Healthcare Support Worker

Job description

We are looking for an enthusiastic Healthcare Support Worker to join our friendly South East Kent Crisis TeamBe the Turning Point in Someone's CrisisWe are looking for dedicated Healthcare Support Workers to join our Home Treatment and Rapid Response Service. This is not a standard care role; it is a frontline position designed to provide urgent, compassionate intervention for individuals experiencing significant mental health distress in the community. Our goal is simple: to provide high-quality care at home and prevent unnecessary hospital admissions.Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team of Nurses, Doctors, and Social Workers, you will:Deliver Crisis Support: Visit clients in their homes to provide emotional support, safety planning, and practical interventions during periods of acute distress.Rapid Assessment Support: Contribute to urgent 24/7 assessments triggered by the Urgent Mental Health Helpline and Liaison Psychiatry services.Monitor Wellbeing: Observe and report changes in a client's mental state, ensuring the wider clinical team can respond dynamically to risks.Empower Recovery: Work with clients and their families to develop coping strategies and facilitate a return to stability.The post holder must hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car/vehicle to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).Main duties of the job To be able to drive to community locations in a timely manner. The areas covered include Dover/Deal, Shepway and AshfordTo work as a member of the Home Treatment and Rapid Response services.You will be working within the home treatment function, delivering support to patients and their families using evidence-based, profession-specific and general mental health knowledge, providing client centred, recovery-oriented principles and practice for individuals, families and carers referred to the service.You will also work within the Rapid Response function, contributing to assessments received 24/7 from the Urgent Mental Health Helpline, as well as undertaking gatekeeping assessments in the general hospitals and the community.To work in accordance with Trust and Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team Policies and Procedures and the Care Programme Approach.To provide an alternative to inpatient admission treating clients in their home environment who are presenting in a crisis with significant distress.About us We are the Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. We care for the mental health and wellbeing of people across Kent and Medway. Our teams support adults with a wide range of mental health needs. Because we cover the whole county and both hospital and community settings, we can make care more joined up and easier to access for the 1.8 million people of Kent and Medway. Rated 'Good' by the CQC, we care for over 2,000 people in our hospitals and 54,000 in the community each year.Our vision is simple: We are here to help communities not just live with mental illness, but live well. It's why we're passionate about working with communities to make mental health care better for everyone. And everything we do is guided by our values caring, inclusive, curious and confident.Join us - if you share our passion for better mental health care and want to be part of a team that's doing well together.Job responsibilities Contribute in the assessment of clients referred to Home Treatment and Rapid Response Team.To provide support to clients of Home Treatment and Rapid Response and their carers in relation to mental health care, daily living and social activities.To help maintain the social network by the use of a range of home treatment interventions.Please refer to the attached job description for the full details on the responsibilities and person specificationPerson Specification Training & Qualifications Be willing to work towards the qualifications listed in the desirable sectionAbility and desire to both obtain and underpin knowledge and skills appropriate to a support workerNVQ level 2 or 3 as an exampleCertificate in mental healthHealth & Social Care awardExperience Previous experience of working in or using mental health servicesKnowledge/experience of emotional distressKnowledge/experience of mental health ServicesKnowledge & Skills Ability to listen effectively and communicate effectively at all levelsBasic written communication skills to enable completion of records etcEmpathy, compassion, and patienceAbility to create innovative solutions to help empower service usersAbility to work on own initiative in a range of settingsAbility to form positive therapeutic relationships with service users and carersA keenness to make a positive contribution to improving the quality of life for people with mental health problemsAbility to acknowledge diversity and promote anti-discriminatory practice/equal opportunitiesAbility to provide practical support with daily living skillsAn ability to act calmly in emergencies and respond in a professional manner to stressful and challenging behaviourAbility to reflect on practice and receive and deliver constrictive feedback to enhance performanceBasic first aidBasic health and safety awarenessMoving and handling awarenessAwareness of local services/resourcesKnowledge of benefits/employment systemDisclosure 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.

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Extra information

Status

Open

Education Level

Secondary School

Location

Canterbury

Type of Contract

Full-time jobs

Published at

21-05-2026

Profession type

Counselling and Social Services

Full UK/EU driving license preferred

No

Car Preferred

No

Must be eligible to work in the EU

No

Cover Letter Required

No

Languages

English