Healthcare Support Worker

Role overview

An opportunity has opened for an energetic and self-driven Healthcare Support Worker to join the UCAT team in Kirkcaldy. The post is central to helping the service deliver safe, timely and effective mental health care.

The UCAT service runs every day, around the clock, and supports same-day and emergency mental health responses for a population of about 375,000 in Fife. In this role, you will work closely with registered nurses and colleagues across the wider service to provide practical care and support for people experiencing mental health difficulties that may affect their wellbeing, safety and daily functioning.

Referrals come from a range of places, including Victoria Hospital’s Emergency Department, primary care, and both internal and external agencies. You will also be expected to keep accurate records of appointments using electronic systems and share assessment outcomes with primary care teams.

Key duties

Working within the UCAT team, your duties may involve supporting trauma-informed care, helping manage distress and disturbed behaviour, coordinating with other services, and updating registered nurses on any changes in a patient’s presentation. You may provide one-to-one support under supervision, including observation and escorting patients, as well as assist with administration, documentation, and the ordering of stock and supplies.

You will also contribute to wider service activity when needed, including deployment to other clinical areas. Tasks may be completed either with direct supervision or independently, depending on guidance from a registered nurse. The role also includes helping maintain the safety, security, and effective day-to-day running of the clinical area.

Development and support

Mental Health Services support staff development through protected learning time and opportunities for both professional and personal growth, reviewed through the TURAS appraisal system.

Additional information

This post is based in Kirkcaldy, but travel to other localities may be required.

Applicants should note the instruction that AI tools may be used only for planning or checking spelling and grammar; application answers must be written in the applicant’s own words and reflect genuine skills, experience, and motivation. Applications that rely on AI-generated content may be withdrawn.

This role requires membership of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme before appointment.

To work in the United Kingdom, you must already have the correct permission to work in the country, as verified through UK Visas and Immigration. NHS Scotland Boards will check right-to-work status during pre-employment checks, and this may be shown through routes such as an appropriate visa, EU settled status, or pre-settled status. You should confirm that you already have the right to work in the UK, or that the role can be sponsored, before applying.

NHS Scotland offers flexible working and family-friendly policies, and supports disabled candidates, people with long-term conditions, and neurodivergent candidates through reasonable adjustments in recruitment policy and practice. The organisation also promotes equality, diversity, and inclusion across its workforce.

Contact for informal enquiries

Louisa Thomson, Advanced Clinical Nurse Specialist, Urgent Care Assessment Team, Whyteman’s Brae Hospital: louisa.thomson@nhs.scot

Lynne Black, Lead Nurse: lynne.black@nhs.scot