We are currently recruiting for a Healthcare Assistant based at HMP Send and HMP Coldingley
Here at Forward Trust, we deliver a complex range of drug and alcohol services in the unique prison environment. Our support includes providing advice, health and wellbeing, motivational work, clinical services, and a wider range of group work and treatment programmes.
The Forward Trust services which are delivered within prison settings are commissioned by NHS England and are delivered in partnership with primary healthcare providers and HMPPS. Integration and partnership are integral to the work we do.
We believe that everyone can live a fulfilling life, whatever their past. Our work in prisons aims to support those affected by drug or alcohol issues to create lasting change and reduce dependency, homelessness, unemployment, and re-offending.
Role / Team overview
In this role you will work within an integrated healthcare framework to deliver high standards of nursing care and psychosocial interventions to patients admitted to the service according to their clinical needs, in line with relevant clinical protocols, policies and evidence based practice.
Working within a health improvement framework you will deliver client centred interventions alongside the Registered Nurses, as part of a multidisciplinary team, upholding professional standards at all times. You will be responsible for the clinical assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of care, with and without direct supervision.
The post-holder will also work in conjunction with the registered nurses to provide brief interventions, prescribed drug treatments, crisis interventions and all aspects of nursing care. You will be required to manage a case load of clients; providing them with appropriate harm reduction advice and guidance, developing recovery based care plans and delivering structured 1:1 and group work sessions. For this it is important to be able to liaise effectively with other service providers and agencies both internal and external to the prison. In addition, you may at times be required to facilitate access and referrals to primary care and mental health care services, monitoring of the general physical and psychological health and well-being of clients as required in the context of illicit drug use, behaviour change and health promotion.
You will be expected to manage your own time effectively and allocate and prioritise work appropriately to best achieve desired outcomes, but will have the support of the registered nurses and multidisciplinary team. It is important for the post holder to have an understanding of the safety and security needed when working within a custodial setting
Key responsibilities
- To provide interventions and support for drug and alcohol users with complex needs as part of their recovery plan. This may include triage, clinical and psychosocial assessments, care planning, 2nd checking of controlled drugs, motivational interviewing, clinical reviews, 1:1 and group work sessions.
- To provide and develop in conjunction with the multidisciplinary team and other relevant agencies a service for clients, that takes into account the individuals physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs .
- To participate in effective assessment of clinical needs, providing a high standard of care to clients in keeping with the philosophy and operational policies of the Prison, in addition to The Forward Trust policies and procedures.
- Ensure clinical records on System 1 are kept up to date and accurate.
- To complete and maintain clinical and psychosocial recovery care plans and assessments to the required standard.
- To liaise effectively with other professionals both internal and external to the prison; including community drug agencies.
- Promote the health and well-being of clients and maintain a safe, caring and therapeutic environment ensuring risks are minimised.
- To ensure groups are facilitated and co-facilitated to the standard required by your line managers.
- To help develop, implement and evaluate the care clients require using a problem solving approach, that ensures their needs are met from admission to release; including through-care and transfers to other establishments.
- To meet required KPI’s to corresponding deadlines, as set out by the Manager.
All prison-based roles will require enhanced DBS and HMPPS security vetting. Please note this process can take up to 8-12 weeks. All offers are subject to receiving both HMPPS vetting and DBS clearances.
Checks will require you to provide information on the below:
- Yourself (personal information, financial information, police information, criminal history)
- Your family (parents, parents’ partners, siblings, partner(s), children)
- Co-residents
- Associations that may cause a conflict of interest with your role or the prison service.
- Background checks across police information systems on you, your family and other associates
- Credit reference checks
- Social media and Open-Source checks (these are checks on content about you that's publicly available on the internet to ensure there's nothing linked to you that could undermine public trust and confidence in the prison service)
- Other government and overseas agency or police checks.
The ideal candidate will have
Experience of working within substance misuse services and experience of carrying out comprehensive assessments and the design and implementation of SMART care plans
Strong IT skills and the ability to work within a multidisciplinary team, together with good time management and organisational skills, strong communication skills and the flexibility to travel to other sites when required.
Full training will be provided for the right candidate, the role may suit a post grad student or someone who is looking for a new challenge and who is passionate, enthusiastic and willing to learn and work as part of a team and make a difference.