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Job summary

Main area
Medicine
Grade
Band 3
Contract
Permanent: Mental Health care support worker
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (full internal rotation days nights and weekends)
Job ref
153-ME05408
Employer
University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Poole Hospital
Town
Poole
Salary
£24,937 - £26,598 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
14/01/2026 23:59

Employer heading

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust logo

Enhanced Care Support Worker

Band 3

As University Hospitals Dorset we are a three site acute trust with ‘university hospital’ status through our partnership with Bournemouth University, working with an annual budget of £730m.

We offer highly regarded health services, employing some 10,000 staff. Our ambitious £500m transformation programme is well on the way to delivering state-of-the-art facilities over the next two years to meet the current and future healthcare needs of the populations we serve.

In an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with over seven miles of sandy beaches you’ll find inspirational opportunities to achieve your perfect work/life balance. With the New Forest and the Purbecks on our doorstep, we’re also less than three hours from London by road or train. The thriving towns of Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch give way to idyllic villages and unspoilt landscapes just minutes from our hospitals.

We believe that having a diverse workforce, and allowing people to be themselves, is essential in ensuring we offer an inclusive, welcoming and productive place to work.

We especially welcome applications from minority groups in the community who may be underrepresented in our workforce. 

At UHD our active staff network groups are the Women's Network, Black Asian Minority Ethnic Group (BAME), Pride Network, European (EU), Pro Ability Staff Network, and the Armed Forces Support Group.

As a Trust we are proudly signed up to the Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant guaranteed interview schemes.

We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support the preparation of their application. While this is not discouraged, we kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of your own experience and suitability. Personal integrity is an important part of the recruitment process.

Job overview

The successful post holder will be working with adults who are admitted to University Hospitals Dorset on the Poole site. They will support patients on Portland ward The patient group will be those who are presenting with mental health or cognitive difficulties in the context of declining physical health and/or neurological or neurodegenerative and Acquired Brain Injuries

Base Location: Poole

Interview Date: 20th January 2026 

Please note we cannot offer sponsorship for this role. 

Main duties of the job

The nature of the work will be varied and dynamic, with the main principle of providing outstanding enhanced care to patients needing additional nursing and emotional support, often within a high stress environment.

The general duties will be to spend significant periods of time with patients providing physical, emotional and psychological care, typically on a 1 to 1 basis. This patient group may present with some behaviour which can be challenging however additional training will be given to enable the post holder to both confidently and competently manage this patient group. 

Please note: if this job requires you to have a DBS check to enable you to properly fulfil the requirements of the job, on appointment you will be required to repay the cost of obtaining a DBS check and this amount will be reclaimed from your salary.

 

Working for our organisation

Our values define who we are as #TeamUHD.  They underpin everything we do now and in the future. They define how we treat our patients, visitors, and each other, our valued teammates and colleagues.

UHD are investing in services across the Trust, with many being transformed and developed following merger and the New Hospital Programme. 

This means that some services may move site this year or next, either temporarily or long term.  Recruiting Managers interviewing for this role will be happy to answer any specific questions that you have about this at interview.  

There is a planned move for this service during  Late 2025, when this role and base of work will relocate to Bournemouth site.  Upon relocation of the role/service, excess mileage allowance / reimbursement will not apply, and any travel between the post holder’s home and work base will be classified as a commute. Any other changes unrelated to this, will be handled in line with Trust/National terms and conditions.  

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To understand the role in more detail please read the full job description and person specification documents which are attached to this advert.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Care Certificate
Desirable criteria
  • NVQ Level 3 in care

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience of working in a team under appropriate supervision
  • Experience working with patients requiring one to one supervision and care
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of working with the public
  • Experience working in the NHS
  • Previous experience of working within mental health care environment

Technical Skills Competencies

Essential criteria
  • Skills in de-escalation of patients with behaviour that challenges
  • Ability to communicate clearly and effectively (to understand and be understood)
  • Ability to follow clear instruction and feed back to senior staff.
Desirable criteria
  • Understanding of basic physiology, e.g. normal vital signs, fluid balance nutritional requirements etc.

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Working knowledge of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Disability Confident - two yearsUHD ValuesApprenticeships logoArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.Step into health

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
dominic watts
Job title
Charge nurse Portland Ward
Email address
[email protected]
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