Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose:

Band 6 Mental Health Practitioner will be based within neighbourhood-based community mental health teams which provide integrated health and social care services.

Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team alongside colleagues from a range of professional backgrounds, they will undertake assessments of need and coordinate the development of sustainable recovery-focussed care plans. They will provide practical support and carry out planned interventions to address assessed needs and to overcome barriers to access and social inclusion. Using a strengths-based approach they will support service-users to develop their own solutions, minimising long-term dependence on services through self-directed support and promoting the take-up of personal budgets where appropriate.

• To manage a caseload of mental health service-users with complex needs as lead professional and care co-ordinator under the CPA process.
• To use evidence-based and client-centred principles to assess needs and to plan, implement and evaluate health and social care interventions
• To facilitate flow through the service and timely step-down to low intensity services and primary care.
• To provide leadership for junior staff through supervision and appraisal.
• To participate in the planning, development and evaluation of MDT services, holding personal responsibility for defined projects and areas of responsibility.
• To mentor and supervise students on practice placements
• To carry out MDT activities e.g. coordinating meetings and undertaking duty responsibilities
• To provide profession-specific interventions for the wider team as required and in line with NICE guidelines
• To offer/provide timely NICE concordant interventions to clients with FEP and their carers
• To participate in team training and mandatory training and ongoing professional development.

Our values and commitments:

Key Responsibilities:

1) Assessment: To be responsible for strengths-based assessments of the health and social care needs of newly referred adults and for the formulation of care plans within 12 weeks of acceptance by teams. To undertake risk assessments regularly, including all other health professionals/agencies involved. To ensure that risk assessments are regularly updated, are meaningful, are reflected in care plans and are shared appropriately. To undertake carers assessments. To undertake capacity assessments.

2) Engagement: To assertively outreach to difficult to engage clients alongside Intensive Caseload Management colleagues. To encourage participation in treatment as well as facilitating independence in all aspects of daily living.

3) Support: To provide ongoing care coordination of a designated caseload of service users. To work collaboratively with service-users and carers using a recovery approach. To provide information to help clients make an informed choice about opportunities and services available to them and to then assist clients to obtain the required services, support and entitlement.

4) Interventions: To provide and facilitate health and social care interventions tailored to individual service-user needs. To ensure all interventions are appropriate and that care is sensitive to the needs of black and minority ethnic service users. To facilitate Intensive Caseload Management for difficult to engage and high-intensity users. To provide psycho-education to services-users. To have a client-centred approach with a focus on recovery and social inclusion

5) Families and Carers: To involve families and carers in treatment plans where appropriate. This may require direct family interventions. To ensure that the needs of carers are assessed and that care services are provided as necessary. To provide families and carers with psycho-education.

6) MDT Working: To work in co-operation with members of the multi-disciplinary team and all other relevant health professionals to assess, develop, implement and evaluate high quality packages of client centred care. To participate in the team duty system. To provide cover for colleagues in their absence. To form effective relationships with inpatient services to facilitate early effective discharge. To participate in Mental Health Act assessments of service users that you are responsible for as appropriate. To take part in all clinical meetings.

7) Communication: To maintain accurate clinical documentation on designated caseload ensuring case notes are updates in line with guidance. To ensure effective verbal and written communication with all involved with delivery of care. To liaise with other disciplines and organisations to ensure that all issues affecting service user care are managed and communicated to a high standard. 8) Personal Development: To remain up to date with current/emerging good practice guidelines and relevant research relating to community mental health services. To abide by the policies of SLaM NHS foundation Trust and Local Authority. To contribute to effective MDT working. To meet regularly with Team Leader. To remain up to date with all mandatory training requirements. To undertake CPD as agreed with Team Leader. To provide supervision to other junior members of staff. 9) Miscellaneous: To participate in research as requested. To undertake audit/clinical governance as required. To undertake other duties as requested by Service Manager and the Team Leader and to be willing to work from any location in the borough.

Communications and Working Relationships:

Internal:

• CMHT Team Leader, team administrator and clinical team members.
• Neighbourhood Service Manager and PCMHT colleagues
• Inpatient service, Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team and Psychiatric Liaison Team.

External:

• Interface with local services including Adult Social Care, Childrens Social Care, primary care, housing services, substance misuse services, care agencies, police, probation and voluntary sector services

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose:

Band 6 Mental Health Practitioner will be based within neighbourhood-based community mental health teams which provide integrated health and social care services.

Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team alongside colleagues from a range of professional backgrounds, they will undertake assessments of need and coordinate the development of sustainable recovery-focussed care plans. They will provide practical support and carry out planned interventions to address assessed needs and to overcome barriers to access and social inclusion. Using a strengths-based approach they will support service-users to develop their own solutions, minimising long-term dependence on services through self-directed support and promoting the take-up of personal budgets where appropriate.

• To manage a caseload of mental health service-users with complex needs as lead professional and care co-ordinator under the CPA process.
• To use evidence-based and client-centred principles to assess needs and to plan, implement and evaluate health and social care interventions
• To facilitate flow through the service and timely step-down to low intensity services and primary care.
• To provide leadership for junior staff through supervision and appraisal.
• To participate in the planning, development and evaluation of MDT services, holding personal responsibility for defined projects and areas of responsibility.
• To mentor and supervise students on practice placements
• To carry out MDT activities e.g. coordinating meetings and undertaking duty responsibilities
• To provide profession-specific interventions for the wider team as required and in line with NICE guidelines
• To offer/provide timely NICE concordant interventions to clients with FEP and their carers
• To participate in team training and mandatory training and ongoing professional development.

Our values and commitments:

Key Responsibilities:

1) Assessment: To be responsible for strengths-based assessments of the health and social care needs of newly referred adults and for the formulation of care plans within 12 weeks of acceptance by teams. To undertake risk assessments regularly, including all other health professionals/agencies involved. To ensure that risk assessments are regularly updated, are meaningful, are reflected in care plans and are shared appropriately. To undertake carers assessments. To undertake capacity assessments.

2) Engagement: To assertively outreach to difficult to engage clients alongside Intensive Caseload Management colleagues. To encourage participation in treatment as well as facilitating independence in all aspects of daily living.

3) Support: To provide ongoing care coordination of a designated caseload of service users. To work collaboratively with service-users and carers using a recovery approach. To provide information to help clients make an informed choice about opportunities and services available to them and to then assist clients to obtain the required services, support and entitlement.

4) Interventions: To provide and facilitate health and social care interventions tailored to individual service-user needs. To ensure all interventions are appropriate and that care is sensitive to the needs of black and minority ethnic service users. To facilitate Intensive Caseload Management for difficult to engage and high-intensity users. To provide psycho-education to services-users. To have a client-centred approach with a focus on recovery and social inclusion

5) Families and Carers: To involve families and carers in treatment plans where appropriate. This may require direct family interventions. To ensure that the needs of carers are assessed and that care services are provided as necessary. To provide families and carers with psycho-education.

6) MDT Working: To work in co-operation with members of the multi-disciplinary team and all other relevant health professionals to assess, develop, implement and evaluate high quality packages of client centred care. To participate in the team duty system. To provide cover for colleagues in their absence. To form effective relationships with inpatient services to facilitate early effective discharge. To participate in Mental Health Act assessments of service users that you are responsible for as appropriate. To take part in all clinical meetings.

7) Communication: To maintain accurate clinical documentation on designated caseload ensuring case notes are updates in line with guidance. To ensure effective verbal and written communication with all involved with delivery of care. To liaise with other disciplines and organisations to ensure that all issues affecting service user care are managed and communicated to a high standard. 8) Personal Development: To remain up to date with current/emerging good practice guidelines and relevant research relating to community mental health services. To abide by the policies of SLaM NHS foundation Trust and Local Authority. To contribute to effective MDT working. To meet regularly with Team Leader. To remain up to date with all mandatory training requirements. To undertake CPD as agreed with Team Leader. To provide supervision to other junior members of staff. 9) Miscellaneous: To participate in research as requested. To undertake audit/clinical governance as required. To undertake other duties as requested by Service Manager and the Team Leader and to be willing to work from any location in the borough.

Communications and Working Relationships:

Internal:

• CMHT Team Leader, team administrator and clinical team members.
• Neighbourhood Service Manager and PCMHT colleagues
• Inpatient service, Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team and Psychiatric Liaison Team.

External:

• Interface with local services including Adult Social Care, Childrens Social Care, primary care, housing services, substance misuse services, care agencies, police, probation and voluntary sector services

Person Specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Adult Nurse/ Mental Health Nurse/Learning Disabilities Nurse
• Mentorship
• Up to date professional registration
• Evidence of significant continuing professional development

Desirable

• Masters Level Qualification
• Nurse Prescribing

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Ability to manage a complex caseload and prioritise caseload and workload effectively.
• Experience of working with service users who are deteriorating in the community
• Significant experience of clinical assessments of adults with mental health issues

Desirable

• Knowledge of Relevant Research and its application to Assessment treatment and Case Management

Ability and other Requirements

Essential

• Able to provide quality care that is responsive to the service user's needs, without close supervision
• Experience in psychosocial interventions
• Experience of interagency working
• Experience of a service development and quality improvement

Desirable

• Advanced Practitioner Qualification

Education and Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Adult Nurse/ Mental Health Nurse/Learning Disabilities Nurse
• Mentorship
• Up to date professional registration
• Evidence of significant continuing professional development

Desirable

• Masters Level Qualification
• Nurse Prescribing

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Ability to manage a complex caseload and prioritise caseload and workload effectively.
• Experience of working with service users who are deteriorating in the community
• Significant experience of clinical assessments of adults with mental health issues

Desirable

• Knowledge of Relevant Research and its application to Assessment treatment and Case Management

Ability and other Requirements

Essential

• Able to provide quality care that is responsive to the service user's needs, without close supervision
• Experience in psychosocial interventions
• Experience of interagency working
• Experience of a service development and quality improvement

Desirable

• Advanced Practitioner Qualification

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Lewisham Community Mental Health Team N3

1A Churchdown, Downham

Bromley

BR1 5PS

Employer's website

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