Staff for mental health care and support services
Mental health services range from care homes and supported accommodation to community support that helps someone stay well at home. Staff need calm judgement, firm boundaries and a clear sense of when to ask for help.
We recruit mental health nurses (RMNs), support workers, seniors and managers for social care services that support people with mental health needs.
What mental health services do and who regulates them
A mental health care home or supported living service is registered in the same way as any other care home or support service in its nation. In England, independent mental health hospitals also register with the CQC, and assessment or medical treatment of people detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 is a regulated activity of its own.
The regulator for the service in each nation is:
- England
- Care Quality Commission, for the care home, personal care or hospital activities the service carries out.
- Scotland
- Care Inspectorate, as a care home, care at home or housing support service.
- Wales
- Care Inspectorate Wales, as a care home service or domiciliary support service.
- Northern Ireland
- RQIA, as a residential care home, nursing home or domiciliary care agency.
Mental health cover at a glance
What we usually agree with a mental health service before the first shift.
- Duties
- Support with daily living, medicines, keeping appointments and staying well; recognising early signs that someone’s health is changing; recording and reporting risk. Nurses: assessment, care planning and medicines.
- Shifts
- Long days, earlies and lates, waking nights, and sleep-ins in some supported accommodation.
- Checks
- The adults’ criminal record check for the nation, references that cover mental health work, and an NMC register check for nurses.
- Pay basis
- Hourly for temporary cover, with separate rates for RMNs and support staff. Salaried for permanent posts.
- Qualifications
- RMNs: current NMC registration in mental health nursing. Support staff: care qualifications and registration with the SSSC, Social Care Wales or NISCC where the nation requires it.
Roles mental health services usually need
Nursing homes and specialist care homes need RMNs on the rota. Supported accommodation and community services lean on support workers, housing support workers and social workers.
- Mental health nurse (RMN) Registered mental health nurses for nursing homes and specialist mental health services.
- Support worker Helps people live independently in supported living, and learning disability and mental health services.
- Senior support worker Leads a support team on shift, guides colleagues and keeps support plans current.
- Housing support worker Helps people keep their tenancy and manage day to day, in supported housing or at home.
- Social worker Registered social workers for assessment, care planning and review in social care services.
- Registered manager Runs a care service and is registered with the regulator as the manager responsible for it.
Checks for mental health staff
For mental health services we add these to our standard screening:
- for RMNs, the NMC register entry showing mental health nursing, the expiry date and any conditions on their practice
- de-escalation and breakaway training, and the name of the approach, where your service requires one
- references that speak to the worker’s experience with people in mental distress
- an honest conversation with the worker about the kind of risk they have managed before
Mental health service shift patterns
Care homes and nursing homes for people with mental health needs run the usual day and night pattern. Supported accommodation may have a sleep-in or a waking night, depending on the people who live there.
- Early to or
- Late to
- Long day to
- Waking night or to or
- Sleep-in to A worker sleeps at the service and gets up if someone needs help. The service sets the hours and says what happens if the night is disturbed.
Temporary cover and permanent hiring for mental health services
Temporary cover
When you book, tell us about any current risks, the observation level if there is one, and whether the worker will be on their own. We only offer workers whose experience matches what you describe.
Permanent hiring
For RMN and senior posts we look at the candidate’s clinical background and their reasons for moving into, or staying in, social care. For support workers we look for steadiness more than a long list of courses.
Questions from mental health service managers
Can you supply an RMN at short notice?
If we have an RMN whose registration and checks are complete and who can reach you in time, yes. If we have nobody suitable, we say so at once, so you can make other arrangements.
Are your support workers trained in de-escalation?
Many are. Tell us if your service uses a particular approach or needs a current certificate, and we only offer workers whose training records show it.
Do you place RMNs in care homes as well as specialist units?
Yes. Some nursing homes and care homes support people with long-term mental health needs, and we look for RMNs who want that kind of work.
Staff for your mental health service
Call to talk through the shifts and any current risks, or send the vacancy in writing.