Job summary
No two days are the same. That's exactly why we love it.

At Ashdown PICU, our Support Workers are at the heart of everything we do. As a six-bedded male Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), we support people through some of the most challenging periods of their mental health journey, helping them regain stability, confidence and hope.

This is not your average healthcare role. One moment you could be supporting a service user with their recovery goals, the next helping someone through a difficult day, facilitating activities, sharing a cup of tea, or simply being the person who listens when it matters most.

We're looking for compassionate, resilient and motivated individuals who can bring authenticity, humour and a positive attitude to a fast-paced and rewarding environment. You don't need to have all the answers, but you do need to be someone who values kindness, teamwork and treating people with dignity and respect.

If you're looking for a career that's challenging, rewarding, sometimes unpredictable, never boring and always meaningful, we'd love to hear from you.

Right to Work in the UK This position is not eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Applicants must already hold the legal right to work in the UK at the time of application, as the organisation is unable to support sponsorship for this post.

Main duties of the job
As a Healthcare Support Worker, you'll spend much of your time doing what matters most: building meaningful relationships with the people we care for. Whether it's a conversation, a game of table tennis, a walk around the garden or simply being there to listen, you'll help make a real difference to someone experiencing a difficult period in their life.

Working alongside Nurses, Doctors, Occupational Therapists and Psychologists, you'll develop an understanding of mental ill health and learn to recognise changes in a person's wellbeing and recovery. You'll contribute to care planning, risk assessment and the delivery of person-centred care, supporting service users to achieve their goals and move forward in their recovery.

You'll also support physical health monitoring and wellbeing, helping to deliver truly holistic care. Specialist training, including Reducing Restrictive Interventions (RRI), will equip you with the skills and confidence to support people in distress, de-escalate challenging situations and maintain a safe therapeutic environment.

No two days are ever the same, but every day is an opportunity to make a genuine difference. If you're compassionate, resilient and enjoy working with people, we'd love to hear from you.

About us
We are the lead provider of healthcare for people with serious mental illness, learning disabilities and autism across Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES), Swindon and Wiltshire, and Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

We aim to provide High Quality, Compassionate Care everywhere, every day. This means our services will be safe, clinically effective and provide a positive all round experience for our patients, families and carers. And we believe passionately in treating everyone with kindness, respect and empathy.

Key to this is providing a supportive and safe environment for our 4,000 staff where we all feel welcome and able to do the best we can for those we support. Our staff and teams work incredibly hard delivering services across more than 90 locations, covering 2,200 miles, to more than 1.8 million people.

At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.

Job responsibilities
As a Healthcare Support Worker on Ashdown PICU, you will support the delivery of high-quality care to service users experiencing acute mental ill health. Working alongside nurses, doctors, occupational therapists and other professionals, you will help create a safe, therapeutic and recovery-focused environment.

You will support service users with their emotional wellbeing, physical healthcare needs, daily living skills and engagement in therapeutic activities. The role includes contributing to care planning, risk management, observations, clinical documentation and promoting recovery and social inclusion.

You will work closely with the multidisciplinary team to identify changes in presentation, support positive risk management and ensure service users receive compassionate, person-centred care. Training will be provided, including de-escalation and Reducing Restrictive Interventions (RRI), enabling you to respond confidently to challenging situations.

This is a 24-hour service and successful applicants will be expected to work a range of shifts, including days, nights, weekends and bank holidays on a rotational basis.

Person Specification
Experience and skills

• An understanding of how mental health issues can affect the lives of individuals, their families and their community, and experience of using a range of evidence-based approaches to reduce the impact of such issues.
• Experience of working in a busy team, and an ability to use initiative at times of pressure.

Qualifications

• Possession of, or the ability and willingness to work towards, an appropriate Level 3 vocational qualification (e.g. Level 3 Diploma in Mental Health or Health and Social Care)

Skills

• Ability to work with a degree of autonomy, whilst also taking direction from senior colleagues.
• Ability to communicate in written and verbal English to a high standard, and basic numeracy skills.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details
Employer name: Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
Address: Fountain Way Hospital, Wilton Road, Salisbury, SP2 7FD, United Kingdom
Employer's website: Apply through our website

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Ward Manager Emilie Etheridge, e.etheridge1@nhs.net, 07860360839