Band 3 Healthcare Support Worker

Multiple Band 3 HCA Roles

(AWP Inpatients, Bristol)

Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP) is recruiting Band 3 Healthcare Assistants (HCAs) to join our dedicated inpatient teams in Bristol .

As a valued member of our workforce, you will play a vital role in supporting patients across a range of inpatient services, including:

Acute wards – providing care during periods of crisis and intensive treatment.

Rehabilitation – supporting recovery and independence in longer-term care settings.

Psychiatric Intensive Care Units (PICU) – delivering compassionate, safe, and structured care for individuals requiring higher levels of support.

What you'll do

Work as part of a multidisciplinary team to deliver high-quality, person-centred care.

Support patients with daily living, therapeutic activities, and recovery-focused interventions.

Contribute to maintaining a safe, supportive, and therapeutic environment.

Build trusting relationships with patients, families, and colleagues.

Why join us?

Opportunities to gain experience across diverse inpatient settings.

Ongoing training and development to enhance your skills.

A chance to make a real difference in people's lives during their recovery journey.

Your main role will be to engage with service users and support them in meeting their needs during some of the most difficult periods of their lives . Experience of working with individuals in crisis is desirable, as you will be working across a variety of inpatient settings including acute wards, rehabilitation units, and psychiatric intensive care (PICU) although training will be given to the right candidates.

These are challenging but rewarding environments, and we are seeking people with enthusiasm, motivation, and resilience to join our teams.

You will receive relevant training, supervision, and ongoing professional development to support your role.

There may be opportunities to rotate across different inpatient services in Bristol , broadening your experience and skills.

Our teams are passionate and recovery-focused , delivering therapeutic care that promotes dignity, independence, and wellbeing.

We pride ourselves on our strong reputation, built on our commitment to high-quality, compassionate care and specialist expertise.

We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust): a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.

We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.

Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.

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.

As a Band 3 Healthcare Assistant, you will play a key role in delivering high-quality, recovery-focused care to service users across our inpatient services. Working collaboratively with registered staff and the wider multidisciplinary team, you will support individuals during some of the most challenging times in their lives, helping them to regain independence, dignity, and wellbeing.

What you'll be doing

Providing direct care and support : assisting with nutrition, hydration, physical health, and personal care needs.

Supporting recovery and independence : helping service users with practical issues such as accommodation or finances, and encouraging social inclusion through escorted leave and community activities.

Facilitating therapeutic engagement : encouraging service users to share their experiences in one-to-one or group discussions, and delivering psychosocial interventions that promote emotional and cognitive wellbeing.

Maintaining a safe and therapeutic environment : contributing to ward cleanliness, organisation, and safety, and supporting environmental assessments to ensure high standards of care.

Collaborating in care planning : actively participating in risk assessments, CPA processes, and recovery-focused interventions, while keeping accurate clinical records.

Developing specialist skills : taking on lead or link roles in initiatives such as Safe Wards, carer engagement, and Essence of Care, under the guidance of registered staff.

Promoting best practice : modelling dignity, respect, and candour in all interactions, and embedding AWP's Code of Conduct for unregistered practitioners.

Supporting colleagues : contributing to the induction and supervision of junior, temporary, and newly appointed HCAs, and fostering a positive learning culture.

Reflective practice : engaging in ongoing professional reflection to continually improve the quality of care delivered.

Understanding legislation : maintaining a working knowledge of the Mental Health Act (1983), Mental Capacity Act (2005), and other relevant frameworks through mandatory training.

This role is both challenging and rewarding , offering the chance to develop your skills across acute, rehabilitation, and psychiatric intensive care settings. You'll be part of a passionate, recovery-focused team that prides itself on delivering compassionate, evidence-based care and making a real difference in people's lives.