Trainee Healthcare Support Worker - Mental HealthNHS

Job summary

Begin your NHS career with our Healthcare Support Worker Development (HCSWD) programme, where you will receive all the training, support, and supervision you need to become a Healthcare Support Worker (HCSW).

Join our Healthcare Support Worker development (HCSWD) programme, where you will learn on the job at Prospect Park Hospital, Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. If you have no healthcare experience, you will join our 6-month supervised placement. If you have some experience, you will be fast tracked via our 3-month placement.

Work towards your Care Certificate whilst receiving weekly pay, paid annual leave and all the other great benefits NHS Professionals offers our bank members. Once you have successfully completed the programme you will be able to work flexibly at any of our partner Trusts.

Pay Rates:

• Days:£12.92
• Saturdays/Nights:£18.22
• Sunday/Bank Hols:£23.65

Main duties of the job

Main duties:

During our programme you will work through the 15 Standards of the Care Certificate, learning how to meet the daily living needs of your patients as well as being a part of the NHS healthcare team.

Typical duties will involve but not limited to:

• As a trainee HCSW in Mental Health, you'll learn to:
• Taking basic observations, explaining treatment, and updating patient records.
• Supporting patients with everyday activities, including assisting at mealtimes.
• Providing emotional support and reassurance to patients and their families.
• Monitoring patients physical and mental health and keeping accurate records.
• Supervising patients to ensure their safety, managing common emergencies, and performing risk assessments.
• Working individually and as part of a team, supporting registered Nurses and other healthcare practitioners in providing patient care.
• Comply with Trust and local policies and procedures including Safeguarding, Infection Prevention and Control.
• Please note that we require:
• You must be over the age of 18 before the planned classroom training week.
• You work at least 30 hours a week across earlies, late's and nights during the programme.
• You have a passion for care and can demonstrate the six enduring values that underpin compassion in practice.
• We will consider applicants without any healthcare experience as well as those with at least 3 months healthcare experience within the last 2 years.
• Please ensure your CV is updated to reflect relevant experience.

Job description

What is next?

• If you are successful, you will be invited to an interview and assessment day on Thursday 15th October 2026. followed by unpaid classroom training which will include 3 days of blended training delivered via Microsoft teams, covering the 15 standards of the care certificate and a day on Mental Health. There will also be one in-person training day to cover basic life support and manual handing. Training dates will be around the16th-18th November.

After the programme

As your first step in healthcare with the NHS, this could provide you with the opportunity to progress your career by accessing further training outside of the programme. In time, you could become a Senior Healthcare Assistant. After that, you could then apply to train as an Assistant Practitioner or Nursing Associate, enabling further career avenues such as a Nurse, Podiatrist or Midwife.

Apply Today

Disclaimer

Please note, you will be contacted by email throughout the recruitment process, so please check your emails, including your junk/spam regularly. We regret we cannot contact everyone who is not selected for an interview, therefore if you do not hear from us within 21 days after submitting your application, please assume you have not been successful on this occasion.

About us

Here at NHS Professionals, we run England's largest NHS staff bank and are experts at putting people in places to care. Every year we help thousands of dedicated and highly skilled NHS workers enjoy better career opportunities, more flexible shifts, and a healthier work-life balance across our partnered Trusts.

Benefits of joining HCSWD

• Career Progression
• Work this week, get paid next week
• Paid annual leave and build holiday allowance
• Provide care, safety, and welfare for patients
• Join the NHS family and become a part of the healthcare team
• Dedicated training and supervised shifts with support from your ward / area and skilled mentors.