Job summary
- Main area
- Tier 4 Inpatient/CAHMS
- Grade
- Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (flexible working pattern across 7 days)
- Job ref
- 411-COM-25-7218616
- Employer
- Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Sunflower House - Catkin Building Alder Hey
- Town
- Liverpool
- Salary
- £24,625 - £25,674 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 23/06/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Band 3 - Healthcare Assistant
Band 3
Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust is a provider of specialist health care and has a presence in community outreach sites and, in collaboration with other providers, our clinicians help deliver care closer to patients’ homes by holding local clinics at locations from Cumbria to Shropshire, in Wales and the Isle of Man. The Trust also provides inpatient care for children with complex mental health needs at our Sunflower House building newly relocated, and opened on the hospital site.
We currently have more than 4,000 staff working across our community and hospital sites. We’re also a teaching and training hospital providing education and training to around 540 medical and over 500 nursing and allied health professional students each year.
As black and minority ethnic (BME) employees are currently under-represented in this area, we particularly welcome applications from members of our BME communities. All appointments will be made on merit.
You can expect a warm welcome at Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust, our staff are friendly and welcoming. We listen to each other and work together to embed our Trusts values and behaviours. At Alder Hey we appreciate our staff and reward them with an outstanding benefits package including:
- Great flexible working opportunities
- Lease car scheme and Home Electronics Scheme
- Generous annual leave and pension scheme
- Extensive staff health and well-being programmes
Job overview
Sunflower house is a specialist tier 4 inpatient provision serving NHS England in providing assessment, treatment and consultation services to children and their families presenting with a wide range of complex mental health problems.
This document provides an outline of the core objectives of the post, and is not intended to be an exhaustive list. Its contents will be subject to annual review in consultation with the post holder as part of the annual personal development process.
Please note this vacancy may close early if a high volume of applications are received. Previous applicants need not apply
Main duties of the job
1. To work within defined daily structures; routines and care plans, to support and assist the unit multi- disciplinary team in the planning and delivery of patient care on an individual or group basis, informing the assessment and treatment process and promoting the therapeutic milieu of the service.
2. To support clinical and environmental risk assessment and the maintenance of a clean; tidy; safe and healthy environment.
3. To support and assist with the unit training; development and supervision process.
Working for our organisation
Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust is committed to achieving equal opportunities in employment. All employees are expected to observe this policy in their behaviour to the public and fellow employees.
The creation of a safety culture within the Trust will result from effective teamwork. There is a contractual requirement on all employees to co-operate with their managers and colleagues in protecting the health and well-being of all people who work within, use, or are affected by, the Trust’s services and activities.
The Trust conducts a system of performance and development planning as a key part of its annual business planning cycle. This ensures that all staff has an opportunity to take part in a discussion on the work they have done, and explore how they can improve and develop in their jobs, and formulating a set of personal objectives. This process includes a review of the job description on an annual basis.
Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust is committed to supporting all staff to balance work and other life needs. This is the responsibility of all employees and will be achieved by consultation, open communication and involvement of all team members.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Working under agreed supervision and support structures and in line with defined care plans and related policies and procedures, utilising basic observation, therapeutic communication and relationship skills, to support day-to-day working with complex and challenging children and their families:
- To work collaboratively with the core team, to assist in or lead on defined tasks and activities in the day-to-day assessment and treatment of care needs.
- To undertake defined observations or tasks related to a particular child, or group of children, to inform the assessment and treatment process. This includes ensuring
- Effective and timely communication of any information received including incident or personal observation which may affect the child’s physical/mental well-being or increase risk to others.
- To assist and support the provision and further development of the therapeutic milieu through processes concerning active participating in risk assessment, risk management and therapeutic activity planning.
- To contribute to the provision of high quality verbal and written clinical reports in relation to defined care and management plans and in line with related policy and procedures.
- To actively access and participate in the unit clinical supervision and support process enabling the development of a range of skills to enhance therapeutic activities, observation and communication skills.
- To co-work in defined formal therapy group work and education activities with the support and guidance of the multi-disciplinary team.
- To follow agreed policies and protocols.
Under the direction and supervision of the Team Co-ordinator:
- To organise and deliver on defined activities and outings on a daily and weekly basis in line with assessment and treatment goals for individual and groups of children.
- To report on any needs around staffing or other aspects in relation to planned activities you are responsible for as they arise.
- To support the team in the provision of a safe and healthy environment autonomous.
- To ensure personal training and development needs are defined and met in line with the service learning/development/competency requirements for band 3 staff and in line with the agreed PDP processes. This includes developing skills in providing evidence-based practice through professional study and participation of tasks related to research and audit.
- To actively participate in, and at times contribute to, the unit in house training and development programme.
- To provide a mentor role to new support staff working in the service and support their ongoing development needs under the direction of the Inpatient Manager.
HOUSE-KEEPING TASKS:
This is not an exhaustive list but gives an indication of the types of tasks you will be expected to autonomously undertake or ensure completion of on a daily basis:
- Meal planning/ order to kitchens.
- Outcome/feedback forms from children and their carers
- Identify and ensure supplies maintained - bread, milk, basic stores, linen etc.
- General filing – nurse office.
- Identifying and reporting on repairs, cleanliness and tidying of unit environment.
- Bed making/room tidyingKeeping storage areas clean, tidy and safe.
- Basic emergency file/checks.
- Tasks of opening and closure of unit.
Person specification
HCA Band 3
Essential criteria
- Care Certificate/NVQ level 3 / equivalent in a healthcare related topic or equivalent breadth of experience* English and Maths GCSE or equivalent, grade A-C
- Previous health care experience Basic nursing care Working with young people with eating difficulties
Desirable criteria
- Paediatric equipment and appliances Child/adolescent mental health problems
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
- Lauren Johnston
- Job title
- Ward Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Additional information
Paula Smith
If you have problems applying, contact
- Address
-
Institute in the Park
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