Mental Health Care Assistant - Ifor Ward

Job summary

We are looking for a compassionate, resilient and motivated Mental Health Healthcare Assistant to join our Paediatric Service and play a key role in supporting the physical and psychological wellbeing of children and young people experiencing mental health difficulties.

As a member of the wider nursing team, you will work alongside registered nurses and the Paediatric Mental Health Team (PMHT) to provide safe, therapeutic and person-centred care to children and young people admitted to the acute paediatric ward (Ifor). You will build positive therapeutic relationships, observe and engage with patients, support their individual care and safety plans, and help them work towards their admission goals.

You will play an important role in monitoring mental state and risk, identifying changes in presentation and escalating concerns appropriately. You will also support the nursing team with the day-to-day management of the environment for children and young people with mental health needs, helping to ensure that the ward remains safe, supportive and therapeutic.

This is a challenging but highly rewarding role. You will need to be confident working with children and young people who may present with complex mental health and social care needs, and demonstrate excellent communication, de-escalation and interpersonal skills. Compassion, patience, emotional resilience and the ability to remain calm and professional in challenging situations are essential.

Main duties of the job

As a Mental Health Healthcare Assistant, you will work alongside the Paediatric Nursing Team and Paediatric Mental Health Team (PMHT) to provide safe, compassionate and therapeutic care to children and young people experiencing mental health difficulties. You will support registered nurses and clinicians in delivering person-centred care and safety plans, build positive therapeutic relationships, and engage young people in activities that promote their emotional and physical wellbeing.

You will monitor patients' mental state, behaviour and risk, escalating concerns appropriately, while supporting their basic physical care, nutrition, hydration and daily needs. You will contribute to care planning and reviews, work closely with children, families and the multidisciplinary team, and use effective communication and de-escalation skills to manage distress and challenging situations. You will also support admissions, transfers and discharges, maintain accurate records, report incidents and contribute to maintaining a safe, therapeutic and child-friendly environment.

We are looking for someone who is compassionate, resilient, calm under pressure and able to build trusting relationships with children and young people. Excellent communication, teamwork and de-escalation skills are essential, alongside a commitment to learning and delivering high-quality, person-centred care.

About us

Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.

Job responsibilities

Please read the job description for full details

To support the registered nurse/clinician in the implementation of an agreed plan of care with the patient.

To participate in in-service training programmes as required.

To engage with patients and be prepared to initiative activities, promote appropriate structure to meet their basic emotional and physical needs.

To assist the patient to ensure they meet their dietary requirements.

To act, in collaboration with the registered nurse, as an allocated nurse to a patient.

To take responsibility for continually reviewing the patients mental state and risk, with regular handover to colleges within the multi-disciplinary team.

To devise and amend care plans that are participative, therapeutic and enhance the patients experience in the General Hospital setting. This will be in consultation with the multi-disciplinary team and person-centred.

To proactively manage distress, conflict and aggression through de-escalation and physical intervention.

Supporting the General Paediatric Team in attending to the basic physical care needs of children and young people.

Supporting the admission, transfer and discharge of patients within the Hospital in accordance with local guidelines and standards.

To create and maintain good liaison with patient, families the multi-disciplinary team and other professionals involved in the care of the young person; giving advice and support as needed.

To ensure that all incidents involving patients or staff are reported and recorded in accordance with agreed policies. To assist in investigations and recommend possible preventative measures.

To participate in maintaining a safe environment in accordance with the policies and procedures of the Unit and Whittington NHS Trust.

To meet the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Act and the NMC Code of Conduct and Practice.

To participate in all mandatory trainings as designated by the Team and Trust.

To seek support if uncertain about delegated duties.

Person specification

Education and Qualficiations

Essential

• Maths and English Level 1
• Completion of Care Certificate, including all competencies signed off, with knowledge of working with Children and Young People
• Willing to work towards Level 2 functional skills

Desirable

• Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care or relevant equivalent experience with knowledge of working with Children and Young People.

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Good organisational skills
• Basic IT skills and willingness to learn and use systems that compliment patients journey and record keeping
• Good written communication skills
• Ability to work autonomously

Desirable

• Ability to prioritise duties

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Previous Health Care Assistant experience in a hospital setting

Desirable

• Previous experience in mental health specific care role working with children and young people
• Awareness of child and adolescent normal development
• Awareness of mental health disorders associated with children and young people

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Able to empathise, be supportive and sensitive to the needs of others as well as being able to cope with distressing circumstances
• Able to work flexibly on a shift pattern as required

Desirable

• Relevant training which can provide a knowledge base and skills for people experiencing a mental health crisis