Healthcare Assistant/Trainee

Job summary

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.

About us

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.

Details

Date posted

06 May 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£25,760 to £27,476 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

346-DDL-033-25-D

Job locations

Lanchester Road

Durham

DH1 5RD

Job description

Job 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

• Previous experience as a Band 2/3 HCA or equivalent in a relevant care environment

Skills

Essential

• Effective communication skills
• Competent in record keeping
• Time management and ability to prioritise effectively

Qualifications

Essential

• 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