Substance Misuse Health Care Assistant - HMP Highdown

Forward Trust; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 21,000 - 27,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Training

Health Cashback

Season Ticket Loan

Cycle to work

Crisis Loan

Electric Car

Wellbeing Days

Blue Light Card

Annual Leave 25-30 days

Pension

Death in Service

Critical Illness Insurance

Job summary

Forward Trust in the United Kingdom is seeking a Substance Misuse Health Care Assistant to work at HMP Highdown, delivering nursing care and psychosocial support within an integrated healthcare framework. You will collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate care tailored to each individual’s needs.

You will monitor health and wellbeing, support recovery including medical detox, and maintain accurate records while contributing to safeguarding and infection

Qualifications

• Experience or strong interest in substance misuse services.
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team and maintain professional boundaries.
• Strong communication and organisational skills; accurate record-keeping.
• Awareness of infection control and health and safety policies.

Responsibilities

• Deliver nursing care and psychosocial interventions to clients.
• Monitor health, support recovery and medical detox.
• Maintain accurate clinical records and safeguarding processes.

Skills

Compassionate

Resilient

Professional

Substance misuse experience

Clinical environment

Communication

Organisational skills

IT skills

Job description

Substance Misuse Health Care Assistant - HMP Highdown

• Substance Misuse Health Care Assistant - HMP Highdown

About The Role

About the Role

In this role, you will work within an integrated healthcare framework, delivering high standards of nursing care and psychosocial interventions to clients undergoing treatment. You will support individuals through their recovery journey, including those undertaking medical detox, ensuring care is delivered in line with clinical protocols, policies, and evidence-based practice.

Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, you will collaborate closely with Registered Nurses and medical professionals to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate care tailored to each individual’s physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs.

You will play a key role in monitoring and reporting on clients’ health and wellbeing, supporting behaviour change within the context of a 12 Step Treatment Programme, and promoting overall health improvement. This may also involve delivering brief crisis interventions, facilitating community or code of conduct meetings, and maintaining a safe, structured, and therapeutic environment.

The role requires effective time management and the ability to prioritise tasks while managing your own workload. You will also be responsible for maintaining accurate clinical records, contributing to safeguarding processes, and ensuring compliance with all relevant policies, including health and safety and infection control. An understanding of working within a prison or secure environment is essential.

About You

You are a compassionate, resilient, and professional individual with a strong commitment to supporting people in recovery. You have experience, or a strong interest, in working within substance misuse services or clinical environments, and you understand the complex challenges individuals face during recovery.

You work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team and are confident in building positive, respectful, and trusting relationships with clients. You are able to support individuals with diverse and complex needs, including those undergoing medical detox, while maintaining clear professional boundaries.

You have strong communication and organisational skills, with the ability to manage your time effectively, prioritise tasks, and maintain accurate and detailed records using electronic systems. You are confident using IT systems and understand the importance of data accuracy in a clinical setting.

Ideally, you have knowledge of the recovery model and an understanding of the wider impact of substance misuse clinically, psychologically, and socially. Experience in residential or prison settings, as well as familiarity with the 12-step recovery process, would be advantageous.

You are proactive in promoting health, safety, and wellbeing, including adherence to infection control practices such as those relating to blood‑borne viruses and COVID‑19. Above all, you are motivated to make a meaningful difference and support individuals to achieve lasting recovery and positive life change.

About Us

We are The Forward Trust, the social enterprise with charitable status that empowers people to break the often interlinked cycles of crime and addiction to move forward with their lives. For more than 25 years we have been working with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past. We believe that anyone is capable of lasting change. Our services have supported thousands of people to make positive changes and build productive lives with a job, family, friends and a sense of community.

We are committed to our cause and the work we carry out as a charity. Equally the wellbeing and the employees who work for us are also important. Joining us an employee, we will offer you the following benefits -

• Training and development opportunities
• Simply Health Cashback Scheme (optional)
• Season Ticket Loan Scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Crisis Loan Scheme
• Electric Car Scheme
• 3 x Wellbeing Days (pro rata'd for part time employees)
• Access to Blue Light Card
• 25 days (rising to 30 with length of service) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays
• Contributory Pension Scheme – Employer matched contributions of up to 6% in the first two years’ service and up to 9% thereafter
• Death in Service Payment (2x annual salary)
• Critical Illness Insurance (subject to qualifying criteria)

Please note that we may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.

Diversity at Forward Trust

The Forward Trust commits to providing opportunities to everyone. We want to ensure we have a diverse team with a range of lived and professional experiences. This includes those with ‘Lived Experience’ of addiction, offending, or homelessness.

When we recruit, we welcome applications from everyone. This is inclusive of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion and/or belief, marriage and civil partnerships, pregnancy and maternity and socio‑economic background. Where operationally possible, we will consider flexible working requests and make reasonable adjustments for all roles.

We want our recruitment process to be accessible to everyone. If you require any reasonable adjustments at any stage, please let us know.

Employee Screening and Eligibility to Work

Dependent on role you may be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service Check, details of which will be shared with you at interview.

If successful in your application, you will be required to provide eligibility to work evidence in line with the ‘Eligibility to Work in the UK’ requirements.

Our Commitment to Safeguarding

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and adults at risk. Forward Trust follow safer recruitment practices and support a culture of openness and accountability.