A recruitment event held in Epping on 4 March has helped 25 people secure interviews for healthcare assistant roles at St Margaret’s Hospital, which provides inpatient services for older adults with mental illness.
This was the third recruitment event held jointly between EPUT and local Job Centres, with previous successful events having taken place in Basildon and Colchester.
Six new healthcare assistants recruited at the Basildon event in October last year will start working at Brockfield House in Wickford this month, having completed their initial training.
The sessions aim to support people into rewarding careers within their local NHS services and offer applicants the opportunity to hear from current staff working in community and mental health on the qualities needed for the role, the importance of patient safety, and the benefits of working in the NHS.
During the event, candidates also heard from people with lived experience of mental health services on some of the activities and therapeutic engagement which can provide patients with a positive care experience.
The initiative is supported by the HCA Academy, a programme from the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board which aims to develop the skills of healthcare assistants.
Potential applicants are also able to find out about career support on offer through the HCA Academy and opportunities to study further healthcare qualifications through apprenticeships with EPUT.
EPUT’s Recruitment team also recently ran a recruitment event at Harlow College and were able to offer roles to health and social care students to join St Margaret’s Hospital in the summer.
Ann Sheridan, Chief Nurse at EPUT, said: “Thanks to collaborative working with our local partners, we have been able to offer jobs to people who bring the right skills and qualities to the healthcare assistant role.
“It’s important we continue to work in new ways to support people into NHS careers, and to ensure we have a robust and caring workforce.”