Patients Flow Healthcare Assistant

Job Overview

Are you passionate about supporting individuals experiencing mental health crises? Do you have a caring, compassionate, and person-centred approach, and are you looking for an exciting new challenge within mental health services?

We are seeking two compassionate, organised, and proactive Patient Flow Healthcare Assistants to join our dedicated team at the Riverside Centre Health Based Place of Safety (HBPoS). This is an excellent opportunity to play a vital role in the delivery of high-quality mental health care, supporting the safe, effective, and timely flow of patients through the service.

As a Patient Flow Healthcare Assistant, you will work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams to ensure patients receive respectful, responsive, and recovery-focused care during their time within the HBPoS. You will contribute to maintaining a safe and therapeutic environment while supporting service users through their care journey.

The successful candidates will demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal skills, a commitment to delivering compassionate care, and the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced and dynamic environment. Previous experience within healthcare or mental health services is desirable, although a genuine passion for supporting individuals experiencing mental health difficulties is essential.

Main duties of the job

The Patient Flow Assistant is responsible for supporting the efficient operation of the Health Based Place of Safety by coordinating patient pathways, maintaining accurate records, facilitating communication between services, and assisting the multidisciplinary team to ensure timely assessment, treatment, transfer, and discharge of service users.

The post holder contributes to the delivery of safe, effective, and person-centred care while ensuring compliance with relevant policies, procedures, and legislative requirements.

Working for our organisation

At Central and Northwest London NHS Foundation Trust, we provide a comprehensive range of specialist healthcare services across both physical and mental health. We are committed to delivering high-quality, patient-centred care that is safe, effective, and compassionate. Patients are at the heart of everything we do, and our dedicated teams strive to achieve the best possible outcomes for those we serve.

What We Offer

• 27 days of annual leave, increasing to 29 days after five years of service and 33 days after ten years of service
• Enhanced pay rates for working unsocial hours
• Excellent career development opportunities through a variety of progression pathways
• Regular supervision and appraisal programmes, with optional coaching support available
• Support towards obtaining the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Certificate
• Support to complete the Care Certificate
• Access to a generous NHS Pension Scheme
• Comprehensive maternity, paternity, and adoption leave benefits
• Opportunities to engage with a wide range of staff networks, groups, and initiatives
• Dedicated health and wellbeing support services for all employees
  
  

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

Band 3 Patients Flow Healthcare Assistants work closely with vulnerable people who use our services, as well as their families, friends, and carers. They play a vital role in providing quality care and support across our services.

Patients Flow Healthcare Assistants are expected to adopt a holistic, person-centred approach to care, demonstrating kindness, compassion, responsiveness, and professionalism always. They contribute to the delivery of safe, effective, and high-quality services by:

• Building positive, therapeutic relationships with service users, their families, carers, and multidisciplinary team members.
• Providing compassionate, respectful, and recovery-focused care that promotes dignity, independence, and wellbeing.
• Supporting individuals to achieve their personal goals and maximise their potential through person-centred care planning and delivery.
• Observing, monitoring, and accurately reporting changes in a service user's mental and physical health, ensuring concerns are escalated appropriately.
• Contributing to the maintenance of a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment for service users, visitors, and colleagues.
• Promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion, while respecting the individual needs, preferences, beliefs, and values of those receiving care.
• Supporting service users to engage in therapeutic, social, educational, and recreational activities that enhance recovery and quality of life.
• Working collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams to ensure continuity, coordination, and excellence in care delivery.
• Maintaining professional standards, confidentiality, and compliance with organisational policies, procedures, and relevant legislation.
• Actively contributing to service improvement initiatives and fostering a culture of continuous learning and development.
• Caring and compassionate in their interactions with others.
• Respectful, inclusive, and culturally sensitive.
• Professional, accountable, and reliable.
• Flexible and responsive to the changing needs of service users.
• Committed to delivering high-quality, person-centred mental health care.
  
  

Person specification

Education And Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Numeracy and Literacy skills required to keep accurate records and administer medicines (if appropriate)
• Spoken and written English, to an appropriate standard to fulfil the job requirements
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Relevant Level 3 qualification -eg. advanced apprenticeship, A-levels, T-levels, NVQ
• Care Certificate – you will be supported to complete this within 3 months of starting if not achieved elsewhere
  
  

Previous Experience

Essential criteria

• Previous experience of working with a multidisciplinary team
• Experience of working with the general public communicating with a range of different people
• Previous experience of working in a fast-paced environment
• Previous experience of working within a customer focused environment
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Healthcare/NHS or similar experience in community or hospital settings, Volunteer sector
• Previous experience in mental health setting or working with adults suffering from mental health problems
• Experience in a caring role
• Volunteer sector
  
  

Skills and knowledge

Essential criteria

• Able to communicate with the multi-disciplinary team, update others in the team and use handover effectively. Speaking face to face but also by telephone.
• Maintaining accurate, timely, concise and legible clinical records both electronic and handwritten which adhere to the CNWL policies
• Able to talk to people about sensitive issues in a supportive manner but also challenge others assertively where necessary
• Able to maintain electronic patient records Use Microsoft Word to draft letters and reports
• Contribute to the implementation of care plans by helping to assess patients, develop, implement and evaluate a care plan
• Able to work on your own but follow the directions of care plans and Band 4 staff or registered staff
• Work well with other members of the team including communicating effectively, being kind and considerate, reliable and enthusiastic.
• Obtain consent and understand how the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards impacts on your work and the people you are working with
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Basic knowledge and understanding of the Mental Health Act 1983.
  
  

Other

Essential criteria

• Willingness to undertake Care Certificate and further training as required
• Prepared to work flexible shifts including both day and night shifts.
  
  

Attitudes, aptitudes, personal characteristics

Essential criteria

• Caring for the people who use our services, their families and carers, and other staff
• Respectful of others and genuinely treating them how you would want to be treated
• Able and willing to work with service users, family and carers, and other staff in a way which empowers and supports others and makes them feel better about themselves
• Able and willing to work in partnership with service users, their friends and family as well as other health care professionals