Job summary
- Main area
- Mental Health
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Shift pattern working over 7 days including night shifts)
- Job ref
- 297-7383890
- Employer
- Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Cragside Ward, Queen Elizabeth Hospital
- Town
- Gateshead
- Salary
- £24,937 - £26,598 Per Annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 13/08/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Health Care Assistant - Older Persons Mental Health
NHS AfC: Band 3
In the event of excessive applications being received this vacancy may close earlier than the stated closing date, you are encouraged to submit your application as soon as possible
IMPORTANT NOTE ON COMPLETION OF REFERENCE SECTION OF APPLICATION FORM
All references from current and previous employers will be sought and MUST cover a minimum of 3 years employment. Therefore, when completing the reference section of your application form, please give the address, telephone number and work email address of each of your current/previous line managers that cover 3 years employment. Where possible this should be from two separate employers. Failure to complete this section may result in your application not being processed.
PLEASE NOTE it is a requirement of this Trust that all successful applicants pay for their DBS certificate if a check is required for the post. This will be done through deduction from your monthly pay over a maximum of three months. It is also a requirement that all successful applicants register or are registered with the DBS update service where a DBS is required.
All new entrants to the NHS will be appointed on the minimum of the pay scale in line with Terms & Conditions.
Job overview
Healthcare Assistant,
Band 5 Older Person Mental Health, Inpatient.
Are you passionate about Older Person’s Mental Health Nursing? Are you looking for a demanding but rewarding career? Do you want to work for a provider that values integrated and hollistic care for Older People with mental illness?
An exciting opportunity has arisen for highly motivated healthcare assistants to join the Older Persons Mental Health Service Line, working into our inpatient unit. The unit is situated in the grounds of The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead, and compromises of two wards - Cragside and Sunniside.
The vacancies are for Cragside ward which provides inpatient admission, assessment, treatment and discharge planning to patients who have an Organic illness, and are over the age of 65. The team works closely with Sunniside ward. You would be joining a highly skilled multi-disciplinary team at an exciting time as the unit participates in the NHS England Culture of Care Program.
Main duties of the job
We are looking for caring, empathetic, enthusiastic and motivated individuals, who have a desire to improve the lives of Older People experiencing Mental Health Problems.
You will support the nursing team to deliver the personalised treatment and intervention plans associated with this patient group.
You will have excellent interpersonal skills with a genuine interest in working with patients with Dementia.
You will be required to have a level of fitness that would enable you to undertake training associated with the role.
Gateshead Health NHS, Foundation Trust are committed to lifelong learning and offer support to enhance your knowledge and skills, to further your professional development. This is a great opportunity to develop your skills and experience within a supportive team.
Working for our organisation
Based in the North East of England we provide a range of hospital and community health services from our leading facilities, including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Blaydon urgent care centre and Bensham Hospital, all within Gateshead.
Established in 2005, we were one of the first foundation trusts in the country and since then have consistently achieved the highest levels of care for patients.
We now employ around 4,800 staff and currently provide 444 hospital beds across the Gateshead region.
Our values should be the ‘golden thread’ which runs through everything we do – they are the core of who we are. Our five values can easily be remembered by the simple acronym ICORE; Innovation, Care, Openness, Respect, Engagement.
We have a number of staff networks including the Global Ethnic Majority (GEM) network, D-Ability network, LGBTQ+ Network and the Women’s Network, to challenge us and help us to constantly improve. Our Armed Forces network is one of our emerging networks.
The health and wellbeing of our staff is one of our highest priorities, and we offer a range of support and initiatives as part of our ‘Balance’ programme balancegateshead.com to cater for our diverse workforce, so that your individual needs can be supported, allowing you a happy and healthy working experience with us.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Key responsibilities:
- To abide by trust policies and procedures
- Build and maintain safe and effective therapeutic relationships
- Support individuals to contribute to collaborative care/support/recovery plans
- Support the named nurse to develop collaborative individual, patient centred care plans and implement them creatively using initiative
- Communicate effectively with a wide range of people using a range of preferred methods
- Contribute to monitoring, observing and engaging with individuals,
communicating outcomes and conclusions with the rest of the team
- Gain an understanding of a person’s experiences in relation to their mental health, learning disability and/or dementia
- Understand a person’s coping strategies and strengths and support people to use these at times of distress or difficulty
- Contribute to reflective practice and encourage compassion and understanding
- Be able to recognise increasing risk and alert significant others and the team to respond as needed
- Undertake a range of practical tasks and duties in support of the Team and individual needs.
- Follow principles of diffusion and de-escalation and where physical interventions or restraint are required, to approach in line with approved techniques considering the safety and dignity of the individual throughout
- To feel confident to be able to report untoward incidents and areas of concern as soon as they arise
- To document any relevant information in an electronic record following relevant policy and legislation
- Contribute to individual reviews and team meetings
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Maths and English GCSE or equivalent (e.g. functional skills; ENIC)
- Vocational qualification in health and social care (e.g. level 2/3 diploma)
- Care Certificate
Desirable criteria
- Willingness to attend training and development opportunities
Experience and Skills
Essential criteria
- Experience in a relevant setting - employed or voluntary
- Delivering person-centred care
- Ability to undertake PMVA
- Experience of working with people in a healthcare setting with mental illness, learning disability and/or dementia
- Computer literacy including ability to use clinical systems used
Desirable criteria
- Safeguarding knowledge
- Experience of supporting carers
- Experience of undertaking physical interventions
- Experience of working with people with a cognitive impairment
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
- Lisa Stobbs
- Job title
- Ward Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0191 4455570
- Additional information
Kayleigh Purvis - Clinical Nurse Lead
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