Senior Healthcare Worker | Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust

Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust; England; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in Kent is seeking a Senior Healthcare Worker for their new NHS Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit for women. The role involves delivering quality care, supporting patients with severe mental health conditions, and collaborating with a multidisciplinary team. Candidates should possess strong communication skills and a commitment to patient independence, with relevant training provided. This position comes with a High Cost Area allowance and offers part-time and full-time opportunities.

Benefits

High Cost Area Supplement

Comprehensive training

Supportive team environment

Qualifications

• Experience delivering patient-focused care in a mental health setting.
• Ability to adapt communication to meet individual needs.
• Willingness to undertake relevant training and participate in supervision.

Responsibilities

• Deliver an effective level of care under supervision.
• Provide information to patients, clients, and their families.
• Support patients to maintain and improve their independence.
• Conduct physical health checks and document findings.

Skills

Patient-focused service

Communication skills

Ability to support independence

Physical health care skills

Job description

Overview

We’re creating Kent and Medway’s first, and only, NHS Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for women, and we are seeking talented healthcare workers to help deliver this vital service. We have 20 roles available, these can be full time or part time (3 days per week/22.5 hours per week minimum for part time roles).

The Senior Healthcare Worker is a key member of the multidisciplinary care team and will have continuing responsibility to deliver an effective and competent level of care under the guidance and supervision of the MDT as determined by the patient\'s care plan and be fully aware of the needs of patients over a 24-hour span of care. The start date for these posts will be February 2026 to allow time for onboarding, induction, and training before the anticipated arrival of the first patient in April 2026.

If this sounds like the opportunity you have been waiting for, come and join our diverse and compassionate team committed to delivering excellent care and support for service users and their loved ones.

All posts benefit from a High Cost Area allowance.

We are recruiting now to ensure our new female PICU team is in place with enough time to train, form team bonds and prepare, so you can make a profound difference to patient outcomes from day one.

Responsibilities

• Consistently delivering a patient focused service, which promotes optimum independence.
• Providing and receiving routine information orally, in writing or electronically to inform work colleagues, patients, clients, carers, the public or other external contacts.
• Offering appropriate support and advice to patients and their carers.
• Awareness of different challenging situations where communication needs to be adapted to the needs of the individual.
• Enabling patients to maintain and improve their independence by promoting and facilitating therapeutic activity.
• Giving physical health checks and physical health care as required or instructed, documenting the physical health checks on the early warning scoring system (MEWS), chart and reporting changes to the nurse/healthcare professional in charge.
• Undertaking day to day tasks as allocated by Nurse/healthcare professional in Charge.
• Undertaking all relevant training as directed and participating in regular management/clinical supervision and appraisal.

About the role and environment

Working in a PICU is rewarding but demanding. It is likely to involve care for people with severe and complex mental health conditions (e.g. schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and may be associated with personality disorder, substance misuse and PTSD). While emotionally challenging, the opportunity to support critically unwell women back to their communities with the aim of providing the right care, in the right place, at the right time, is immense. Your multidisciplinary team will support you.

You would be working as part of a team of mental health experts dedicated to ensuring the most unwell women have access to specialist care equal to that provided to men.

Disability Confident – A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. (For more details please go to .)

Benefits

All jobs based at our Dartford unit come with a High Cost Area Supplement: 5% of basic salary, subject to a minimum payment of £1,303 per year and a maximum payment of £2,198 per year (the agreed annual amount will be divided into 12 equal amounts and paid monthly). The salary listed is inclusive of the High-Cost Area Allowance.

The High-Cost Area Allowance is a payment to employees who work in London and the surrounding areas. This post is based in Dartford, Gravesham or Swanley, and the successful applicant will receive an additional payment each month. 5% of basic salary, subject to the minimum and maximums noted (2025 figures).