Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.
The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.
Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video
Job overview
We are looking for a Band 4 support Worker to join our Transition Team. You will provide support to service users based in the Kent and medway adolescent hospital.
You will need experience of working with people who have mental health difficulties in inpatients and community settings. Your role as support worker will be part of the wider team and support the physical and mental health care plan of adults with ongoing Mental health and emotional needs.
Main duties of the job
The main duties of the role are outlined in the attached job description.
This is an opportunity to be part of a dynamic service, providing opportunities to develop your skills and your career. You will play a key role in the multi-disciplinary team. You will need experience of working in a mental health care setting and have skills and experience in delivering a menu of interventions aimed at promoting recovery such as: health promotion, social prescribing, behavioural activation and key working
You will work closely with people who use our Services, their families, friends and carers and play an important contribution in how people experience our services. You are expected to be compassionate and responsive but professional and informative and contribute to the quality of the services we provide.
Working for our organisation
Our Values 2025 - 2030
Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.
They are:
We are kind. We are respectful. We work together with our communities.
These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.
Starting with NELFT
NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers, and attend a number of drop-in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex
Probationary Period
This post will be subject to a probationary period.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
You will be expected to hold a caseload of patients allocated to you by the management of the team. You will be expected to support the team in undertaking some duties work. You will also be expected to contribute to the effectiveness of services by:
·Providing skilled, evidence based care which adheres to agreed policies and procedures
1. Working with patients and families and qualified practitioners to contribute to all stages of the care planning process including assessing risks and needs
2. Acting as patient advocates in the multi-disciplinary team
3. Working as part of a team implementing care plans or directives overseen by the Transition team lead
4. Contributing to creating and maintaining high performing teams by:
5. communicating well with all members of the team
6. understanding their role in the team and how they help the team achieve its’ objectives
7. reflecting on their own practice regularly
8. Identifying how care could be improved
9. Working to the standards set out in the Code of Conduct for Healthcare Support Workers and Adult Social care Workers in England (Skills for Health 2013)
10. Safeguarding people by recognising and responding when an adult or child might be at risk from abuse but also recognising their own limits and asking for help and escalate concerns when necessary
11. Escalating safety concerns and by doing so acting as effective advocates for those who use our services
12. Being open and transparent about their own practice
13. Identifying areas where improvements in safety or quality can be made
14. Working closely with others to improve services
15. Maintaining accurate, legible, comprehensive records
16. Maintaining compliance with their mandatory training requirements
To support with duty work as required by the duty seniors and practitioner's on duty.
The successful applicant will need
· To be aware and demonstrate the Trust Values
· To be able to travel efficiently throughout the Borough.
· To be flexible, supportive and if required to take a new role within NELFT appropriate to knowledge, education and skills, as required
To have knowledge of the resources available in the area
Certificates of Sponsorship
Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points-based system. When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High-Cost Area Supplement) is not included to ensure fairness and consistency within our Trust.
Use of AI
Please see attached document regarding acceptable use of AI during the recruitment process.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
17. •NVQ level 3 in care or equivalent
18. Qualification in health and social care or equivalent
Experience
Essential criteria
19. •Lone working experience
20. •Demonstrate Putting people first, Prioritising quality,Being progressive, innovative and continually improve, Promoting what is possible, independence, opportunity and choice and Being professional and honest
21. •Relevant Experience in a community setting and basic level of theoretic knowledge.
22. •Working as a member of a team and flexible
23. •Previous experience of working with a multidisciplinary team
Knowledge
Essential criteria
24. •Knowledge and understanding of Recovery and Social Inclusion
25. •Understand the need for professional conduct and confidentiality.
26. •Ability to listen effectively and communicate effectively at all levels
27. •Basic written communication skills to enable completion of records etc.
28. •Empathy, compassion, and patience.
29. •Ability to communicate well verbally and in writing.
30. •Knowledge and experience of mental health services and mental health issues
31. •Ability to form positive therapeutic relationships with service users and carers.
32. •Ability to act calmly in emergencies and respond in a professional manner to stressful and challenging behaviour
Desirable criteria
33. •Awareness of local services / resources
34. •Knowledge of benefits / employment system
35. •Previous experience working within mental health services
36. •Experience and knowledge to complete physical health vital signs for patients
37. •Able to travel within the geographical work area and across directorates
Skills
Essential criteria
38. •Ability to understand relevant documentation/information Flexible
39. •Ability to work under own direction
40. •Competent listening and observation skills
41. •Good Communication Skills
42. •Ability to relate to individuals and groups
43. •Appropriate responses to situations
44. •Good awareness of patient safety issues and reduction of risks and others
45. •Contribute to the implementation of care plans by helping to assess patients, develop, implement and evaluate a care plan
Benefits
We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:
46. A long-standing and award-winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term/chronic conditions and LGBT staff.
47. A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our effortsto support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a ‘Top 10 Family Friendly Employer’ from the Working Families Charity.
48. Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors.
49. Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.