Senior Support Worker (Physical Health) | Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust

Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust; Bournemouth; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading health care provider in Bournemouth seeks a dedicated Physical Health Support Worker to provide annual health checks and promote positive health interventions for patients with serious mental illness. The role requires excellent communication skills and the ability to work both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team. Applicants should be compassionate and motivated, committed to high standards of care. Applications close on Tuesday 18 Nov 2025.

Qualifications

• Experience or strong understanding of working with people experiencing serious mental illness.
• Ability to perform physical health assessments.
• Commitment to maintaining best practice standards.

Responsibilities

• Provide annual physical health checks including venepuncture and ECGs.
• Deliver health promotion and interventions such as stop smoking support.
• Build relationships with patients to improve access to support.
• Travel to patients' homes and engage them in care.

Skills

Compassion

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Ability to work independently

Job description

About the Role

An exciting opportunity has arisen to recruit an enthusiastic, compassionate, and highly motivated Physical Health Support Worker to work across Dorset. The main role of this job is to provide annual physical health checks for people diagnosed with a serious mental illness (SMI) by taking blood samples and ECGs, as well as providing positive health promotion and interventions, signposting individuals to services and setting goals to improve their physical health.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide annual physical health checks, including venepuncture, ECGs, blood pressure, pulse, temperature, height, weight, BMI and substance and alcohol screening.
• Deliver health promotion and interventions such as stop smoking support and guidance for diet and exercise.
• Build relationships with patients who may struggle to access support and propose different approaches for offering physical health checks.
• Work autonomously with managerial supervision while being a team player within a busy mental health service.
• Support the EIS Key Workers with physical health checks for all allocated patients.
• Travel to patients’ homes, engage patients and enable them to feel at ease.
• Liaise with primary care and acute hospital agencies to obtain and communicate test results and drive appropriate interventions.
• Maintain the highest standards of care and liaise with clinical supervisors in line with organisational policy.
• Continuously develop personal skills to keep abreast of current trends and meet changing role demands.

Key Skills and Qualifications

To be successful you will be motivated, compassionate, and able to work independently while collaborating effectively within a multidisciplinary team. You will have experience or a strong understanding of working with people experiencing serious mental illness and the relevant physical health assessments, and you will possess excellent communication skills, the ability to engage patients, and a commitment to maintaining best practice standards.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We are an equal opportunities employer. We believe in equal opportunities and celebrate diversity. Our workplace is inclusive, welcoming everyone, encouraging authenticity and supporting everyone to be their best selves.

Applications close on Tuesday 18 Nov 2025.