Horticulture Instructor

We are seeking to recruit a technical instructor for our horticulture department, part-time 30 hours per week, at Wathwood Hospital. The horticulture department is set within beautiful grounds which overlook South Yorkshire. We have resources which includes large polytunnels, animal enclosures, and a caf which we use to support patient care.

This role supports patients with their reintegration into the community as part of their mental health rehabilitation and recovery. As a horticulture technical instructor you will be supporting patients in group and individual sessions to engage in gardening-related activities and animal care, as well as other practical, creative and social activities in the horticulture department, the wider hospital, and in the community.

The horticulture site has a caf which is open to the public on the weekends, therefore there will be an element of working with food, and liaison with the public will be a regular part of the role. This role includes working on weekends and bank holidays on a rotational basis.

Interviews will be held on 5th November.

Main duties of the job

To facilitate specific individual and group therapeutic horticultural activities within the hospital grounds and in the community.

To have oversight of the maintenance of all horticulture areas including the polytunnels, allotment, fields, and greenhouse.

To maintain animal husbandry for the wellbeing of animals which are on-site at Wathwood Hospital, including feeding the animals and maintenance of their housing.

To utilise available green space to promote recovery and well-being. This includes offering hospital-based gardening related activities; particularly for those patients unable to access the external horticulture area.

Risk assessment and risk management in the horticulture department. To be part of writing and reviewing activity-based risk assessments, producing protocols, patient guidelines and undertaking patient and staff inductions.

To assist in the running of the caf on a weekend alongside the caf staff and volunteers, including some catering duties.

About us

TeamNottsHC comprises over 11,000 dedicated colleagues who MakeADifference every day. We deliver intellectual disability, mental health, community health, forensic, and offender healthcare services across Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and South Yorkshire. Our care is provided from over 200 sites, spanning community locations, acute settings, and secure environments, including prisons.

We are one of the largest mental health and community Trusts in the East Midlands and one of Nottinghamshire's biggest employers. We also host national and regional services, such as the National High Secure Deaf Service and the Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health.

We offer a variety of employee-led staff networks, including Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) groups, the Green Champions network, the Freedom to Speak Up network, the Health and Wellbeing Champions network, and the Menopause Champions network. These networks play a vital role in supporting our diverse workforce and promoting a culture of inclusivity.

The health and wellbeing of our colleagues is a top priority. We invest significantly in this through our in-house occupational health and staff counselling services, supported by a dedicated Health and Wellbeing team.

The Trust is committed to reducing its carbon emissions, with a specialised Energy and Environmental team working to ensure compliance with environmental legislation, enhance our environmental performance, and achieve our net-zero commitment

Details

Date posted

12 October 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£25,760 to £27,476 a year

per annum (pro-rata)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

186-906-26-FS

Job locations

Wathwood Hospital

Rotherham

S63 7TQ

United Kingdom

Job responsibilities

To support in the provision of individual and group programmes related to therapeutic horticulture, both within the unit and the community.

To contribute to the therapy provision at Wathwood Hospital under the direction of senior occupational therapy staff.

Providing ongoing support to patients and staff to include horticultural skills, animal husbandry, environmental awareness, safe use and maintenance of potentially dangerous machinery and tools and community engagement through the Farm Shop and Caf. Food hygiene training to support working in the caf is required.

To work as part of a team to deliver therapy using practical, vocational, creative, and leisure activity, to provide services for individuals experiencing mental ill health and/or personality disorder.

Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £20.00 (standard) or £41.00 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first 2 months of employment.

You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. An annual fee of £16 per year applies.

Job responsibilities

To support in the provision of individual and group programmes related to therapeutic horticulture, both within the unit and the community.

To contribute to the therapy provision at Wathwood Hospital under the direction of senior occupational therapy staff.

Providing ongoing support to patients and staff to include horticultural skills, animal husbandry, environmental awareness, safe use and maintenance of potentially dangerous machinery and tools and community engagement through the Farm Shop and Caf. Food hygiene training to support working in the caf is required.

To work as part of a team to deliver therapy using practical, vocational, creative, and leisure activity, to provide services for individuals experiencing mental ill health and/or personality disorder.

Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £20.00 (standard) or £41.00 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first 2 months of employment.

You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. An annual fee of £16 per year applies.

Person Specification

Values and Behaviours

Essential

• oAll colleagues are expected to demonstrate that they act in line with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Values: Trust Honesty Respect Compassion Teamwork
• oAll colleagues are expected to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and how it applies to their role. The Trust's expectations are highlighted within our EDI Policy, and associated EDI and Human Rights legislation

Physical Requirements

Essential

• oAbility to undertake relevant mandatory training and engage in the management of violence and aggression
• oOccasional requirement to exert intense physical effort throughout the period of work to respond to incidents

Qualifications

Essential

• oGCSE 5-9 (A*-C) or equivalent in Maths and English
• oNVQ level 3 or equivalent experience in a related vocational area, animal care, healthcare.

Training

Essential

• oWillingness to complete and engage in further training appropriate to the role.

Desirable

• oTraining specific to mental health care
• oFood hygiene training

Experience

Essential

• oExperience of working with individuals within a healthcare setting.
• oExperience of organising and facilitating group and individual patient sessions.
• oExperience and understanding of working in a team setting, liaising with colleagues, other agencies and services.
• oExperience of maintaining written records.
• oExperience and understanding of working in a team setting and communicating with a range of other colleagues and services

Desirable

• oExperience of working in forensic settings

Knowledge

Essential

• oUnderstanding the purpose of rehabilitation and recovery in mental health care
• oKnowledge of health and safety within the workplace and patient clinical risk issues
• oAwareness of confidentiality and professional boundaries in a healthcare setting

Desirable

• oUnderstanding of Wathwood Hospital medium secure unit and its purpose

Skills

Essential

• oAbility to demonstrate a non-judgmental and positive attitude towards working with mentally disordered offenders
• oAbility to motivate others
• oAbility to work independently and prioritise own workload
• oAbility to work effectively without direct supervision
• oGood verbal and written communication and ability to communicate in a range of forms
• oGood IT skills to enable effective delivery of services

Desirable

• oOther skills relevant to the post.

Contractual Requirements

Essential

• oAbility to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service
• oRequirement to work weekends and bank holidays on a rotational basis

Person Specification

Values and Behaviours

Essential

• oAll colleagues are expected to demonstrate that they act in line with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Values: Trust Honesty Respect Compassion Teamwork
• oAll colleagues are expected to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and how it applies to their role. The Trust's expectations are highlighted within our EDI Policy, and associated EDI and Human Rights legislation

Physical Requirements

Essential

• oAbility to undertake relevant mandatory training and engage in the management of violence and aggression
• oOccasional requirement to exert intense physical effort throughout the period of work to respond to incidents

Qualifications

Essential

• oGCSE 5-9 (A*-C) or equivalent in Maths and English
• oNVQ level 3 or equivalent experience in a related vocational area, animal care, healthcare.

Training

Essential

• oWillingness to complete and engage in further training appropriate to the role.

Desirable

• oTraining specific to mental health care
• oFood hygiene training

Experience

Essential

• oExperience of working with individuals within a healthcare setting.
• oExperience of organising and facilitating group and individual patient sessions.
• oExperience and understanding of working in a team setting, liaising with colleagues, other agencies and services.
• oExperience of maintaining written records.
• oExperience and understanding of working in a team setting and communicating with a range of other colleagues and services

Desirable

• oExperience of working in forensic settings

Knowledge

Essential

• oUnderstanding the purpose of rehabilitation and recovery in mental health care
• oKnowledge of health and safety within the workplace and patient clinical risk issues
• oAwareness of confidentiality and professional boundaries in a healthcare setting

Desirable

• oUnderstanding of Wathwood Hospital medium secure unit and its purpose

Skills

Essential

• oAbility to demonstrate a non-judgmental and positive attitude towards working with mentally disordered offenders
• oAbility to motivate others
• oAbility to work independently and prioritise own workload
• oAbility to work effectively without direct supervision
• oGood verbal and written communication and ability to communicate in a range of forms
• oGood IT skills to enable effective delivery of services

Desirable

• oOther skills relevant to the post.

Contractual Requirements

Essential

• oAbility to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service
• oRequirement to work weekends and bank holidays on a rotational basis

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Wathwood Hospital

Rotherham

S63 7TQ

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Wathwood Hospital

Rotherham

S63 7TQ

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Job responsibilities

To support in the provision of individual and group programmes related to therapeutic horticulture, both within the unit and the community.

To contribute to the therapy provision at Wathwood Hospital under the direction of senior occupational therapy staff.

Providing ongoing support to patients and staff to include horticultural skills, animal husbandry, environmental awareness, safe use and maintenance of potentially dangerous machinery and tools and community engagement through the Farm Shop and Caf. Food hygiene training to support working in the caf is required.

To work as part of a team to deliver therapy using practical, vocational, creative, and leisure activity, to provide services for individuals experiencing mental ill health and/or personality disorder.

Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £20.00 (standard) or £41.00 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first 2 months of employment.

You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. An annual fee of £16 per year applies.

Values and Behaviours

Essential

• oAll colleagues are expected to demonstrate that they act in line with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Values: Trust Honesty Respect Compassion Teamwork
• oAll colleagues are expected to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and how it applies to their role. The Trust's expectations are highlighted within our EDI Policy, and associated EDI and Human Rights legislation

Physical Requirements

Essential

• oAbility to undertake relevant mandatory training and engage in the management of violence and aggression
• oOccasional requirement to exert intense physical effort throughout the period of work to respond to incidents

Qualifications

Essential

• oGCSE 5-9 (A*-C) or equivalent in Maths and English
• oNVQ level 3 or equivalent experience in a related vocational area, animal care, healthcare.

Training

Essential

• oWillingness to complete and engage in further training appropriate to the role.

Desirable

• oTraining specific to mental health care
• oFood hygiene training

Experience

Essential

• oExperience of working with individuals within a healthcare setting.
• oExperience of organising and facilitating group and individual patient sessions.
• oExperience and understanding of working in a team setting, liaising with colleagues, other agencies and services.
• oExperience of maintaining written records.
• oExperience and understanding of working in a team setting and communicating with a range of other colleagues and services

Desirable

• oExperience of working in forensic settings

Knowledge

Essential

• oUnderstanding the purpose of rehabilitation and recovery in mental health care
• oKnowledge of health and safety within the workplace and patient clinical risk issues
• oAwareness of confidentiality and professional boundaries in a healthcare setting

Desirable

• oUnderstanding of Wathwood Hospital medium secure unit and its purpose

Skills

Essential

• oAbility to demonstrate a non-judgmental and positive attitude towards working with mentally disordered offenders
• oAbility to motivate others
• oAbility to work independently and prioritise own workload
• oAbility to work effectively without direct supervision
• oGood verbal and written communication and ability to communicate in a range of forms
• oGood IT skills to enable effective delivery of services

Desirable

• oOther skills relevant to the post.

Contractual Requirements

Essential

• oAbility to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service
• oRequirement to work weekends and bank holidays on a rotational basis