Specialist Dementia Assessment Clinician

Job responsibilities

The post holder will be an autonomous practitioner who will carry responsibility for our patients by undertaking the following duties:

1. Provide assessment using standardized psychometric testing (ACE), clinical interview and reviewing wider history and notes.

2. Deliver assessments in a variety of settings, including clinic, virtual and home visits if required.

3. Discuss and review cases with MDT to confirm and diagnosis dementia where present

4. Deliver diagnostic information to patient, providing information about support services and treatment options that may be available to them. Connect patients to memory support services local to them with our partner Age UK.

5. Ensure that clinical practice is evidence-based and consistent with relevant NICE guidelines.

6. Ahere to relevant policies and procedures for the Dementia Clinic Sussex.

7. Attend (virtual) MDTs or supervision to contribute to diagnosis formulation.

8. Be aware of treatment and support options available, e.g., within Age UK, NHS and community.

9. Help carers understand the value of engaging with support services.

10. Work in a collaborative way, ensuring the best care for our patients.

11. Ensure that any transfer of care is seamless and integrated across system pathways.

12. Ensure that up to date written and electronic records and activity data are maintained in accordance with professional and organisational /service standards.

13. Adhere to the Code of Conduct, professional standards and ethics of your governing body, and comply with local and national standards of practice.

14. Provide supervision and training of junior staff and trainees where appropriate.

15. Contribute to the maintenance and development of the Dementia Clinic service and strategy.

16. Participate in the operational planning, implementation of policy and service development within the team, leading on delegated projects.

17. Adhere to quality and governance standards and support achievement of performance targets.

18. Contribute to the services quality agenda, including the setting and monitoring of practice standards.

19. Promote awareness of the professional role within the team and across the service.

20. Develop professional networks and keep abreast of local resources; clinical service delivery across our healthcare systems (primary, secondary and tertiary care).

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered healthcare professional with specialist training appropriate to the job role and/or equivalent experience.
• Completion of Mentorship Course/ENB equivalent
• Evidence of continuous professional development

Analytical & Judgement and Physical skills

Essential

• Skills of assessing and interpreting service user conditions with appropriate actions

Desirable

• Ability to use manual handling techniques

Clinical skills

Essential

• Assessment, planning and intervention skills.
• Provision of specialist advice in relation to care

Communication/ Relationship skills

Essential

• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Ability to communicate in a clear and unambiguous way
• Excellent negotiation and conflict resolution skills
• Ability to develop effective professional relationships with others
• Ability to develop good therapeutic relationships
• Establish and maintain communication with individuals, families, carers and groups about difficult or complex matters overcoming any differences in communication
• Develop own skills and knowledge and provide information to others to help their development
• Participate in Partnership working with individuals, groups, communities and agencies
• Promote peoples equality, diversity and human rights
• Demonstrate effective communication skills with people in an age appropriate way and those whose understanding may be impaired

Planning & Organisational and IT skills

Essential

• Ability to work in partnership with key stakeholders
• Ability to work with resistance at times, to manage own reactions to difficult situations and to act with appropriate authority and diplomacy
• Plan and organise complex activities or programmes requiring formulation and review
• IT literacy and willingness to take on new technology
• Able to use Word, PowerPoint, clinical systems, email

Experience

Essential

• Significant post qualifying experience in the relevant care group
• Experience of working alongside people with complex health problems in the designated care group
• Experience of providing a range of clinical interventions to people in the designated care group with a variety of health problems
• Experience of working consultatively with professionals
• Experience with working with disturbed service users (i.e patients with trauma)
• Experience of conducting clinical assessments including risk assessments
• Experience of partnership working within and across various statutory and non-statutory teams and agencies
• Understanding of clinical governance
• Previous experience of working in the community and primary care
• Contribute to the implementation of services

Desirable

• Experience of supervising staff
• Experience of managing a caseload
• Experience of working within the Care Programme Approach (CPA) process
• Understanding of self-pay /private sector work

Approach/ Values

Essential

• Demonstrate support for the values and beliefs of the Care Group and those of the Trust
• Team working
• This role requires travel to different sites.
• Punctual and flexible across hours of work when required

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.

UK Registration

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