Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Community Support Worker

The closing date is 29 November 2026

Job summary
We are looking for an experienced Band 3 Community Support Worker to join our Dementia and Older People's Mental Health Service (DOPMHS).

This is a varied community-based role supporting older people with dementia and mental health needs, working alongside their families and carers. The post holder will play an important part in supporting people to remain as safe and well as possible within their own homes and community.

The role involves direct work with people in their own homes and care settings, supporting assessment, review and ongoing interventions. You will also liaise with primary care and other community services as part of a skilled and supportive multi-professional team.

While the core DOPMHS team operates Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, the wider service includes an Intensive Support Service, which provides support seven days a week, including weekends and bank holidays.

Although the post is based within DOPMHS, the successful applicant will be expected to work flexibly across both DOPMHS and Intensive Support, in line with service needs.

You will receive regular managerial and clinical supervision and will work closely with colleagues across the multidisciplinary team.

As this is a community-based role involving travel across the service area, applicants must be able to drive and have access to a vehicle for work.

Main duties of the job
The role involves supporting the community nurses in delivering excellent service to the patients under our care. The successful candidate will be undertaking clinical visits to patients and their carers out in the community, be able to work as part of the multi-disciplinary team, feeding back any concerns thus ensuring risks are identified, discussed and acted upon within a timely manner.

You will be assisting the community nurses to plan, implement, review and evaluate individual patients care plans thus ensuring the patients' needs are at the fore at all times. The successful candidate will be expected to deliver safe and compassionate care and be pro-active in their approach to promote social inclusion and positive occupation in accordance with our Trusts values and behaviours.

To protect the health and safety of our staff/workers, patients, and those attending our sites, we encourage our workforce to get fully vaccinated against COVID

About us
We provide mental health and learning disability care for children, young people and adults across Sussex and for children and young people in Hampshire.

All our clinicians are given opportunities to develop and grow as professionals in the organisation. We provide regular supervision, a supportive working environment and access to training opportunities to assist you to realise your potential.

This Trust offers the following;

• Excellent starting salary
• NHS Pension contributions
• 27 days holiday allowance plus bank holidays
• Flexible Working patterns
• Child care vouchers
• Excellent training and development opportunities
• NHS Discounts
• Employee Assistance Programme

Job description
Job responsibilities
Communication & Relationship skills: Provide and receive information from clients, clients' representatives and immediate team colleagues. Exchanges factual information to clients using persuasion, reassurance, tact and empathy. Overcome barriers to understanding that may be a result of mental illness.
Knowledge, Training and experience: Undertake procedures and practices that will require a base level of theoretical knowledge. Knowledge of health and related procedures, clinical observations, Mental Health act. NVQ 3 training.
Analytical & Judgement Skills: Assess patients condition through basic test results, assess comfort of patient, and instigate emergency procedures.
Planning & Organisational Skills: Plan and organise own day-to-day work including home visits.
Physical Skills: Support clients using equipment where narrow margins exist for error, accuracy is important and use of them requires training/ practice. Undertake training to ensure safety and competence using equipment.

Person Specification
Qualifications

• Essential: Good general education; NVQ level 3 or equivalent experience

Knowledge/Experience

• Essential: Experience of working with mental health needs in a paid or voluntary capacity
• Experience of working collaboratively i.e. with colleagues, wider teams, service users etc
• An understanding of confidentiality

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement.

Employer details
Employer name: Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Drayton House, Drayton Lane, Chichester, PO20 2EW, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.sussexpartnership.nhs.uk/

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Team Leader Candice Douglas, candicedouglas.2@nhs.net, 03003040687

Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 3
Salary: £25,760 to £27,476 a year pro rata
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Part-time
Reference number: 354-AN-21059-1
Job locations: Drayton House, Drayton Lane, Chichester, PO20 2EW, United Kingdom

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