Skip to main content

This site is independent of the NHS and the Department of Health.

Please wait, loading

Job summary

Main area
Mental Health Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP)
Grade
Band 3
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm)
Job ref
364-A-9225
Employer
Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
The Gables
Town
Braintree
Salary
£24,937 - £26,598 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
15/08/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust logo

Community Support Worker

Band 3

Our Trust cares for more than 100,000 patients at any one time across our community health, mental health and learning disability services across Essex and parts of Bedfordshire and Suffolk. 

We want you to be part of our journey of transformation, where our patients and their families are at the heart of everything we do and to achieve our vision to be the leading health and wellbeing service in the provision of mental health and community care.

You’ll be part of a Trust where you will be supported to be your authentic self and be the best you can be, where we will help you to grow, develop and thrive. 

The Trust is recognised by the University of Essex and is a top provider of apprenticeships for people looking to be an assistant practitioner, senior health care support worker (CAP). Our trailblazing CAP apprenticeship won a national HSJ Award.

We are also recognised as a Veteran Aware Trust and holder of gold accreditation from the Ministry of Defence Employment Recognition Scheme. Our services are highlighted as an exemplar of good practice, producing the best care for more than 3.500 armed forces veterans in the past seven years. 

We have been shortlisted and won national awards. We are an inclusive organisation and Level 3 Disability Confident Leader Trust.

We are constantly innovating and looking for new ways to deliver care, such as using technology to enhance patient care and working with partners to launch new services such as the Basildon Mental Health Urgent Care Department, virtual hospitals and falls response cars.  

Join us and you’ll do the best work of your life – and make a difference to other people’s lives. What we do together, matters.

Job overview

We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic Community Support Worker to join the Mid Essex First Episode Psychosis Team, based at The Gables in Braintree. Come and join our dynamic multidisciplinary Early Intervention in Psychosis Team offering a wide range of biopsychosocial interventions in a Specialist Team.
This role will require the post holder to work across the geographical locality of Mid Essex. The team uses a Multi-disciplinary approach to provide care, promote recovery and social inclusion to people from the age of 14-65 years who are experiencing, or are at risk of experiencing, a First Episode Psychosis.
This is an excellent opportunity to develop skills of working with this group of service users in the community.

Regrettably, we cannot offer sponsorship for all of our job roles.  If you apply for a role that we cannot offer sponsorship for, unfortunately your application form be rejected from the process.

Please note this vacancy requires a face to face interview with the Recruiting Manager. Applicants that are unable to attend a face to face interview need not apply.

Main duties of the job

As a community support worker you will both support qualified practitioners to support people experiencing a first episode of psychosis or will work independently on service users goals towards recovery. This requires extensive independent travel across Mid Essex, which is a semi-rural area.

Community support workers contribute to people's recovery by supporting with access to the community as well as supporting with more practical aspects of life to promote independence and recovery. 

The role also includes carrying out physical health checks within the community including taking bloods and doing ECG's as well as routine observations. 

Working for our organisation

EPUT are looking for motivated staff who shares our Trust values of Care, Learn and Empower. In return, EPUT can offer you a range of benefits and development including;

  • Season Ticket Loans
  • NHS discounts for staff
  • Excellent Training facilities and opportunities
  • Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
  • The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
  • Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
  • Day One Flexible Employer

The Trust supports and actively encourages flexible working for all employees. We offer many options and you are encouraged to ask the recruiting manager what is possible for this role. If appointed, you will have the opportunity to apply for a flexible working request from the first day of your employment

Join our Staff bank

What is Staff Bank?

Our EPUT NHS staff bank is an entity managed by the trust that hires clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals to take on shifts at our trust hospitals and community settings. Here at EPUT we maintain our own bank of specialist staff to ensure that we are able offer safe and effective care at all times.

All our permanent staff are automatically enrolled onto the staff bank however this does not mean you have to work any additional shifts, but the option is there for you if you wish.

If you are joining our Trust in a fixed term role, please indicate on your New Starter Paperwork that you wish to join our staff bank.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

·        Supporting the qualified clinicians with developing and implementing care plans and co-working complex clients with a first episode of psychosis

·        Support with the running physical health check clinics and promoting a healthy lifestyle clinics

·        Develop and facilitate community based groups that support the agenda of physical health and mental wellbeing

·        Encourage and support service users to engage with their local community

·        Assist Senior Clinicians in the risk assessment and management of complex cases

·        Identify any possible safeguarding concerns and escalate to your supervisors

·        Support the promotion of carer and service user involvement within the service and participate in training associated with this

·        Completing carer’s assessments and facilitating carers groups

·        Attend team meetings i.e. referral/zoning/MDT/business meetings as appropriate

·        Support service users to identify strengths, personal interests and achievements and work towards meaningful recovery goals.

 

The Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System (ICS) brings together key health, care, community, and voluntary sector organisations from across our area. Our aim is to work together in partnership to join up health and care services, improving our population’s health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities. One such example of this collaborative work is the launch of our HCA Academy, an ICS initiative between Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) and Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSEFT) to support the incoming Health Care assistant (HCA) workforce. The academy models a ‘one workforce’ cross system approach to the onboarding, induction, education and experience of Healthcare Assistants.

To support this ‘one workforce model’ the successful candidate for this post will be required to attend our 5 day (Monday to Friday) face to face Induction Programme at our MSE ICS Education Hub at Brentwood Community Hospital. Your start date will therefore fall on one of two of the HCA Academy induction dates across the month, which will be discussed and agreed during the recruitment process.

Our HCA Academy Induction programme has been designed to train and support the successful candidate through the early stages of their employment at EPUT and will provide opportunities to enhance skills, knowledge and experience.

Further information will be provided post interview.

This will be followed by an additional 5 day (Monday to Friday) EPUT corporate / mandatory training welcome. (EPUT Welcome will be varied between face to face and virtual delivery). 

 

Person specification

Physical health checks

Essential criteria
  • Ability to perform physical health checks independently
Desirable criteria
  • Ability to take blood and ECGS

Community support worker

Essential criteria
  • Experience of working with people who have experienced psychosis
Desirable criteria
  • Working in the community with people who have experienced psychosis

experience

Essential criteria
  • working in a community mental health team or equivalent

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoNo smoking policyMenopause Friendly EmployerPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveDisability confident leaderImproving working livesArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Essex Family Friendly Employers

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
Jenny Tanner
Job title
Operational Team Manager
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01376 522300
Apply online nowAlert me to similar vacancies