Healthcare Assistant - Swinderby Unit

About the role

Looking for something new & exciting in the NHS? Ever considered Prison healthcare? Previous applicants need not apply.

YOU have an exciting opportunity to be a part of a new service delivering healthcare services to a small group of men within the Immigration estate.

The Swinderby Residential Short-Term Holding Facility will hold up to 37 adult men for a period of up to 5 days. As part of a small team, you will offer a holistic package of care to a vulnerable group of men, ensuring any immediate healthcare concerns are managed, prescribed medications are continued, and a safe discharge is facilitated. An important part of your role will be to offer emotional support to this group of men at an uncertain time in their lives.

The service provision will be seven days a week 24 hours a day and you will work in partnership with other providers to achieve high quality outcomes for the client group. We aim to provide healthcare to those detained that is equivalent to those in the community.

The successful applicant will need to pass a Counter Terrorist Check (CTC). The checks included are:

• identity
• employment history (past 3 years)
• national and immigration (right to work) status
• unspent criminal record

Additionally, individuals are required to give a reasonable account of 3 years of UK addresses.

As a Healthcare Assistant, you will work closely with the nursing team to support patients who are accessing Healthcare whilst at Swinderby short term holding facility.

You will be a key member of the Healthcare Team, contributing to a wide variety of care being delivered from initial assessment / screening for all new patients, clinical triage, emergency response, and the care of minor illness and injuries. You will play an active role in providing a positive healthcare experience to a group of patients who are usually identified as experiencing poor health outcomes.

What do you know about Offender Health services and your reason for applying for this type of post.

Interview date will be w/c 9th February 2026.

• Support GP and nurse led clinics including assisting with minor surgery.
• Support registered nurses in maintaining general and specific patient observations and record all relevant information.
• Undertake technical and clinical procedures following appropriate training and assessment, for example, venepuncture, wound assessment and care, urinalysis, ECG recording, physical observations, peak flow measurements and obtaining specimens.
• Follow protocols and patient pathways in response to patient need.
• Report health abnormalities identified during general health checks to the Senior Nurse on duty.
• Work within the offender healthcare team to undertake a range of health promotion activities, for example sexual health screening and advice, smoking cessation clinics.
• Support the registered nurse in responding to health emergencies.
• Provide health escort duty to hospital if the senior nurse has assessed it as appropriate.
• Ensure that the clinical environment is prepared and maintained according to health and safety, infection control policy and report any incidents to senior staff.
• Facilitate the monitoring and maintenance of supplies of materials and equipment within the care environment.

#TeamNotts

HC comprises over 11,000 dedicated colleagues who #MakeADifference every day. We deliver intellectual disability, mental health, community health, forensic, and offender healthcare services across Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and South Yorkshire. Our care is provided from over 200 sites, spanning community locations, acute settings, and secure environments, including prisons.

We are one of the largest mental health and community Trusts in the East Midlands and one of Nottinghamshire's biggest employers. We also host national and regional services, such as the National High Secure Deaf Service and the Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health.

We offer a variety of employee-led staff networks, including Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) groups, the Green Champions network, the Freedom to Speak Up network,…