Support Worker

As a Senior Support Worker, you will be pivotal in providing care to our service users and will work closely with our team of qualified nurses and our wider disciplines to provide agreed care, based on the service users assessed needs. You are resilient, driven and passionate to provide high quality nursing care to patients.

We are a 10 bedded female Medium Secure and Forensic ward. We explore how best to support our service users on their individual pathways through a multi-disciplinary approach. Blossom Ward is a dynamic workplace and you will be a motivated and responsive nurse managing an ever-changing environment.

**As a Senior Support Worker, your main responsibilities are**:

- Up hold the core values of the ward promoting openness, transparency and learning
- Accurate and timely clinical documentation
- Work under the supervision of qualified staff to support our service users by being a member of care teams
- Support our service users to assess the community under supervision and accurately feedback your assessment
- Raise any concerns to senior staff

The Hellingly Centre is a Secure Hospital, comprising of three Medium Secure Wards and one Low Secure Ward. Situated in rural East Sussex, close to Hailsham, Eastbourne and Lewes, we enjoy the benefits of both beautiful countryside and the convenience and amusements larger town links provide.

**Working in the Forensic Healthcare Services**:
Forensic mental health is a unique and fascinating field which provides both challenge and opportunity.

Being curious, creative, self-aware and assertive are important skills that you will build on, as you are often required to think ‘outside the box’.

We play a crucial part in supporting and advocating service users towards recovery, while maintaining the legal requirements within the MHA and of public protection.

**Our Trust**:
We provide mental health and learning disability care for all ages across Sussex and for children and young people in Hampshire.

We’d love you to join our organisation, rated ‘good’ overall and ‘outstanding’ for caring by the CQC. Our staff agree, with 82% recognising patient care as our top priority in our staff survey.

**Other key survey results include**:

- 79% reporting feeling able to make suggestions to improve the work within their team
- 77% identifying the opportunities to show initiative in their roles

To be a successful Senior Support Worker on Blossom Ward you will be:

- Passionate about improving the lives of individuals who are being held within the criminal justice system
- Understanding that this is a challenging but hugely rewarding work setting
- Working a mixture of shifts including Long Days (07:00 - 19:30) and Nights (19:00 - 07:30)

**It would also be advantageous if you**:

- Have experience working within a mental health setting

Development and Training
We are committed to investing in staff and offer regular quality supervision, reflective practice, in-depth training and development opportunities.
The Forensic Healthcare Service supports their clinical team to undertake both academic and professional development opportunities including apprenticeships. We are keen to offer staff the support to progress through a clinical career pathway and have Senior Support Workers who go on to Nurse Associate training and Registered Nurse training.

Hellingly Centre is a member of Quality Network for Forensic Mental Health Services. QNFMHS benchmarks via peer reviews, creating opportunities for qualified staff to become certified peer reviewers for nationwide forensic services