Apprentice Healthcare Support Worker

Our Vision is to provide the best mental health, learning disability, autism and community based services for the populations we serve.

As an integrated mental health, learning disability and community Trust, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including:

• Primary and secondary mental health care for children and adults including specialist inpatient child and adolescent mental health provision, perinatal mental health, forensic services including low and medium secure care.
• Specialist community support for children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, including intensive support.
• Community physical health and well-being services for children and adults.

The Trust was first established in 2002 and employs approximately 7,000 staff who provide care from more than 400 sites. The organisation offers opportunities for medics, mental health and general nurses, allied health professionals, psychology, administration and clerical staff, apprentices and volunteers.

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust supports flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, home/remote working, and flexi-time.

For more information visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.

Job overview

Are you compassionate and caring?

Are you looking for a career in Mental Health care?

We have exciting new Apprenticeship opportunities to our fantastic inpatient service below:

MH inpatient units Woodview, Whalley: 2 x Buckley Ward (Male PICU) and 1 x Greendale ward (Male acute)

We are recruiting 3 posts as band 2 Apprentice Healthcare Support who are new to care or have some basic experience.

We are looking for individuals with excellent communication skills to support us in caring for patients from a diverse background with challenging mental health conditions. The successful candidate must be willing to work in a fast paced environment, have a positive outlook and ensure that delivering a quality care, which genuinely engages with service users is a key priority.

It is essential that you are able to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service. The service provides support over a 24 hour period, 7 days per week, and 52 weeks a year. You will need to be able to work week days, weekends, evenings, nights and bank holidays where needed.

In order to be enrolled on this course you must provide evidence of Maths and English Qualifications before interview.

GCSE Maths and English Level A-C (4+) OR Functional skills

Once shortlisting has been completed, Qualification will need to be emailed in by Wednesday 4th December to secure an interview.

Interview date to be confirmed.

This vacancy may close earlier published due to high number of applications.

Main duties of the job

Recruitment interview to date and location to be confirmed.

Attendance at interview is by invite only for those who are shortlisted for interview.

Please be advised if you are a ‘Non-UK National’ applicant you must meet the eligibility criteria and fulfil the settlement requirements of the apprenticeship course funding. Your settlement status will need to be verified as eligible for funding by the relevant apprenticeship provider in order for you to formally enrol on the course.

• Full time residency in the UK for 3 consecutive years or more prior to the course start date (unless otherwise exempt from this rule – for example you hold refugee status – use the link below to see full list of exemptions).
• Residency to live and work in the UK for at least 1 year from the apprenticeship start date and must cover the entire course duration including the EPA period.

We advise that you check the [...] for more details on your visa’s eligibility to undertake an apprenticeship course prior to applying.

Due to the nature of the role we can only accept applications from those age 18+

The post holder will support our inpatient areas as an Apprentice Health Care Assistant whilst undertaking a level 3 Health care support worker Apprenticeship over 24 months.

Working for our organisation

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health and forensic services including low and medium secure care.

The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area.

For more information, please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The course will require learners to complete online learning, assignments, work based learning and all mandatory learning elements of the apprenticeship programme including completion of end point assessment.

The post holder will be supported to develop their skills and experience in an inpatient settings to:

• Work as an integrated member of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT), working within a rotational shift system to support patients according to their care needs, some of whom may present with problematic or challenging behaviour.
• Contribute to, and participate in, the ongoing support of patients and their carers.
• Contribute to the protection of patients from abuse
• Contribute to the health, safety and security of patients and their environment.
• Obtain, transmit and store information relating to the delivery of a care service.

Please see the job description and person specification for more details on this role.

Please indicate in your supporting statement which inpatient service you are applying for.

Person specification

Education/Qualification

• GCSE Maths and English Level A-C (4+) OR equivalent.
• Willing to work towards Level 3 Health Care Support Worker Apprenticeship standard.

Knowledge

• Awareness of Health & Safety issues
• Ability to recognise scope of designated role/responsibilities and work within this.

Experience

• Work in a Healthcare setting
• Work as a member of a Multi-Disciplinary Team

Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrable skills in written and spoken English, adequate to enable the post holder to carry out the role effectively
• Ability to work within a team
• Ability to work collaboratively with clients
• Ability to work under instruction

Work related circumstances

• Ability to work flexibly when required including moving to alternative clinical areas.

Please note that further communication from Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCft) will normally be to the email address given on the application form. You should also ensure that email addresses and telephone numbers are provided for your referees, to enable LSCft to contact them.

Personalisation is essential when submitting an application form to convey your skills, knowledge, and experiences effectively.

Please ensure that you read the person specification attached below as your application will be measured against this document. Applications from job share partners are welcome and other forms of flexible working will be considered for all posts.

For all posts which require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check please be aware of the Disclosure and Barring Service Code of Practice, a copy of which is available by logging on to the DBS website. If the post is subject to DBS disclosure, a charge will be made to the successful candidate(s).

You are advised to consider applying for LSCft vacancies as soon as possible as in some instances vacancies are closed as soon as a sufficient number of applications have been received. If you are not invited to interview within three weeks of the closing date then please assume that on this occasion you have been unsuccessful, as it is not possible to contact all unsuccessful candidates.

LSCft is committed to celebrating difference as an asset and we know that recruiting talent from diverse backgrounds helps to create a more flexible, creative and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from people regardless of age, disability (particularly those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion or belief or sexual orientation.

Our goal is for the Trust to be truly representative of the communities we serve so we are particularly keen to receive applications from people in under-represented groups. If there is anything you’d like to discuss in relation to your application then please ask.