Job summary
- Main area
- Adult Mental Health Inpatient Services
- Grade
- Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 350-MHC7465631-P
- Employer
- Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Peasley Cross Hospital / Knowsley Resource and Recovery Centre
- Town
- St Helens and Knowsley
- Salary
- £25,760 - £27,476 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 19/04/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Nursing Assistant - St Helens and Knowsley
Band 3
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Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust celebrates diversity and promotes equal opportunities; we are committed to challenging and eliminating racism and other forms of discrimination and advancing and promoting equality of opportunity in the provision of services and creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We believe that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.
We take positive action to support disadvantaged groups and also particularly encourage applications from ethnically diverse, disabled and LGBTQIA+ people that are under-represented in our workforce. Furthermore we welcome applications from reservists and ex-armed forces personnel as we recognise the benefits of the values, skills, training and experience that they bring to their work with us. We encourage all applicants to share their equality information with us.
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Job overview
As a nursing assistant, you will play a key role in delivering high quality care to service users within our adult mental health inpatient services.
We have opportunities based at:
- Peasley Cross Hospital, St Helens
- Knowsley Resource and Recovery Centre, Knowsley
Working under the guidance of registered practitioners, you will contribute to the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of person centred care. You'll be a vital part of our vision to lead the way in perfect, whole person care that helps people of all ages live healthier lives.
Our values are at the heart of everything we do, they are:
- Continuous improvement
- Accountability
- Respect
- Enthusiasm
- Support
If you share our values and want to be part of a team that makes a real different, we want to hear from you.
Experience of working in a care setting is essential.
Main duties of the job
- To carry out assigned duties, involving direct care and observation of service users under the guidance and indirect supervision of registered staff.
- To report to the registered staff any observations made whilst providing care to service users activities and leisure, providing details of mental state and risk factors.
- To work with service users on an individual and group basis as outlined in the care plan and as directed by the appropriate named lead professional.
Working for our organisation
Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.
We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.
At the heart of all we do is our commitment to ‘perfect care’ – care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We’re currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.
Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- To coordinate the assessment and delivery of a planned programme of care with guidance and indirect supervision from a qualified practitioner and to contribute to formal assessment and delivery of an individuals plan of care.
- To assist with activities of daily living, social, recreational and occupational activities as agreed in the service user care plan.
- To report general observations and provide feedback to a qualified practitioner both verbally and in written formats, if required. This should include any concerns arising from the service user physical or mental health.
- To contribute to effective running of the service by providing and receiving information to/from other departments or services. Ensure this information is provided in the most effective way i.e. telephone, fax or in writing.
- To assist service users with self-administration of oral medication and ensure any concerns / issues about medication are reported back to a qualified practitioner.
- To use a variety of verbal and non-verbal skills to overcome communication barriers presented by service users due to their mental health needs.
- To contribute to maintaining a safe environment for service user in the community (where appropriate).
- To carry out specific duties that contributes to the assessment of service users as requested by a qualified practitioner.
- To develop and maintain links with other agencies and services, both statutory and voluntary (where appropriate).
- To use skills and techniques, to de-escalate situations where service users become physically or verbally aggressive.
- To carry out observations and inform the Registered Nurse of any concerns. e.g. temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure, diet and fluid intake, weight as requested by a qualified practitioner.
- To contribute to the development of risk management plans for service users by reporting, to the qualified practitioner any issues or concerns regarding service users behaviour / action towards themselves or others.
- Respond to the changing needs of service users.
- Control the assessments of implemented individual service users care plans.
- To undertake and understand the support of observations as per policy (Levels 1- 4)
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Health and Social Care Level 2 qualification or equivalent experience
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of working in a care setting
Desirable criteria
- Experience of individuals with mental health problems or personal lived experience of mental health problems
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Understanding of issues of confidentiality
Skills
Essential criteria
- Able to communicate effectively
- Ability to work as a member of a team
- Ability to demonstrate a non-judgemental attitude
- Ability to work on own initiative under the supervision of a qualified practitioner
- Ability to provide support and guidance to junior staff
Values
Essential criteria
- Continuous improvement – committed to making improvements to our services for the benefit of all.
- Accountability – taking ownership to anticipate, develop and deliver high quality care.
- Respect – how we treat others in an inclusive and supportive way.
- Enthusiasm – demonstrate our passion and pride for what we do and how we do it.
- Support – actively supporting others with compassion and courage.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Hannah Greenough
- Job title
- Recruitment Event Co-ordinator
- Email address
- [email protected]
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