Activity Co-ordinator/Trainee

Job overview

This position is a job share for 18.75 per week, and the successful applicant will be required to cover a 7 days service, along with the existing Activity Co-ordinators.

The successful post holder will be responsible for planning and providing appropriate activities to meet the general therapeutic, social and recreational needs of individual service users.

This includes working with others to develop and establish a timetable of activities which can be delivered across the ward both individually and within groups and also in the local community. This will need to be flexible and patient centred, changing regularly according to the needs of a patient cohort, and according to the interests of individuals at any given time.

Esk Ward is an 13 bedded Acute Mental Health unit for working age female adults. We pride ourselves in providing a high standard of care within a multi-disciplinary approach, which is recovery focused. We believe we are progressive and forward thinking, seeking to improve our service.  We offer varied training opportunities to support our team and individuals’ development.

The post holder will do both ward based activities and also help reintegrate our patient into the local community. Risk awareness is essential for this post.  The post holder needs to be enthusiastic and show a good understanding of the importance of activity for good mental health.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for people who can work relatively independently, using their own skills (art and craft, cooking/baking, gardening, music and exercise, puzzles and games) to support patients in engaging with meaningful activity, and through this promote wellbeing using a client centred approach.

You will need to be able to communicate well with a wide range of individuals, adapting your communication style according to individual need in a responsive manner.

Although this role will primarily focus on the delivery and planning of activities there will be an expectation for the successful candidate to deliver direct patient care and work directly with the nursing team to ensure Patient care and safety is the main priority. This role will also work closely with out discharge facilitator to help reintegrate our patients into their local community, building support networks outside of the hospital environment.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

You must have the Right to Work in the UK in order 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 particular role.

The successful candidates who do not hold the required qualifications will be employed on AFC Band 2 and will be expected to enrol on the Activity Co-ordinator Framework which will include the acquisition of the Level 3 Certificate in Activity Provision in Social Care – Distance learning, level 2 in Literacy and Numeracy or equivalent and achievement of competencies. You will have a maximum of 2 years to complete this.

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further detailed information to ensure that you meet the role criteria before applying.

Due to the nature of the role it is desirable 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.

Applicants must ensure that prior to applying they have agreement from their current line manager that they can be released on a secondment basis. In the event that permanent funding is secured for this post the successful applicant will be confirmed in post on a permanent basis.