Healthcare Assistant: HMP Lowdham
Job overview
Are you looking for a new and exciting challenge within the NHS? Have you ever considered a career in prison healthcare?
An opportunity has arisen for a healthcare assistant to join our Offender Health Care Group, working at HMP Lowdham Grange, a Category B men’s private prison. As part of a small and dedicated team, you will play an important role in delivering holistic, high-quality care to a vulnerable group of men, many of whom have complex health needs.
This role involves supporting individuals during a challenging time in their lives. You will help ensure that any immediate healthcare concerns are addressed, prescribed medications are continued, and patients are safely and effectively supported through admission, care, and discharge.Emotional support is also a key part of the role, and your ability to build trust and provide reassurance will make a real difference.
The Offender Health Care Group is one of the largest and most successful providers of prison healthcare in the UK. Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides physical health, mental health and substance misuse services across a number of prisons in the East Midlands, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire.
Main duties of the job
As a Healthcare Assistant, you will work closely with the nursing team to support patients who are accessing Healthcare whilst at HMP Fosse Way.
As a key member of the Healthcare Team, you will contribute to a wide variety of care being delivered from initial assessment / screening for all new patients, clinical triage, emergency response, and the care of minor illness and injuries.
You will play an active role in providing a positive healthcare experience to a group of patients who are usually identified as experiencing poor health outcomes.
Whilst in our care you will support patients to become more aware of their own health needs and offer advice and guidance around health promotion.
Working for our organisation
#TeamNottsHC comprises over 11,000 dedicated colleagues who #MakeADifference every day. We deliver intellectual disability, mental health, community health, forensic, and offender healthcare services across Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and South Yorkshire.Our care is provided from over 200 sites, spanning community locations, acute settings, and secure environments, including prisons.
We are one of the largest mental health and community Trusts in the East Midlands and one of Nottinghamshire's biggest employers. We also host national and regional services, such as the National High Secure Deaf Service and the Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health.
We offer a variety of employee-led staff networks, including Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) groups, the Green Champions network, the Freedom to Speak Up network, the Health and Wellbeing Champions network, and the Menopause Champions network.These networks play a vital role in supporting our diverse workforce and promoting a culture of inclusivity.
The health and wellbeing of our colleagues is a top priority. We invest significantly in this through our in-house occupational health and staff counselling services, supported by a dedicated Health and Wellbeing team.
The Trust is committed to reducing its carbon emissions, with a specialised Energy and Environmental team working to ensure compliance with environmental legislation, enhance our environmental performance, and achieve our net-zero commitment
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The Care Group provides healthcare services to seven prisons and a short-term holding facility. As part of this team, you’ll join a network of over 400 healthcare professionals, with access to peer support, supervision, and excellent learning and development opportunities.We also deliver services as part of the personality disorder pathway, including therapeutic communities within prisons, community and prison personality disorder services, and specialist veteran services.
We are committed to working in partnership with prison services, the National Probation Service, other healthcare providers, and criminal justice system partners to improve health, support justice, and reduce reoffending. The offender health team is passionate about making a difference by delivering consistent, high-quality care in primary care, mental health, and substance misuse services—equivalent to care provided in the community.The healthcare service operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In this role you will:
Support GP and nurse led clinics including assisting with minor surgery.
Support registered nurses in maintaining general and specific patient observations and record all relevant information.
Undertake technical and clinical procedures following appropriate training and assessment, for example, venipuncture, wound assessment and care, urinalysis, ECG recording, physical observations, peak flow measurements and obtaining specimens.
Follow protocols and patient pathways in response to patient need.
Report health abnormalities identified during general health checks to the Senior Nurse on duty.
To work within the offender healthcare team to undertake a range of health promotion activities, for example sexual health screening and advice, smoking cessation clinics.
Support the registered nurse in responding to health emergencies.
Provide health escort duty to hospital if the senior nurse has assessed it as appropriate.
Ensure that the clinical environment is prepared and maintained according to health and safety, infection control policy and report any incidents to senior staff.
Facilitate the monitoring and maintenance of supplies of materials and equipment within the care environment.
Please include the following in your supporting statement on your application:
- Your understanding of Offender Health services and why you want to work in the Offender Health
We still need to recruit to these valued positions and welcome your application. But, in line with our values, honesty is important, so please note that if you are successful that in time your employment would move from Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to another provider who would then be your new employer.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria- NVQ level 3 or equivalent experience
- GCSE English and Maths or equivalent
Knowledge and Experience
Essential criteria- Experience of working in a healthcare setting.
- Awareness of confidentiality
- Experience of working with IT systems
- Good understanding and interest in Offender Health services
- Experience of working with offenders
- Awareness of health promotion initiatives
- Familiar with SystmOne
Skills
Essential criteria- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to use medical equipment
- Ability to plan and organise patient clinics.
- Ability to work as part of a team
- Ability to move around the prison site, and travel between different sites.
Values and Behaviours
Essential criteria- All staff should be able to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion as identified within the Trust’s Equality and Diversity Policy and associated Equality, Diversity and Human Rights legislation
- All colleagues are expected to demonstrate that they act in line with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Values: Trust Honesty Respect Compassion Teamwork
- We reserve the right to close the post early once we have received a sufficient number of applicants.
- The Trust believes in treating everyone with dignity and respect and encourages applications from all sectors of the community. We guarantee an interview to candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum essential criteria.
- In submitting an application form, you authorise Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to confirm from your previous or current NHS employer and other prior employers; previous NHS service details and personal data held about you. This data will be transferred using NHS Electronic Staff Record and third party systems via an automated process and only used for the purposes of obtaining and maintaining accurate employment records, should you be appointed to the post. Should you require any further information please refer our Privacy Policy shown on the Trust website, please click here for more information.
- For eligible posts, DBS disclosures are mandatory before commencement of employment. If you are in a position that is deemed a regulated adult and/or child care role, you will not be able to start your employment until we have received a satisfactory DBS Disclosure. The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Convictions which would otherwise be considered as 'spent' will also be checked as part of an Enhanced DBS Disclosure.