Healthcare Assistant - Adolescent Inpatient Services - Oxford

Job overview

Do you want to make a difference to the lives of children and young people?

Are you studying in care or mental health and seeking an opportunity to boost your clinical skills?

We are looking for Healthcare Assistants (HCAs) to join our energetic and passionate team, working alongside nurses, doctors, clinical psychologists, occupational therapists, social workers, family therapists, and dieticians.

The Highfield unit is a purpose-built, tier 4, inpatient Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services unit. We are a multidisciplinary team offering inpatient and day patient admission for young people with acute mental health problems.

We provide care for young people with a range of difficulties including eating disorders, anxiety OCD, depression and bipolar mood disorders, unusual experiences and psychosis, trauma, self-harm, and relationship and attachment-based difficulties. Families are often contending with multiple and complex psycho-social difficulties, and we aim to take a holistic approach guided by evidence and best-practice.

*Please note, within your supporting statement you will need to answer two questions:

• Please tell us a time you had to deal with a challenging patient
• Please tell us a time you had to handle a tricky situation at work *Interviews will be conducted on a face to face basis to allow for a site visit and young person's interview - you will need to be available for this*

Main duties of the job

The role importantly involves 24 hours, 7 days a week care, therefore shift patterns are in place which will include nights. It is a varied role that can be rich and rewarding, and you will be valued and supported by the team around you.

You will work alongside the nursing team to deliver care directly to young people and their families. We have a skilful and dedicated team of nurses and HCAs, and within this team you will be directly involved in the assessment, care planning, and delivery of treatment. Each young person has a dedicated case team whom works closely alongside colleagues supporting an individual young person.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

There will be many opportunities available for you to develop your skills and competencies. We offer a range of therapeutic groups on the ward, such as DBT-informed skills, community meetings, a psychodynamic-informed reflective group, patient involvement forum, eating disorder group, a collaborative weekly case review base on a CBT-E model, and psychoeducational parents groups.

We have strong links with the university and as a unit have contributed to much research, and HCAs interested in research have gained valuable experience this way.

You do not need prior experience in the field as comprehensive training will be provided such as ASC course, breakaway and management of violence and aggression, DBT-informed skills, and Positive Engagement And Caring Environments (PEACE) an innovative, experiential training package.

If you are looking for a new opportunity, a career change or seeking clinical experience we encourage you to contact Francine Tutty on highfield.unit@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk or 01865902711 to arrange an informal visit with current Staff and Patients.

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.