Inpatient Health Care Support Worker

Transformationunitgm; Eastbourne; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS foundation trust in Eastbourne is seeking an Inpatient Health Care Support Worker. You will provide compassionate care and support to individuals with acute mental health needs in a dynamic team environment. Successful candidates will assist nursing staff and engage with patients to foster recovery in an 18-bedded female acute ward. Opportunities for ongoing professional development within a supportive, flexible working environment will be provided. Join us to make a meaningful difference in mental health care.

Benefits

Access to discount schemes

Generous holiday entitlement

Excellent NHS Pension

Discounted Gym Memberships

Access to psychological support

Qualifications

• Experience of working with mental health needs in a paid or voluntary capacity.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.

Responsibilities

• Support Registered Nursing Staff in delivering inpatient care.
• Assist patients with personal care and daily living activities.
• Provide physical care to patients experiencing mental health needs.

Skills

Strong communication skills

Compassionate attitude

Teamwork

Education

NVQ level 3 or equivalent experience

Job description

Employer Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Dept of Psychiatry (Moving to Coombe Valley Hospital Sept 2026) Town Eastbourne Salary £24,937 - £26,598 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 01/02/2026 23:59

Inpatient Health Care Support Worker

NHS AfC: Band 3

Come and join us

We’re looking for people who share our values of compassion, accountability and optimism to help us provide high quality care for the patients, carers, families and communities we serve. We specialise in NHS mental health and learning disability services and we’re proud to make a difference every day.

At SPFT we put people first. We’ll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. You’ll have opportunities to learn, grow and gain new experiences to support your career, with access to lifelong learning and professional development.

We actively promote flexible working and understand how important work life balance is, especially in healthcare. Whether it’s part time hours, hybrid working or flexible start and finish times, we’ll explore what works for you and the role.

We recognise that AI is becoming part of daily life and you may choose to use it to help prepare your application. We welcome innovation but ask that anything you submit reflects your own abilities, experience and voice. AI can support how you describe your skills and experience, but it should never replace your own words as we want to get to know you.

We’re shaping a workplace where ideas are encouraged, technology supports you and everyone has a voice in how we improve. If that sounds like the kind of organisation you want to be part of, we’d love to hear from you.

Job overview

We are building a new hospital in Bexhill to replace our inpatient services at the Department of Psychiatry. This means that, if you are successful in your application, you will be transferred to the new facilities when it opens in 2026.

The temporary base until the new Hospital opens, will be Dept of Psychiatry, Eastbourne DGH, Kings Drive, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 2UD

Amberley Ward at the Department of Psychiatry, Eastbourne District General Hospital, East Sussex are looking for a committed, positive, compassionate and enthusiastic Band 3 Support Worker (Inpatient) to work as part of a dedicated team of professionals that provides the highest standards of care and support to people with acute mental health needs.

Amberley Ward is an 18-bedded all-female acute mental health ward

Main duties of the job

Inpatient Healthcare support workers are part of the ward based clinical team and will have a key role to play in developing and fostering a therapeutic relationship with patients to develop a culture of recovery.

Successful candidates will have strong communication and people skills, a non-judgmental approach and above all a real caring attitude and be prepared to make a difference.

You will work under the direct supervision of a registered nurse and will be expected to assist on all aspects expected in a clinical ward environment including undertaking a range of delegated clinical care duties.

Working for our organisation

As a Mental Health Trust, Sussex Partnership places a huge focus on the wellbeing of our staff, as well as ensuring our reward packages reflect the immensely important work they do.

· Access to a host of discount schemes including Blue Light Card

· Generous holiday entitlement (starting at 27 days plus 8 Bank Holidays)

· Excellent NHS Pension

· Discounted Gym Memberships

· A position within a Trust rated as 'Outstanding' for caring and 'Good' overall by the CQC

· Access to full psychological support via our internal wellbeing team

· Excellent supervision programmes, with ongoing opportunities for training and development.

In return for your skills and expertise we can offer you continued training and development, variety and a rewarding challenge and the opportunity to work within a friendly and supportive team

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

You must be able to deliver a high standard of inpatient nursing care using excellent communication and relationship skills supporting patients with mental health needs.

You must be able to adopt a flexible approach to hours of duty meeting the needs of the service over a 24-hour period

You will support the Registered Nursing Staff in the clinical management ofservice users who are implementing nursing care. You will actively engaging, observing, reporting and recording changes in the patients physical, mental health and behaviour.

You will also provide the necessary physical care to patients to help them complete daily living activities; assisting with personal care and daily living activities which includes personal hygiene, diet and fluid intake.

See attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details

Person specification

Qualifications

• NVQ level 3 or equivalent experience

Knowledge/Experience

• Experience of working with mental health needs in a paid or voluntary capacity
• Experience of working collaboratively i.e. with colleagues, wider teams, service users etc
• An understanding of confidentiality

SPFT is committed to building a workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We particularly welcome applications from people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and from disabled candidates, as these groups are currently underrepresented.

Successful candidates are normally appointed to the bottom of the pay scale unless previous NHS experience in a similar role can be evidenced.

SPFT takes its responsibilities for safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk very seriously. We expect all staff and bank workers to share this commitment and complete the relevant safeguarding training for their role.

If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date, please assume your application has been unsuccessful. However, we’ll always do our best to keep you informed as we know how much time and care goes into applying for a role.

In the event of a high number of applications, we may close this vacancy early.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

The postholder will have regular contact with vulnerable people and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Application numbers

Due to high numbers of applications this vacancy may close before the advertised closing date. We will not be able to accept late applications to this post.