Healthcare Assistant - Kennet Ward

Job overview

We are looking for highly motivated, enthusiastic and thoughtful individuals, with an interest in rehabilitation and recovery to join our multi-disciplinary team at Thames House.

Kennet ward is a medium secure assessment and treatment ward for adult men with a diagnosis of mental illness and/or personality disorder. Many of our service users have had experience of the criminal justice system in the past.

We have established very effective ways of working with the patients to help them identify and reach their goals, whilst keeping them safe and supporting them onwards to a new life in the community.

We will need you to have excellent communication skills with a flexible and positive attitude. We share a caring, non-judgmental, and inclusive attitude and are committed to the delivery of safe, high quality care. Experience in a secure setting would be an advantage but is not essential as we will provide you with all the training required.

If you are successfully shortlisted, you'll be invited to our Recruitment Day on the 22nd April which  is designed to give you a real feel for life at Oxford Health. You'll have an extended period to meet our teams, learn about our services, and show us what you can do.

Please note that this recruitment day is by invitation only and is open exclusively to applicants who have successfully passed the screening stage.

Main duties of the job

We're an innovative and dedicated multi-disciplinary team, so you'll have the opportunity to work closely with nursing, medical, psychology and occupational therapy team members.

We'll need you to be dynamic and committed by actively contributing to and supporting the recovery process, as well as maintaining the high standards of patient care whilst working within a safe, secure and supportive environment.

This post attracts an RSU Lead of £1,446 per annum on top of your annual salary.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

We'll need you to contribute and participate in the assessment, planning, implementing and evaluation of care and treatment for people with mental health problems.

It is mandatory for you to complete PEACE Teamwork training and other training directly related to the job.

You will work a rotating shift pattern to cover our 24 hour, 7 day a week service.  This will be a mixture of early and late day shifts with one night week in every four.

If you are successfully shortlisted, our Recruitment Day is designed to give you a real feel for life at Oxford Health. You'll have an extended period to meet our teams, learn about our services, and show us what you can do.

The day will include:

• Numeracy/Literacy Test: A short assessment to evaluate your foundational skills.
• Group Activity: An exercise that allows you to demonstrate your collaboration and problem-solving abilities.
• Interview: A chance for us to get to know you better and understand your skills and for you to ask us any questions you have.
• Networking: An opportunity to meet our staff and learn more about the roles, our wards, and our commitment to your professional development.

This is your opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and values we're looking for in our next Healthcare Assistants.

What We Offer

We are committed to investing in our staff and providing a rewarding career path.

• Support & Development: We offer comprehensive training and ongoing support to ensure you have everything you need to succeed in your role.
• Flexible Working: We have a range of permanent, full-time, and part-time positions with various shift patterns available. We'll also consider flexible working arrangements.
• A Rewarding Career: This is more than just a job—it's a chance to provide compassionate care and be a critical part of a team that makes a genuine difference in people's lives every day.

Please note that this recruitment day is by invitation only and is open exclusively to applicants who have successfully passed the screening stage.

We hope that the advert has given you a clear understanding of the skills we are seeking and the opportunity at hand. You will need to use the “supporting statement” element of your application form to demonstrate your suitability for this role and you should refer to the job description, person specification and the guidance notes attached to this role to help you tailor your application.

The essential and desirable criteria will be used to shortlist for interview, and you should ensure that you refer to these within your application to increase your chances of being selected for interview.

We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support their application. We kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of their experience and must take care to ensure the use of AI tools does not generate an application that does not accurately reflect their knowledge, skills and values.