Location
Wathwood Hospital, Rotherham, South Yorkshire

Hours
Part-time, 30 hours per week, including weekends and bank holidays on a rotational basis

Salary
£25,760 - £27,476 per year

About the Role
We are seeking a dedicated Horticulture Instructor to join our horticulture department at Wathwood Hospital. Set within beautiful grounds overlooking South Yorkshire, the department includes large polytunnels, animal enclosures, and a café that supports patient care. This role plays a vital part in supporting patients' reintegration into the community as part of their mental health rehabilitation and recovery.

As a Horticulture Instructor, you will facilitate group and individual therapeutic horticultural activities, including gardening and animal care, both within the hospital grounds and the wider community. You will oversee the maintenance of horticulture areas such as polytunnels, allotments, fields, and greenhouses, as well as animal husbandry to ensure the wellbeing of onsite animals.

The role also involves supporting hospital-based gardening activities for patients unable to access external areas, conducting risk assessments and management, and contributing to the writing and reviewing of protocols and patient guidelines. Additionally, you will assist in running the hospital café on weekends alongside staff and volunteers, including some catering duties, requiring food hygiene training.

This position offers the opportunity to work as part of a multidisciplinary team delivering practical, vocational, creative, and leisure activities to support individuals experiencing mental ill health and personality disorders. The role requires flexibility, including weekend and bank holiday work on a rotational basis.

Experience
- Experience working with individuals within a healthcare setting
- Experience organising and facilitating group and individual patient sessions
- Experience working in a team setting and liaising with colleagues, agencies, and services
- Experience maintaining written records

About You
- Demonstrates a non-judgmental and positive attitude towards working with mentally disordered offenders
- Ability to motivate others and work independently, prioritising workload effectively
- Good verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate in various forms
- Good IT skills to support effective service delivery
- Commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion principles
- Willingness to work flexibly, including weekends and bank holidays on a rotational basis

Qualifications
- GCSEs grade 5-9 (A*-C) or equivalent in Maths and English
- NVQ Level 3 or equivalent experience in a related vocational area such as animal care or healthcare
- Food hygiene training (required to support café duties)
- Willingness to complete further training relevant to the role
- Desirable: Training specific to mental health care

Additional Requirements
- Ability to undertake mandatory training including management of violence and aggression
- Occasional physical effort required to respond to incidents
- Understanding of rehabilitation and recovery in mental health care
- Knowledge of health and safety and patient clinical risk management
- Awareness of confidentiality and professional boundaries in healthcare
- Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check required; cost deducted from salary over first two months