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Job summary

Main area
Offender Healthcare
Grade
Band 3
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (07:30 - 17:30 over 7 days with every other weekend)
Job ref
277-6736663-SWALE-A
Employer
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
HMP Swaleside
Town
Eastchurch, Isle of Sheppey
Salary
£26,071 - £27,674 PA inc, inc RRP
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
13/12/2024 23:59

Employer heading

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust logo

Healthcare Assistant

Band 3

Job overview

As a Healthcare Assistant you will assist in the delivery of high quality nursing care to patients in HMP Swaleside with the support of a registered nurse. 

You will be providing physical care to patients according to a written care plan. This will include actively engaging with patients in the provision of holistic, needs-led care which will take into account physical, psychological, emotional, social and spiritual needs of the individual. You will be promoting health and well-being through the delivery of health promotion activities and programmes, responding to patients needs and assisting patients to attain optimal physical health. 

This role will require you to be an effective communicator and you must be able to respond to patient needs in an honest, non judgemental and open manner. 

Wondering what its like to work within offender healthcare?

Working in the prison service can seems scary at first but you'll have the support you need from your team to make a difference every day.

I see the prison as an individual community where I work with a variety of people and provide urgent care, routine health screens like a GP practice and complex needs care to the patients. I have the unique opportunity to support someone throughout their time in prison and make a significant difference to their lives. Furthermore, see them grow, change and improve their general health." Ellen, Clinical Lead, Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Main duties of the job

  • Providing physical care to patients according to a written care plan
  • Being an effective communicator, observer and listener.
  • To work as directed by a registered nurse.
  • Understanding the need for and maintaining patient confidentiality and security at all times.
  • Adhering to all organisational and prison policies, procedures and guidelines.
  • Ensuring good working relationships with patients, carers, relatives, other professionals and prison and healthcare staff.
  • Developing an understanding of and demonstrating use of clinical supervision to reflect upon and modify practice.
  • Behaving at all times in a professionally acceptable manner.

Working for our organisation

Oxleas – About Us

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children’s centres, schools and people’s homes.

We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families.  This is strengthened by our new values:

  • We’re Kind
  • We’re Fair
  • We Listen
  • We Care

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

  • Responding to the needs of patients in an honest, non judgemental and open manner, which respects the rights of individuals and groups.
  • Actively engaging with patients in the provision of holistic, needs-led care which takes into account the  physical, psychological, emotional, social and spiritual needs of individuals and groups.
  • Demonstrates a commitment to equal opportunities for all people.
  • Demonstrates a knowledge of the term ‘professional boundaries’ and how to applying this to working with  patients, offenders and others.
  • Responding to the needs of people sensitively with regard for age, culture, race, gender, ethnicity, religion and disability, especially regarding patient privacy and dignity.   
  • Understanding the need for promoting health & well-being and the delivery of health promotion activities and programmes (including patient self-help programmes) in support of a registered nurse.
  • Understanding the need for and assisting patients to attain optimal physical health and assisting with physical procedures in support of a registered nurse.
  • Demonstrating good verbal and non-verbal communication skills.
  • Contributing appropriately to risk assessment and individualised care planning.

IMPORTANT PLEASE READ:

All applicants must be willing to undertake National Security Vetting in order to work in a Prison Setting. This will be completed as part of the pre-employment checks through Oxleas and the prison vetting team.  

You will need to provide: 

Proof of right to work documentation 

Proof of ID, needs to include 1 photographic ID

Proof of address documentation 

Non-UK passport holders will need to have correct documentation (right to work in the UK) and a Home office Share code. 

Address History: 

5 years address history will be needed.  

Applicants that are not UK Passport holders who provide less than 5 years UK address history will need to provide a Police Certificate which must be in English from where they resided previously. 

Applicants who are UK Passport holders who have lived abroad for a period of more than six months during the last three years will need to provide a certificate of good conduct or an overseas police check in English from the countries resided in or visited.

In order to assist you in obtaining a Police Certificate, guidance can be sought from:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants

If the country you have resided in is not listed here, you can obtain the necessary information by contacting the relevant Embassy or High Commission for that Country. Their contact details can be found on the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website (http://www.fco.gov.uk/en).

Person specification

Education/Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Care experience (essential)
  • Able to effectively communicate in English both verbally and in writing. This will mean that you can take part in conversations with patients and colleagues, expressing yourself in fluent English and have no difficulty in making yourself understood.
Desirable criteria
  • Associate nurse Practitioner qualification (desirable)
  • NVQ Level 3 or equivalent experience

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience of facilitating /planning /supporting groups in a healthcare setting i.e., health improvement/ smoking cessation/ activities.
  • Physical skills to support working in a prison setting i.e., providing patient care, carrying out tests/observations.
  • Experience of being able to work within policy frameworks in a regulated patient care setting

Skills /Abilities /Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Ability to assess risk and care plan effectively, whilst understanding the needs and rights of people.
  • Participate in any audits, research projects
  • To take responsibility for clinical equipment /resources with which you are allocated as well as patient property and valuables.
  • Ability to relate to patients who may be experiencing high levels of distress and emotional disturbance.
  • Strong interpersonal skills and able to work under pressure.
  • To act on own initiative when delivering patient care seeking support as required.
  • Ability to identify poor practice and standards of care when you see it and ensure that your Manager /Modern matron is aware.
  • Able to demonstrate a flexible approach to client intervention

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Veteran AwareNo smoking policyAge positiveInvestors in People: GoldImproving working livesArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.Step into healthPride In Veterans

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.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Clare Denny
Job title
Recruitment & Retention Resourcing Officer
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07504877653