Substance Misuse Healthcare Assistant

Job level: Other Qualified Professional

Hours: Full time

Type: Permanent

Posted: 12 Apr 2025

Closes: 12 May 2025

Pay: £24,669 - £28,690 per annum - depending on experience

Job Description

UNLOCK YOUR BEST WORK LIFE
+ MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO EVERY LIFE

We have a fantastic opportunity for a Substance Misuse (SMS) Healthcare Assistant to join the team at HMP YOI Doncaster, a Category B male prison, with operational capacity of around 1145, 200 of which are males aged between 18 - 20 years old. HMP YOI Doncaster is a local resettlement prison in South Yorkshire. This crucial role offers excellent developmental opportunities and is a great environment to build on your experience and gain new skills as the face of the team!

This role sits within our Substance Misuse Service, however SMS experience isn't essential - we can train this! It is important to us that you have an interest in Substance Misuse, and are keen to learn in this area!

Hours: This is a full time role, 37.5 hours per week, working between 07:30 - 17:00 between Monday and Sunday, usually 4 shifts per week.

Salary: This position is full time, you'll receive an annual salary of £24,669 - £28,690 per annum - depending on experience.

How will we support you?

• Bespoke induction, including our Introducing Health in Justice training course
• Competency framework
• Regional and national career development opportunities
• Our bespoke Learning Management System to address your learning needs
• Support from the wider team

Candidates are required to have a legal right to work in the UK and due to the nature of the role, offers of employment will be subject to additional vetting and security checks.

What you'll be doing

As our new SMS Healthcare Assistant, your responsibilities will vary. Some of your duties will include:

• Being the face of the SMS team - you will be the first point of contact between the team and patients
• Carry out obs twice daily on substance misuse patients - monitoring withdrawals and escalating to the recovery workers / nurses as necessary
• Work on the wings as part of the recovery team, mainly working with patients within their first 4-5 days of custody
• Liaise with other teams (prescribers, recovery workers etc) to ensure patients receive the correct medication and care
• Carry out bloods and ECGs
• Work closely with patients, listening to them and identifying needs
• Assist the primary care team and pharmacy if and when necessary

If you are interested in career development, we have a wide range of opportunities for you to develop your skills and experience, which include both internal and external options for development and learning.

It doesn't stop there... we also offer:

• Company pension scheme
• 25 days annual leave increasing with service up to 28 days per year, plus public bank holidays
• An extensive range of wellbeing and lifestyle benefits
• Discounts on shopping and leisure activities
• Support to grow in your role and continue your professional development
• Excellent long-term career prospects
• 24/7 employee assistance helpline and financial assistance when you need it

What we'll look for in you

The Health in Justice team at Practice Plus Group makes a real difference across over 53 prisons, young offenders and immigration removal centres. We're the UK's leading independent provider of NHS services to over 40,000 patients in secure environments, always putting their needs first, regardless of their background.

Practice Plus Group's purpose is to Unlock your best work life and we stand by our core values:

• we treat patients and each other as we would like to be treated
• we act with integrity
• we embrace diversity
• we strive to do things better together

We are looking for caring, compassionate but also driven professionals who can help us drive our vision for a fair and inclusive healthcare access to all.

Our new SMS Healthcare Assistant will:

• Hold a NVQ Level 2/3 qualification in Health & Social Care, or equivalent
• Have a keen interest in substance misuse
• Have experience within a care setting, ideally from a secure setting or hospital
• Ideally have experience within a Substance Misuse role, and have knowledge of Mental Health
• Ideally have clinical experience - bloods, ECGs etc
• Have a non-judgemental and compassionate approach

Secure environments are one of the most challenging, yet rewarding places for healthcare professionals to work. If you're looking for a role where you can develop your existing healthcare skills and learn something new every day in an environment that never stands still, then this could be the right opportunity for you.