AOT Support Worker

Job overview

Please note we reserve the right to close this vacancy early should a sufficient number of applications be received.

ROLE SUMMARY

The Assertive Outreach Team/Pathway will deliver effective care to service-users in North East Essex who are experiencing severe and enduring mental health problems, often leading to multiple and complex needs and who may be difficult to engage. Care and support will be offered in line with the CPA approach and delivered in service user's homes or other community settings.

The post-holder will support the process of undertaking co-produced, personalised care & support planning with service users where goals and interventions are based on each individual’s strengths, assets and sense of what will make a more meaningful life for themselves. This may include supporting service users to be ‘gainfully’ engaged as per their goals e.g. education, employment, volunteering, training, recovery college activity or other meaningful occupation, and should include a collaborative and flexible approach.

Regrettably, we cannot offer sponsorship for all of our job roles. If you apply for a role that we cannot offer sponsorship for, unfortunately your application form be rejected from the process.

Main duties of the job

The main role of the Assertive Outreach Team / Pathway:

• To develop and maintain a supportive and therapeutic relationship with the service user to provide help and care in the service users own community.
• To provide flexible support and help that is meaningful and acceptable to the service user that aims to improve their quality of life and functioning.
• To seek meaningful and acceptable methods of engaging service users.
• To maintain relationships and develop supportive social networks.
• To provide a wide range of practical support aimed at reducing isolation and promoting recovery for example, employment and leisure.
• To increase carer satisfaction, education, training, and support

You will need to have access to transport and be able to travel throughout the NE Essex area on a daily basis, and on occasions have access to transport that will enable you to travel throughout the country.

Applicants must demonstrate a flexible approach, evolving around the needs of service users, their families, and significant others. The role involves working as a team member with the responsibility of a caseload across traditional boundaries of adult services and the voluntary sector services. The service ethos is focused on recovery and promoting independence and therefore offers successful applicants an exciting and demanding opportunity to improve people's lives.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Provide practical and regular support to service users and carers in community or in-patient settings, with a focus on social inclusive activities and recovery e.g., escorting service users to appointments, assisting to complete benefits forms, supporting patients to collect medication from local pharmacy, attending an educational or recreational facility.
• Participate in group activities within the Trust premises and community settings. Records and reports back fully on activities undertaken and alert others in the care team, to any issues that arise during the activities.
• Attends/participates in meetings/CPA reviews as required in relation to allocated Service Users.
• Complete care plan documentation: provide regular written and verbal reports about the service user to the care coordinators and other professionals involved in the care package.
• Act as an advocate within appropriate and agreed boundaries of confidentiality and professionalism.
• The post holder must have the individual service user needs at the fore at all times and use the agreed set of values and skills to underpin their day-to-day work.
• Provide regular and practical support to service users and their carers/significant other in developing and managing dignity and independence.
• Provide support and assistance as necessary with daily living activities.
• Help service users gain access to resources including benefits and welfare rights.
• To ensure the service user understands who is involved in their care across the different services with key contact points/named individuals.
• Assist the care coordinator and service user in developing care plans/crisis/contingency plans in accordance with good practice and local policy guidelines.
• Provide information on health promotion, e.g., healthy eating, exercise, and support service users to participate in relevant groups/activities. Participate in food preparation/cooking skills development.
• Identify and advise on health and safety risks in relation to self and others, e.g., fire, food hygiene, cleanliness.
• Being aware of signs and symptoms of a person’s relapse and report back to the manager and/or care coordinator.
• Maintain own professional development by attending regular supervision, training, and adhering to development plans as required.
• Be willing to access training to enhance physical health assessment skills, including but not limited to venepuncture, undertaking ECGs, and general observation

The Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System (ICS) brings together key health, care, community, and voluntary sector organisations from across our area. Our aim is to work together in partnership to join up health and care services, improving our population’s health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities. One such example of this collaborative work is the launch of our HCA Academy, an ICS initiative between Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) and Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSEFT) to support the incoming Health Care assistant (HCA) workforce. The academy models a ‘one workforce’ cross system approach to the onboarding, induction, education and experience of Healthcare Assistants.

To support this ‘one workforce model’ the successful candidate for this post will be required to attend our 5 day (Monday to Friday) face to face Induction Programme at our MSE ICS Education Hub at Brentwood Community Hospital. Your start date will therefore fall on one of two of the HCA Academy induction dates across the month, which will be discussed and agreed during the recruitment process.

Our HCA Academy Induction programme has been designed to train and support the successful candidate through the early stages of their employment at EPUT and will provide opportunities to enhance skills, knowledge and experience.

Further information will be provided post interview.

This will be followed by an additional 5 day (Monday to Friday) EPUT corporate / mandatory training welcome. (EPUT Welcome will be varied between face to face and virtual delivery).

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.