Sport and Exercise Technician | Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust

Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust; Worcester Park Estate; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in Kent is seeking a dedicated Sport and Exercise Technician to support women with complex mental health conditions in a Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit. You will promote healthy lifestyles and work alongside a multidisciplinary team. The role offers opportunities for professional development and a High-Cost Area allowance, with a starting date planned for March 2026.

Benefits

High-Cost Area Supplement

Ongoing professional development

Comprehensive induction programme

Qualifications

• Motivated to participate in service development projects.
• Compassionate and dedicated individual.

Responsibilities

• Provide and promote sport and exercise to service users.
• Educate service users on healthy lifestyles.
• Work collaboratively with multi-disciplinary teams.

Job description

Are you a dedicated and compassionate Sport and Exercise Technician? Do you want the chance to help shape a new and genuinely innovative service for the women of Kent and Medway?

We’re creating Kent and Medway’s first, and only, NHS Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for women, and are seeking a talented Sport and Exercise Technician to help us deliver this vital service.

Start date: March 2026, allowing onboarding, induction and training before the anticipated arrival of the first patient in April 2026.

Sports and Exercise Technicians are recognised as essential, core and supportive members of the multi‑disciplinary team. You will be part of the sport tech team, which is within the physiotherapy service.

We are looking for an individual who is motivated to take part in service development projects. We offer regular supervision, Personal Development Plans, in‑service training and support for continual professional development activities.

All positions also benefit from a High‑Cost Area allowance.

Responsibilities

• To provide and promote sport and exercise to service users in an acute mental health inpatient setting, through individual sessions and group settings
• To educate and motivate service users to adopt healthier lifestyles and provide a range of health promotion activities, including the importance of regular exercise, healthy eating, weight management and smoking cessation
• To work and plan alongside other members of the immediate team and the wider MDT, communicating effectively about service users and service changes/developments

Working in a PICU is very rewarding but we want to be honest and share that it is demanding too. It is likely to be needed by 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, ensuring ‘right care, in the right place, at the right time’, is immense, and your skilled, multidisciplinary, team will be there to support you.

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.

We also offer ongoing professional development to help you adapt and progress your career, including bespoke training and a comprehensive induction programme.

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 salary listed is inclusive of the High‑Cost Area Allowance.

This advert closes on Monday 24 Nov 2025.