equal opportunities and we celebrate diversity. We’re an inclusive workplace, where everyone is welcome, everyone can be authentic, and we are all encouraged to be the best version of ourselves.

Working with us you’ll be part of a strong team, challenge yourself, build a career, and teach us what we don’t know. And you’ll be working towards our vision to create healthier lives, empowered citizens and thriving communities.

For further details / informal visits contact: Name: Alan Young Job title: Patient Flow and Home Treatment Teams manager Email address: [e-mail] Telephone number: 07393142004