Mental Health Support Worker

NHS; Preston; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 29,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider is seeking a Mental Health Support Worker at HMP Preston to assist with care for mental health patients. This full-time role involves shift work with responsibilities including supporting nurses and ensuring patient care quality. Candidates should ideally hold a relevant NVQ and have experience in mental health settings. The role offers competitive pay and development opportunities.

Benefits

Company pension scheme

25 days annual leave plus public holidays

Wellbeing and lifestyle benefits

Support for professional development

Qualifications

• Candidates need legal right to work in the UK.
• Experience in a prison/secure setting is a bonus.

Responsibilities

• Assist nurses and report back on findings.
• Care for patients with severe mental health issues.
• Ensure continuity of care for all patients.

Skills

Experience within a mental health environment

Knowledge of mental health issues

Experience of venepuncture

Experience of working with groups

Education

NVQ Level 2 or 3 in Health & Social Care

Job description

Overview

We have a fantastic opportunity for a Mental Health Support Worker to join the Mental Health team at HMP Preston, a Category B male prison in Preston city centre with capacity of around 750. This role involves working across inpatients and the wings, looking after mental health patients in a challenging, yet rewarding and supportive environment.

Job summary

UNLOCK YOUR BEST WORK LIFE

+ MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO EVERY LIFE

Hours: This is a full time role, 37.5 hours per week, with a variety of shifts between Monday and Sunday. The role involves working every other weekend. You will work on a weekly rota between 07:30 – 20:30.

Salary: £24,669 – £28,690 per annum, depending on experience.

How will we support you?

• Bespoke induction, including the Introducing Health in Justice training course
• Competency framework
• Regional and national career development opportunities
• Our bespoke Learning Management System to address your learning needs
• Support from the wider team

Legal right to work: Candidates are required to have a legal right to work in the UK and, due to the nature of the role, offers of employment will be subject to additional vetting and security checks.

Main duties of the job

As our Mental Health Support Worker, your responsibilities will vary. Some of your duties will include:

• Work with mental health patients across the wings and the inpatients unit, caring for patients with severe mental health issues and personality disorders
• Be a key part of the nursing team — assist nurses and report back on findings and assessments
• Be responsible for venepuncture
• Carry out physical care as necessary
• Ensure continuity of care for all patients and deliver outstanding care at all times
• Contribute to and implement care packages, assist with health promotion, wellbeing and clinics

If you are interested in career development, we have a wide range of opportunities for you to develop your skills and experience, including both internal and external options for development and learning.

Benefits

• Company pension scheme
• 25 days annual leave increasing with service up to 28 days per year, plus public bank holidays
• Wellbeing and lifestyle benefits
• Discounts on shopping and leisure activities
• Support to grow in your role and continue professional development
• Excellent long-term career prospects
• 24/7 employee assistance helpline and financial assistance when needed

About us

The Health in Justice team at Practice Plus Group makes a real difference across over 53 prisons, young offenders and immigration removal centres. We are the UK’s leading independent provider of NHS services to over 40,000 patients in secure environments, always putting their needs first, regardless of their background.

Our purpose is to unlock your best work life and we stand by our core values:

• We treat patients and each other as we would like to be treated
• We act with integrity
• We embrace diversity
• We strive to do things better together

We are looking for caring, compassionate but driven professionals who can help us drive our vision for fair and inclusive healthcare access to all.

Our new Mental Health Support Worker will:

• Ideally hold an NVQ Level 2 or 3 in Health & Social Care
• Have experience within a mental health environment
• Have knowledge of mental health issues
• Have experience of ECGs and venepuncture, or be willing to undertake this training
• Ideally have experience of working with groups
• Any experience in a prison / secure setting or hospital would be a bonus

Secure environments are challenging but rewarding for healthcare professionals. If you’re looking for a role to develop your skills and learn something new daily in an environment that never stands still, this could be the right opportunity for you.

Job description

Job responsibilities

UNLOCK YOUR BEST WORK LIFE

+ MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO EVERY LIFE

We have a fantastic opportunity for a Mental Health Support Worker to join the Mental Health team at HMP Preston, a Category B male prison in Preston city centre with capacity of around 750.

This is a full time role, 37.5 hours per week, working a variety of shifts between Monday and Sunday. This role involves working every other weekend. You will work on a weekly rota between 07:30 - 20:30. Salary: £24,669 - £28,690 per annum - depending on experience. How will we support you?

• Bespoke induction, including our Introducing Health in Justice training course
• Competency framework
• Regional and national career development opportunities
• Our bespoke Learning Management System to address your learning needs
• Support from the wider team

Candidates are required to have a Legal right to work in the UK and due to the nature of the role, offers of employment will be subject to additional vetting and security checks.

Qualifications & Experience

• Essential: NVQ Level 2 or 3 in Health & Social Care (ideally)
• Experience within a mental health environment
• Knowledge of mental health issues
• Experience of venepuncture or willingness to undertake training
• Experience of working with groups (desirable)
• Experience in a prison/secure setting or hospital (bonus)

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and a submission for Disclosure to the DBS is required.

Employer details

Employer: Practice Plus Group

Address: HMP Preston, 2 Ribbleton Lane, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 5AB

Employer's website: https://practiceplusgroup.com/our-jobs/join-our-team/

Salary: £24,669 to £28,690 per year, depending on experience