Operational Security Grade

We are inviting applications for Band 3 Operational Security Grade for the High Secure Services Security Department. 4 Posts. This is for front of house/reception duties. The purpose of the role is to undertake a range of duties in support of the security requirements of the Hospital.

To work within an area of high security where there are service users with a known violent, criminal, or dangerous propensity that require care in High security conditions.

The Security Department provides a hospital wide service ensuring all aspects of Procedural, Dynamic and Passive security systems are in place, ope rationalised, maintained and regularly updated. This ensures the delivery of effective patient care is balanced with the hospital's statutory requirements to maintain a safe and secure environment for staff, patients and the public.

The hospital's passive security systems are divided into a number of functional areas, covering staff main entrance reception, visitor processing, security maintenance and control room operations.

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region. We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to ree and safe care - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We are delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

To have detailed knowledge and the practical skills to carry out all security duties as stated by the NHS Safety and Security Directive and detailed in the Ashworth Security Procedures Manual.

OSGs are required to undertake a range of duties to support the security requirements of the hospital in conjunction with other staff. OSGs will undertake regular rotation within and across functional areas once appropriate training has been provided and experience gained. This should normally be achieved within six months.

This functional area focuses on the secure processing of staff into the secure sites and includes responsibilities for security monitoring and responses to alarm states in the entry building.

• Staff identification and utilisation of specialized IT equipment
• Key and radio issue/return
• Key security checks
• Vehicle processing including searching and passenger processing (metal portal, X-Ray, heart beat monitor)
• Contractor/other tool checks
• CCTV monitoring (entry building)
• Entry building staff pedestrian control
• Alarm response states to entry building
• Monitor vehicle movement and log entry/exit times and numbers of people
• Search of hospital vehicles on entry/exit
• Check keys held in automated cabinets and reconcile against shift patterns
• Operate electronic doors (vehicle and pedestrian) via consoles in the Control Centre
• Monitor traffic movement via CCTV in secure areas
• Visitor information centre activities including verification, booking and goods/items processing

This functional area also covers visitor processing in the entry building, visitor coordination, staff goods processing, escorting of child visits, and documentation for all official visitors. It includes ensuring visitors are expected, checking identity against the approved list, and notifying escort staff as appropriate. It also includes a reception service to visitors using the hospital’s visitor systems and enforcing hospital policies (for example, items allowed in secure areas).

The role includes rub-down searches of staff, visitors and patients as required, baggage screening using metal detectors and x-ray equipment, and manual bag searches.
Please refer to attached Job Description for a full list of duties and responsibilities.

For further details or informal visits contact:
Jane Collins, Security Supervisor, ja,

To have detailed knowledge and the practical skills to carry out all security duties as stated by the NHS Safety and Security Directive and detailed in the Ashworth Security Procedures Manual, including rotation across functional areas within six months.

Responsibilities mirror those described above for staff processing, vehicle and visitor management, CCTV monitoring, key control, door operation and enemy conditions within the entry building and secure sites.

Please refer to attached Job Description for a full list of duties and responsibilities.

For…