Senior Care Assistant

The Senior Specialist Mental Health & Dependency Care Assistant serves as the clinical backbone and onsite shift lead for our specialized supported living assets. Operating within high-dependency single-occupancy facilities, the post-holder is responsible for leading the daily delivery of complex, person-centered care designed for transitionary service users.

These individuals present severe, dual-diagnosis clinical profiles, including chronic alcohol dependency, bipolar affective disorder, and acute secondary mental health conditions. The purpose of this role is to provide strong team leadership, oversee our carers, safely mitigate clinical risk, manage acute behavioral escalations, implement structured addiction reduction plans, and ensure absolute regulatory compliance with Care Quality Commission (CQC) standards.

Duties and Responsibilities

Team Oversight & Shift Leadership

• Designated Shift Lead: Act as the onsite leader, organizing waking staff rotas, managing daily handovers, and delegating tasks effectively to the care team.
• Staff Supervision: Oversee, mentor, and support a dedicated team of carers, ensuring the highest standards of care are maintained and company policies are followed.
• Clinical Auditing: Manage and audit controlled medication logs, incident logs, and daily records compiled by the care team.
• Real-Time Assessment: Conduct real-time mental health risk assessments and identify subtle changes in service users’ behavioral patterns or psychiatric stability.
• Crisis Management: Lead immediate, safe interventions during acute bipolar episodes or severe behavioral escalations using approved, non-restrictive verbal de-escalation frameworks.
• Dependency Care Supervision: Directly supervise and document clinical alcohol withdrawal protocols, fluid replacement schedules, and nutritional care plans for service users navigating dependency rehabilitation.
• MDN Liaison: Serve as the primary onsite operational liaison for external multidisciplinary networks, coordinating care directly with Community Psychiatric Nurses (CPNs), social workers, and local NHS crisis teams.

Care Strategy, Compliance & Quality Standards

• Care Planning: Review, update, and manage personalized care plans, ensuring they address the complex psychological, behavioral, and physical realities of each resident.
• Performance Monitoring: Oversee the implementation of performance standards within the facility to guarantee the service remains highly responsive to the evolving clinical needs of the residents.
• Independent Living Skills: Deliver advanced support for daily living activities, teaching residents budgeting, safe shopping, cooking, and independent life skills within a residential framework.
• End-of-Life Care: Manage complex end-of-life care programs for high-dependency individuals when required, aligning delivery with maximum dignity and cultural needs.
• Rights & Advocacy: Ensure that all service user rights to privacy, choice, independent decision-making, and absolute confidentiality are systematically protected by all staff on shift.

Auditing, Health & Safety, and Training

• Quality Audits: Perform comprehensive quality audits on all facility records, ensuring files are kept accurate, secure, and CQC-compliant.
• Environment Safety: Take personal responsibility for maintaining a safe, secure environment, identifying and removing hazards in line with JustInTime Healthcare's Health and Safety policies.
• Infection Control: Enforce rigorous infection control standards across the entire property portfolio, mitigating risks associated with group living environments.
• Continuous Development: Participate actively in the company's continuous development framework by completing advanced training in substance misuse, dual-diagnosis management, and mental health crisis care.

Person Specification & Qualifications

Qualifications

• Minimum NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care (or an equivalent international clinical nursing/psychiatric qualification).
• Advanced training certifications in Medication Management, Safeguarding Lead protocols, and Care Planning.
• Active registration or qualification in Mental Health Nursing or Substance Misuse Counseling is highly desirable.
• Certified training in Crisis Prevention and Intervention (CPI) or Positive Behavioral Support (PBS).

Language & Communication

• Must have successfully passed the English IELTS (International English Language Testing System) examination meeting current UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) sponsorship regulations for senior-tier healthcare assistants.
• Score of 6.5 or higher across all evaluation segments to facilitate detailed multidisciplinary clinical handover reporting with NHS networks.

Experience

• Minimum of 2 years of verifiable, hands-on experience working within specialized mental health units, secure dependency centers, or crisis care environments.
• Proven experience in a senior or shift-lead capacity within the UK or international healthcare sectors, explicitly managing and overseeing teams of carers.
• Experience setting up care frameworks for newly commissioned supported living properties or CQC-regulated facilities.
• Direct experience working alongside UK Community Psychiatric Nurses (CPNs) and crisis teams.

Skills & Attributes

• Strong leadership capabilities, team management skills, and a calm, authoritative presence during crisis scenarios.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with fluent command of clinical care vocabulary.
• Thorough understanding of the intersection between mental health conditions and substance dependency.
• Strong digital literacy for managing electronic compliance audits and service quality reporting systems.

Logistics

• Full, valid UK Driving License to facilitate emergency transportation or supervise community transition routes across Bradford and the wider West Yorkshire region.