Senior Healthcare Worker

Job overview
Please note that all applicants that are shortlisted for this post will be required to attend an in person meeting in Kent, as part of the assessment process.
We're creating Kent and Medway's first, and only, NHS Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for women, and are seeking talented Healthcare Workers to help us deliver this vital service. We have 20 roles available, these can be full time or part time (3 days per week/22.5 hrs per week minimum for part time roles).
The Senior Healthcare Worker is a key member of the multidisciplinary care team and will have continuing responsibility to deliver an effective and competent level of care under the guidance and supervision of the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) as determined by the patient's care plan and be fully aware of the needs of patients over a 24-hour span of care.
The start date for these post will be February 2026, to allow for sufficient time for onboarding, induction, and training before the anticipated arrival of the first patient in April 2026.
If this sounds like the opportunity you have been waiting for, come and join our diverse and compassionate team committed to delivering excellent care and support for service users and their loved ones.
All posts benefit from a High Cost Area allowance.
Previous applicants need not apply.

Main duties of the job
• Consistently delivering a patient focused service, which promotes optimum independence.
• Providing and receiving routine information orally, in writing or electronically to inform work colleagues, patients, clients, carers, the public or other external contacts.
• Offering appropriate support and advice to patients and their carers.
• Awareness of different challenging situations where communication needs to be adapted to the needs of the individual.
• Enabling patients to maintain and improve their independence by promoting and facilitating therapeutic activity.
• Giving physical health checks and physical health care as required or instructed documenting the physical health checks on the early warning scoring system (MEWS), chart and reporting changes to the nurse/healthcare professional in charge.
• Undertaking day to day tasks as allocated by Nurse/healthcare professional in Charge.
• Undertaking all relevant training as directed and participating in regular management/clinical supervision and appraisal.

Working for our organisation
Working in a PICU is very rewarding but we want to be honest and share that it is demanding too. It is likely to be needed by people with severe and complex mental health conditions (e.g. Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder and may be associated with Personality Disorder, Substance Misuse and PTSD).
While emotionally challenging, the opportunity to support critically unwell women back to their communities, ensuring 'right care, in the right place, at the right time', is immense, and your skilled, multidisciplinary, team will be there to support you.
You would be working as part of a team of mental health experts, dedicated to making sure the most unwell women in our communities have the same access to specialist care as men.
We are recruiting now to make sure our new female PICU team is in place with enough time to train, form team bonds and prepare. So you can all make a profound difference to patient outcomes from day one.
We also offer ongoing professional development to help you adapt and progress your career, including bespoke training and a comprehensive induction program.
All jobs based at our Dartford unit come with a High Cost Area Supplement: 5% of basic salary, subject to a minimum payment of £1303 per year and a maximum payment of £2198 per year (the agreed annual amount will be divided into 12 equal amounts and paid monthly). The salary listed is inclusive of the High-Cost Area Allowance.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description for full details and the main responsibilities of the role.
What is High Cost Area Allowance?
The High-Cost Area (HCA) allowance, also referred to as London Weighting is a payment made to employees who work in London and the surrounding areas.
As this post is based in Dartford, Gravesham or Swanley, the successful applicant will receive an additional payment each month.
5% of basic salary, subject to a minimum payment of £1,303 per year and a maximum payment of £2,198 per year (the agreed annual amount will be divided into 12 equal amounts and paid monthly).

Person specification

Experience and Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Health or Social Care Qualification (NVQ level 3 or equivalent)
• A varied and considerable experience of working within Mental Health/Learning Disabilities setting

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working on a Female acute ward/PICU or forensic environment

Knowledge & Skills

Essential criteria

• Good level of English Language - Written and Spoken
• Computer literate with basic understanding of Information Technology (IT)
• To have a good understanding of mental health conditions appropriate to the setting

Important Information:
In cases where we receive a high volume of applications for a post, it may be necessary to bring the closing date forward. Please submit your completed application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
Due to the high volume of applications received, it is not possible to respond individually to your application. Should you not hear from us within six weeks of the vacancy closing, please assume that your application has not been successful.

Probation Period. New employees external to the trust are subject to a six-month probationary period.
To deliver an effective service it is essential in some of our roles that you are able to travel between work bases in a timely manner.
Production of false or forged documents/qualifications in order to obtain employment is a criminal offence and will be reported to the Police.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check.
Certain roles are subject to criminal record checks called Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. Therefore, you will be required to submit a completed Disclosure form to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust are signed up to NHS England's Sexual Safety in Health Care Organisational Charter
The trust takes a systematic zero-tolerance approach to tackle any unwanted, inappropriate and/or harmful sexual behaviours within the workplace and in our care provision. We are committed to sexual safety which encompasses prevention, support and decisive action against perpetrators. We are committed to keeping you and our patients safe.

Use of AI when writing job applications
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AI cannot truly understand the specific job you're applying for or what makes you a good fit.