Healthcare Assistants (HCAs)
We place experienced mental health healthcare assistants into NHS inpatient wards, community mental health services, and specialist units across the UK – on locum and permanent contracts, for short-notice cover and planned requirements.
Welcome to Hunter Gatherer Mental Health, your specialist partner for mental health HCA recruitment across the UK.
We connect mental health services with vetted, experienced healthcare assistants who understand the specific demands of working in mental health settings – and we offer locum and permanent opportunities for HCAs looking for their next role. Whether you need cover on an acute ward tonight or a permanent HCA for a rehabilitation service, we respond quickly and match on relevant experience.
Why Services Choose Hunter Gatherer for Mental Health HCA Recruitment:
Mental health experience confirmed, not assumed Mental health ward and community settings require HCAs with specific experience managing risk, supporting patients in distress, and working safely within MDT environments. We confirm relevant mental health experience, Care Certificate, mandatory training and DBS before anyone is put forward.
Matched to the right setting Acute inpatient, rehabilitation, PICU, CAMHS, community mental health – the demands are different across settings. We match HCAs on their actual background, not just availability.
Ready to contribute from day one Mental health services need support workers who understand the environment, can de-escalate confidently, and can work as part of a nursing team. We only place HCAs whose experience supports this.
Locum and permanent placements Urgent shift cover or a permanent hire – we support both.
Need experienced mental health HCAs quickly?
What Does a Mental Health Healthcare Assistant Do?
Mental health healthcare assistants work alongside registered nurses and other clinical staff in NHS mental health services, supporting the day-to-day care and safety of patients experiencing mental health difficulties. The role involves direct, often intensive patient contact – supporting people who may be acutely unwell, distressed, or at risk – and requires a specific combination of clinical competence, emotional resilience, and interpersonal skill.
Unlike general healthcare assistant roles, mental health HCAs operate in environments where risk management, de-escalation and therapeutic engagement are central to the job. Understanding the legal and clinical framework – including the Mental Health Act, safeguarding, observation levels and restraint protocols – is essential rather than optional. This is specialist support work that demands experience and genuine commitment.
Mental Health HCA Settings We Recruit For:
- Acute Adult Inpatient Wards – general adult acute psychiatric wards; high-demand, fast-paced, requiring experience of acute mental health presentations
- Psychiatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs) – higher acuity inpatient settings for patients requiring more intensive support; PMVA training typically required
- Mental Health Rehabilitation Units – longer-stay inpatient services supporting patients working towards independence
- Older Adults Mental Health – Inpatient – dementia care, organic mental health, complex older adult presentations
- CAMHS Inpatient Units – working with children and young people in inpatient child and adolescent mental health settings; enhanced DBS with children’s barred list required
- Eating Disorders Units – specialist inpatient and day programme support; specific understanding of eating disorder presentations
- Low Secure and Medium Secure Units – working with forensic mental health patients in secure environments
- Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs) – supporting registered nurses and care coordinators with community-based patient contact
- Crisis and Home Treatment Teams – supporting intensive community mental health assessments and home visits
- Learning Disabilities and Autism Inpatient – specialist support for patients with LD and autism in inpatient settings
Mental Health HCA Roles and Responsibilities:
Mental health HCAs across inpatient and community settings are typically responsible for:
- Carrying out observations – including general, enhanced (one-to-one) and constant observations as prescribed by the nursing team
- Supporting patients with daily living activities – personal care, meals, hygiene, medication prompting
- De-escalation – using therapeutic communication skills to support distressed or agitated patients
- Physical health monitoring – recording vital signs, blood glucose, weight and other observations and reporting to the nurse in charge
- Assisting with ward activities, structured sessions and therapeutic groups
- Maintaining a safe environment – conducting environmental checks, reporting risks, participating in safe and therapeutic holding procedures where trained
- Documenting patient interactions and reporting changes in mental state or behaviour to the registered nurse
- Supporting patients during leave, escorted visits and off-ward activities
- Providing emotional support and maintaining therapeutic relationships with service users
Qualifications We Look For:
Every mental health HCA we place holds:
- Care Certificate (or equivalent healthcare support worker training)
- Enhanced DBS – adults’ barred list for adult mental health settings; children’s barred list for CAMHS and mixed-age services
- Current mandatory training including safeguarding adults, safeguarding children (where applicable), infection control, fire safety, basic life support
- Relevant experience working in a mental health inpatient or community setting – most NHS mental health services require at least 6 months of relevant mental health experience
- PMVA or equivalent physical intervention training for PICU, low secure and acute inpatient roles – we confirm this during registration
- For community roles: a full UK driving licence is often required for roles involving patient home visits
Locum Mental Health HCA Opportunities:
Locum mental health HCA work offers flexible shifts across different services and ward environments, with the chance to build experience across acute, rehabilitation, specialist and community settings. Whether you want regular shifts in a specific trust, ad hoc cover around other commitments, or a longer-term block placement, we’ll find the right opportunities for your background and availability.
We have active mental health HCA requirements across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Edinburgh and beyond.
Lets start the search for your next HCA role
Mental Health HCA Pay Rates (2025/26):
Locum mental health HCAs at Band 2 equivalent typically earn £13–£17 per hour. Band 3 senior or specialist HCAs with additional experience or responsibilities earn £15–£20 per hour. PICU, low secure and other higher-acuity settings, and roles requiring PMVA or physical intervention training, typically attract the higher end of these ranges.
Night shifts, weekends and bank holiday working attract enhancements above standard day rates. London and South East placements carry a premium above the national average.
For permanent salaried roles, Band 2 runs from £24,465 (2025/26) and Band 3 from £25,147 to £26,960.
Our consultants can advise on current going rates for your experience, setting and region.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Do all mental health HCA locum roles require PMVA training? It depends on the setting. PICU, low secure and many acute adult inpatient roles require current PMVA or equivalent physical intervention training. Rehabilitation, community and some older adults roles may not. We confirm the specific requirement for each role and will not put you forward for a placement your training doesn’t support.
What’s the difference between a mental health HCA and a support worker? The titles are used interchangeably across NHS and independent mental health services. Some employers use “healthcare assistant”, others “support worker” or “healthcare support worker”. The role content is broadly the same – direct patient support under the supervision of registered nursing staff. We place across all titles.
Do you place HCAs for CAMHS inpatient roles? Yes. CAMHS inpatient HCA placements require enhanced DBS with the children’s barred list and relevant experience working with young people in a mental health setting. We confirm both during registration.
Can you provide short-notice mental health HCA cover? Yes. Once an HCA is registered and compliant with us, we can respond quickly to urgent shift needs. Mental health inpatient cover is one of our most active areas – contact us directly for same-day or short-notice requirements.
Do you place HCAs in independent and private mental health hospitals as well as NHS? Yes. We place across NHS mental health trusts and independent mental health providers.
What areas do you cover? We place mental health HCAs across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, Glasgow, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Sheffield and beyond.
Your future starts here!
Discover our latest opportunities or register with us today to unlock your potential!
Testimonials:
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