Job summary
- Main area
- DART Healthcare Support Worker
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Working over 7 days to meet the need of the service)
- Job ref
- 847-RM-26-V840-A
- Employer
- Spectrum Community Health CIC
- Employer type
- Public (Non NHS)
- Site
- HMP Humber
- Town
- Everthorpe
- Salary
- £25,760 - £27,476 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 17/06/2026 23:59
Employer heading
DART Healthcare Support Worker - HMP Humber
NHS AfC: Band 3
Job overview
- Break into prison healthcare!
Patient care is at the centre of what we do and we are looking for an enthusiastic, hardworking and committed health care professional who wants to make a difference to our patient’s lives.
We provide primary care, GP surgery provision alongside access to mental health and substance misuse services.
Prisons are challenging yet rewarding places for healthcare professionals to work. If you want a role where you can develop your existing skills and learn something new every day in an environment that never stands still, then this is it!
As a DART health care assistant, you will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team, whilst being a support and resource to other staff.
You will be working as part of a larger multi-disciplinary team, alongside the substance misuse team and mental health teams. There are great opportunities for training and development and the opportunity to work with interesting patients and learn new skills.
If you are self-motivated and able to work autonomously as well as showing plenty of initiative when it comes to handling a wide range of situations, then this could be the right role for you!
Main duties of the job
As a DART Healthcare Support Worker your main duties will include:
• Complete relevant DART assessments as directed by nursing staff, including COWS (Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale), CIWA-A, and CIWA-B.
• Carry out urine drug screening tests, ensuring correct procedures for sample collection, testing, and documentation are followed.
• Support DART nursing staff in the facilitation and smooth running of the Buvidal injection clinic, including preparation of equipment and assisting with patient flow.
• Maintain accurate, clear, and defensible clinical documentation following all patient contacts in line with service policies and professional standards.
• Assist in carrying out Blood Borne Virus (BBV) screening
• Undertake phlebotomy and ECG recordings
• Complete opioid toxicity checks following initiation or dose increases of Opioid Substitution Therapy
• Support patients who are actively using illicit substances, assisting nursing staff in monitoring their wellbeing, encouraging engagement with treatment pathways, and promoting safer choices.
• Provide harm reduction advice
• Assist with health promotion interventions, including substance misuse education and general wellbeing support.
• Maintain patient confidentiality, dignity, and respect at all times while delivering care within a secure environment.
Working for our organisation
BE THE DIFFERENCE IN HEALTHCARE
Join our team
We’re looking for passionate individuals to join our diverse and innovative team.
We are seeking an experienced healthcare professional looking for a new challenge
- Access to NHS Pension
- Time for you day (additional day off)
- Welcome payment for some posts
- Refer a friend scheme
- Training and Development opportunities
- Flexible Working
- Access to Employee Assistance and Health and Wellbeing programmes
- Up to 33 days annual leave
We have an ambition to become a truly lived experience inclusive employer, changing how we approach staff experience and value personal stories our colleagues bring with them.
We welcome applications from everyone, including applicants with lived experience, those who belong to LGBTQIA+ Community and are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (or questioning), Intersex and Asexual, people with a disability, neurodivergent applicants and people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.
Spectrum Community Health CIC provides a range of award-winning healthcare services on behalf of the NHS, Local Authority Public Health services, and other partners across substance misuse, sexual health, and health and justice settings. As a not-for-profit social enterprise and Community Interest Company our focus is centred on people – our patients, service users, staff and partners.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The DART (Drug and Alcohol Recovery Team) Clinical Healthcare Assistant supports the delivery of safe and effective care to patients with substance misuse needs within a custodial healthcare setting. Working alongside nursing staff, the role involves assisting with patient monitoring and assessments, including physical health observations (NEWS2), withdrawal assessments (COWS, CIWA-A, CIWA-B), opioid toxicity checks, urine drug screening, phlebotomy, and ECG recordings. The HCA supports the delivery of DART clinics, including Buvidal injection clinics, BBV and sexual health screening, and assists with annual health reviews for patients prescribed Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST). The role involves working with complex and often vulnerable patients, including those with co-occurring mental health needs, providing support in a compassionate and recovery-focused manner. The post holder will provide harm reduction advice and health education, support patients who use illicit substances, and encourage engagement with treatment, recovery pathways, and positive health and lifestyle choices.
Person specification
Education
Essential criteria
- NVQ level 3 in health and social care or equivalent
- OR NHS Care Certificate or relevant clinical experience.
- OR Student studying final year of the Registered Nursing Degree
Experience
Essential criteria
- Demonstration of experience of working with people with complex health needs, in a health or social care setting.
- Knowledge of nursing standards gained through qualification or equivalent experience.
- Experience of nursing practice and clinical procedures
- Understanding and application of confidentiality
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge or experience of working within a prison or secured environment setting
- Experience of work in a multidisciplinary team setting.
- Experience in responding to emergency situations
- Experience in using SystmOne
Skills
Essential criteria
- Well-developed verbal and written communication skills.
- The ability to work effectively as part of a team, maintaining effective working relationships and mitigating conflict.
- The ability to complete tasks under delegated responsibility and ability to escalate concerns to senior clinical staff as appropriate
- Promote and support patients to manage own mental and physical needs
Desirable criteria
- Good patient assessment skills - knowledge of signs and symptoms of a range of effects on individuals.mental and physical disorders and its
- Extended scope of practice e.g., Phlebotomy, ECG etc
- Experience in simple wound care management
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
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
- Sally Richards
- Job title
- DART Clinical Lead
- Email address
- [email protected]
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