Job summary
- Main area
- Mental Health
- Grade
- Band 3
- Contract
- Fixed term: 12 months (FTC 12 months maternity cover)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 364-A-9148
- Employer
- Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- The Lakes
- Town
- Colchester
- Salary
- £24,625 - £25,674 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 11/07/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Health Care Assistant - A&E Liaison Team, Colchester
Band 3
About Us
EPUT provides community health, mental health and learning disability services to support more than 3.2 million people living across Bedfordshire, Essex and Suffolk. Also:
- We are among the largest employers in the in the East of England region, with more than 10,000 staff working across more than 200 sites.
- We run the COVID-19 vaccination programme across mid and south Essex and Suffolk and north east Essex.
EPUT was formed on 1 April 2017 following the merger of North Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (NEP) and South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (SEPT). A new leadership team was established at the Trust in 2020.
Our vision and values
Our Vision
“To be the leading health and wellbeing service in the provision of mental health and community care”.
Our Purpose
“We care for people every day. What we do together, matters”.
Our Values
- We Care
- We Learn
- We Empower
Our strategic objectives
- We will deliver safe, high quality integrated care services.
- We will enable each other to be the best that we can.
- We will work together with our partners to make our services better.
- We will help our communities to thrive.
Our services
- Mental Health Services
- Community Health Services
- Learning Disabilities Services
- Social Care
Find out more about the services we offer in our service directory.
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Support Worker position within the Mental Health Liaison Team (MHLT) based at The Lakes Colchester. We are seeking a motivated and enthusiastic individual who is passionate about mental health. The post holder will join an evolving team, and will be jointly responsible for the delivery of a high standard care within an acute hospital environment.
The mental health liaison service works is a CORE-24 mental health service, offering a comprehensive range of mental health specialities within one multi-disciplinary team. The mental health liaison service works alongside Colchester General Hospital to provide specialist services for mental health care in a physical health setting. The post holder will support the work of EPUT clinicians, in Emergency Departments and on Acute wards, to assess and manage mental health problems as they present or arise among people being cared for in the general health pathway.
Please note that this post will be closed early if a high number of applications are received.
Main duties of the job
Liaison mental health is traditionally concerned with the care of a person who presents with both mental and physical health symptoms regardless of presumed cause. In the context of a mental health crisis, liaison mental health services commonly see people when they are experiencing or have experienced any of the following:
- Self-harm leading to medical or surgical treatment
- Suicidal ideation
- The consequences of alcohol and drug use, including when co-occurring with a mental health problem
- Dementia or delirium
- A severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or severe depression, or a personality disorder
- Social vulnerability that may have a mental health problem or trauma as a component or root cause, for example, homelessness or domestic abuse.
Regrettably, we cannot offer sponsorship for all of our job roles. If you apply for a role that we cannot offer sponsorship for, unfortunately your application form be rejected from the process.
Please note this vacancy requires a face to face interview with the Recruiting Manager. Applicants that are unable to attend a face to face interview need not apply.
Working for our organisation
EPUT are looking for motivated staff who shares our Trust values of Care, Learn and Empower. In return, EPUT can offer you a range of benefits and development including;
- Season Ticket Loans
- NHS discounts for staff
- Excellent Training facilities and opportunities
- Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
- The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
- Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
- Day One Flexible Employer
The Trust supports and actively encourages flexible working for all employees. We offer many options and you are encouraged to ask the recruiting manager what is possible for this role. If appointed, you will have the opportunity to apply for a flexible working request from the first day of your employment
Join our Staff bank
What is Staff Bank?
Our EPUT NHS staff bank is an entity managed by the trust that hires clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals to take on shifts at our trust hospitals and community settings. Here at EPUT we maintain our own bank of specialist staff to ensure that we are able offer safe and effective care at all times.
All our permanent staff are automatically enrolled onto the staff bank however this does not mean you have to work any additional shifts, but the option is there for you if you wish.
If you are joining our Trust in a fixed term role, please indicate on your New Starter Paperwork that you wish to join our staff bank.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The post holder will be working within the mental health liaison service providing support and assistance to professionally qualified staff whilst delivering high quality care and support to patients signposted to this service.
In addition to the above duties you will also be expected to perform the below key activities in line with your job role;
- Complete mandatory training in line with Trust policy and procedures
- To participate in the staff appraisal scheme for any staff you manage
- To keep yourself updated on all matters relating to Trust policy
- To provide management supervision where appropriate
- You will be expected to work collaboratively with key partner organisations, service users, carers, clinicians and other practitioners within the multi-disciplinary team in delivering services; providing a 7-day a week, 24-hours a day service for 365 days a year working shifts, where appropriate and operationally required.
The above Job Description does not purport to be an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities. The post holder will be expected to undertake additional duties as the requirements of the post change.
Please see job description for full duties for this role.
The Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System (ICS) brings together key health, care, community, and voluntary sector organisations from across our area. Our aim is to work together in partnership to join up health and care services, improving our population’s health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities. One such example of this collaborative work is the launch of our HCA Academy, an ICS initiative between Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) and Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSEFT) to support the incoming Health Care assistant (HCA) workforce. The academy models a ‘one workforce’ cross system approach to the onboarding, induction, education and experience of Healthcare Assistants.
To support this ‘one workforce model’ the successful candidate for this post will be required to attend our 5 day (Monday to Friday) face to face Induction Programme at our MSE ICS Education Hub at Brentwood Community Hospital. Your start date will therefore fall on one of two of the HCA Academy induction dates across the month, which will be discussed and agreed during the recruitment process.
Our HCA Academy Induction programme has been designed to train and support the successful candidate through the early stages of their employment at EPUT and will provide opportunities to enhance skills, knowledge and experience.
Further information will be provided post interview.
This will be followed by an additional 5 day (Monday to Friday) EPUT corporate / mandatory training welcome. (EPUT Welcome will be varied between face to face and virtual delivery).
Person specification
Education / Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Level III of National Vocational Qualification Scheme or equivalent experience and commitment to training and development
- Experience of working with patients with mental health problems
- Commitment to and attainment of the national Care Certificate no later than 6 months from date of appointment
Desirable criteria
- Experience of liaising and working within a team
- National Care Certificate
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Basic understanding of mental health conditions and their effect
Desirable criteria
- An understanding of the roles of multi-professional team members
- Knowledge of statutory and non-statutory agencies
Skills / Experience
Essential criteria
- Good interpersonal skills
- Ability to self motivate
Desirable criteria
- Ability to organise individual and group activities
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Helen Havord
- Job title
- Hospital Liaison Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07949 717507
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