Job summary Main area
Learning Disabilities Grade NHS AfC:
Band 3 Contract Permanent Hours Full time
- 37.5 hours per week (24/7 working) Job ref 346-DDL-033-25-D Employer Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust Employer type NHS Site Lanchester Road Town Durham Salary £25,760
- £27,476 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 13/05/2026 23:59 Employer heading
Healthcare Assistant/Trainee NHS AfC:
Band 3 We are the Mental Health & Learning Disability NHS Trust for County Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York and Selby. From education and prevention, to crisis and specialist care —our talented and compassionate teams work in partnership with our patients, communities and partners to help the people of our region feel safe, understood, believed in and cared for. We nurture the recovery journey of anyone in need of our help. In Our Trust, everyone has a say in how they are supported and treated because we listen to every person in our care until they feel understood. Our patients, their families and carers work together with us towards better mental health. We're committed to new thinking that improves the wellbeing of our region. We connect with our communities and partners to get mental health care right, in areas that really need it. We won't rest until everyone in our region has the mental health care they need, to lead their best possible life. Job overview The Intensive Support Team supports people with learning disabilities who have experienced physical and emotional trauma and may have additional mental health needs, sensory processing difficulties and/or communication needs. In addition, the services supporting them in the community may be struggling to meet their challenging needs. The team has 3 workstreams Home Support, Wraparound and Provider. This advert is for the Wraparound support stream (please note that this is a community post but there is an expectation that all staff will be trained to PAT Level 2
- restraint trained to support the Wraparound workstream
- please consider before applying).
The multi-disciplinary IST is highly skilled, passionate and completely person-centred, comprising of Nursing, Occupational Therapist, Psychologist, Psychiatry and Consultant Practitioner. We have bases in both Durham and Teesside. The team's overall aim is to provide dynamic support to people living in the community and prevent an admission to hospital / placement breakdown. Main duties of the job In an IST setting, the HCA's role often involves working with individuals in an acute mental health crisis or those with complex need / behaviours that challenge. The IST service delivery model is based on a partnership agreement between Durham County Council (DCC) and Tees Esk and Wear Valleys (TEWV) NHS Foundation Trust, (Bluebell Apartment at Hawthorn House and other settings located with Durham locality). The role of the HCA is to primarily provide hands-on patient care and performs a range of delegated clinical duties with minimal supervision such as assisting with service user flow and coordination, responsible for recording service users' observations, reporting change, and contributing to the multidisciplinary teams' care plans. The aim is to provide rapid assessment and support in the community or a specific setting to prevent placement breakdown or hospital admission. The Intensive Support Team are looking to recruit Band 3 Health Care Assistants to work with adults with learning disabilities (ALD) across Durham, as part of our new Intensive Support Team. The IST is proud to value themselves as a person-centred service, that works closely with the patient and family towards understanding and supporting the need of the individual in the least restrictive way. This role requires 7 days 24/7 (12-hour shifts), working flexibly, responding to new demands and acting calmly in stressful situations. Working for our organisation Are you a caring, resilient and motivated individual who wants to make a real difference to the lives of people with a learning disability. The successful applicant needs significant experience of working with adults with learning disabilities, mental health difficulties and/or complex needs. We wish to recruit individuals who are flexible, enthusiastic and have a positive caring attitude towards our client group. The role will be varied and will include all aspects of care from implementing care plan delivery systems to promoting choice and client's independence. The role is to support rapid assessment within the community in intensively working alongside external providers to improve quality of care and outcomes. A partnership agreement is in place between Durham County Council (DCC) and Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys (TEWV) NHS Foundation Trust. Currently one of the providers that the IST is working intensively alongside is Hawthorn House (Bluebell Apartments) to prevent placement breakdown/hospital admission. Additional training will be sought in accessing electronic patient records to support the service users' journey whilst residing at Bluebell Apartments. If you are passionate about supporting vulnerable people and preventing placement breakdown or hospital admission, apply today to joint our dedicated team. If you want to find out more, please do get in touch. Detailed job description and main responsibilities You must have the Right to Work in the UK to be successfully appointed to this role. Please note, this role does not meet the required eligibility criteria for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa and therefore the Trust is unable to offer sponsorship for this role. Please note due to the nature of the role, it is essential that applicants are able to travel independently across the locality and have access to a suitable vehicle for business purposes. If necessary, adjustments can be considered in accordance with the Equality Act 2010. Please see the attached job description and person specification for details. If you require further information about the job description, please contact the team. Person specification Experience Essential criteria Previous experience as a Band 2/3 HCA or equivalent in a relevant care environment Skills Essential criteria Effective communication skills Competent in record keeping Time management and ability to prioritise effectively Qualifications Essential criteria Diploma in Health and Social Care level 2 or equivalent
- Trainee
- must be achieved within 2 years of commencement inpos Completed the Care Certificate
- Trainee
- must be achieved within 12 weeks of commencement in post Key skills in Literacy and Numeracy level 2 Successful completion of Trust's full HCA Framework within 6-month probationary period
- Trainee
- Successful completion of the Trust's full HCAFramework, including key skills in Literacy and Numeracy level 2, within 2 years of commencement in post Right to Work in the UK Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the United Kingdom (UK) are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.
Please note that from January 2021, to work in the UK all candidates who are not UK or Republic of Ireland (RoI) nationals require sponsorship unless you have permission to work via another route. Non UK / RoI candidates wishing to apply can self-assess the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship here
Browse:
Work in the UK
UK (www.gov.uk) . Please provide full and accurate details of your current immigration status on the application form. Overseas applicants applying for entry clearance into the UK must present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided in continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants
UK (www.gov.uk) . Your current immigration status will not be considered as part of the shortlisting or interview process. Please note that not everyone needs a 'Skilled Worker' visa. If you are applying for a vacancy in health or adult social care, you may be eligible to apply for the Health and Care Worker visa instead, subject to role meeting the required conditions. We are able to offer sponsorship for a Health and Care Worker or Skilled Worker visa, subject to candidate and position eligibility. Please review the job eligibility guidance for skilled workers here: Skilled Worker visa: Your job
- GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and for the Health and Care Worker visa here: Skilled Worker visa: eligible healthcare and education jobs
- GOV.
UK (www.gov.uk) Please note: if the job you are applying for does not meet the eligibility criteria above, we will be unable to offer you sponsorship and you will need to explore whether you may be eligible to apply for an alternative immigration route which will secure your Right to Work in the UK before you apply. If you are in the UK already on a visa, please ensure you have no restrictions that would prevent you from taking this post. AI in Recruitment We are aware that Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is increasingly being used to generate responses for application forms. Applications for this role should be written by the applicant and if, during shortlisting, a Recruiting Manager believes AI has been used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability. Fixed Term Posts If the contract type on the vacancy states 'Fixed Term' this would mean the vacancy is being advertised to address a temporary need for the duration stipulated on the advert, however, in the event that permanent funding is secured for the post the successful applicant will be confirmed in post on a permanent basis. Internal applicants must ensure that prior to applying they have agreement from their current line manager that they can be released on a secondment basis. Support with applications We have computers facilities available in our libraries (Durham, Middlesbrough, and Darlington) to support applicants. If you would like to access to a laptop for your application, please contact the library team to arrange a time to visit, please email: tewv.libraryadmin@nhs.net . We will always endeavour to make this available however we cannot guarantee that we will be able accommodate this before the vacancy closes. Trust Welcome Day Here at Tees, Esk and Wear Valley Foundation NHS Trust, we want you to have a positive experience when you start your new role with us. We run a monthly face to face Trust Welcome Day and where possible, this will be your first day of employment. However, if this date is not possible, you will be required to attend a Trust Welcome Day within 4 weeks of your start date. Applying for this post We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from individuals who have experience of mental ill health or learning disabilities. Our service users and carers tell us our staff should be consistently concerned with maintaining and improving care with pride, empathy and compassion. This job advert may close as soon as sufficient suitable applications have been received. If interested please apply for this post as soon as possible. In order for your application to be successfully processed we will require references from your current and previous employer(s) which must cover a minimum period of three years. Please ensure that the reference section of your application is completed appropriately giving the address, telephone number and work email address of each of your current and previous line manager(s). If this section is not fully completed your application may not be processed. If your application is successful, the information you give on your application form will be used to create and be retained on your electronic staff record and to provide access to core Trust systems. Please note that if the post you are applying for requires a DBS check, you will be required to also subscribe to the DBS Update Service, if successful, and thereafter renew your subscription each year. The Trust will reimburse the subscription fee. After applying via the NHS Jobs link, you will be taken to our preferred Third party recruitment system so submit your application. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs. You will not be able to track the progress of your application or receive messages through the NHS Jobs website, and furthermore, that as an employer, we will not be able to respond to any e-mails sent to us via the NHS Jobs website. By applying for this post you are agreeing to Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system. Candidates who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e-mail. You should check your SPAM folders as well as your inbox. If you have not been contacted within 4 weeks of the closing date you should assume your application has been unsuccessful. Additional Information Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust is committed to the protection of staff, service users and visitors to the Trust from second hand smoke and currently operates a no smoking policy which ensures all buildings and grounds are smoke free. 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. Application numbers This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. Please complete and submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment. Documents to download Job Description and Person Specification ( PDF , 267.8 KB ) Mindful Employer Recruitment ( PDF , 93.4 KB ) Probationary Period Procedure ( PDF , 244.1 KB ) Our Journey to Change ( PDF , 1.0 MB ) Apply online now Further details / informal visits contact Name Michelle Johnson Job title Deputy Team Manager Email address michelle.johnson6@nhs.net Telephone number 01642 368358 List jobs with Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust in Nursing and Midwifery or all sectors
