Substance Misuse Health Care Assistant – HMP Highdown

Location: Sutton

Salary: £26,000 per annum

Vacancy Type: Permanent

Closing Date: 09th of July 2026

About the Role

In this role, you will work within an integrated healthcare framework, delivering high standards of nursing care and psychosocial interventions to clients undergoing treatment. You will support individuals through their recovery journey, including those undertaking medical detox, ensuring care is delivered in line with clinical protocols, policies, and evidence-based practice.

Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, you will collaborate closely with Registered Nurses and medical professionals to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate care tailored to each individual’s physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs.

You will play a key role in monitoring and reporting on clients’ health and wellbeing, supporting behaviour change within the context of a 12 Step Treatment Programme, and promoting overall health improvement. This may also involve delivering brief crisis interventions, facilitating community or code of conduct meetings, and maintaining a safe, structured, and therapeutic environment.

The role requires effective time management and the ability to prioritise tasks while managing your own workload. You will also be responsible for maintaining accurate clinical records, contributing to safeguarding processes, and ensuring compliance with all relevant policies, including health and safety and infection control. An understanding of working within a prison or secure environment is essential.

About You

You are a compassionate, resilient, and professional individual with a strong commitment to supporting people in recovery. You have experience, or a strong interest, in working within substance misuse services or clinical environments, and you understand the complex challenges individuals face during recovery.

You work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team and are confident in building positive, respectful, and trusting relationships with clients. You are able to support individuals with diverse and complex needs, including those undergoing medical detox, while maintaining clear professional boundaries.

You have strong communication and organisational skills, with the ability to manage your time effectively, prioritise tasks, and maintain accurate and detailed records using electronic systems. You are confident using IT systems and understand the importance of data accuracy in a clinical setting.

Ideally, you have knowledge of the recovery model and an understanding of the wider impact of substance misuse clinically, psychologically, and socially. Experience in residential or prison settings, as well as familiarity with the 12-step recovery process, would be advantageous.

You are proactive in promoting health, safety, and wellbeing, including adherence to infection control practices such as those relating to blood-borne viruses and COVID-19. Above all, you are motivated to make a meaningful difference and support individuals to achieve lasting recovery and positive life change.

About Us

We are The Forward Trust, the social enterprise with charitable status that empowers people to break the often interlinked cycles of crime and addiction to move forward with their lives. For more than 25 years we have been working with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past. We believe that anyone is capable of lasting change. Our services have supported thousands of people to make positive changes and build productive lives with a job, family, friends and a sense of community.

We are committed to our cause and the work we carry out as a charity. Equally the wellbeing and the employees who work for us are also important. Joining us an employee, we will offer you the following benefits –

• Flexible working
• Training and development opportunities
• Simply Health Cashback Scheme (optional)
• Season Ticket Loan Scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Crisis Loan Scheme
• Electric Car Scheme
• 3 x Wellbeing Days (pro rata'd for part time employees)
• Access to Blue Light Card
• 25 days (rising to 30 with length of service) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays
• Contributory Pension Scheme – Employer matched contributions of up to 6% in the first two years’ service and up to 9% thereafter
• Death in Service Payment (2x annual salary)
• Critical Illness Insurance (subject to qualifying criteria)

Please note that we may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.

To Apply

If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for Forward Trust, please click apply to be redirected to our website to complete your application.