First Response Mental Health Practitioner

Job responsibilities

Clinical / Service Specific

Provide evidence based clinical interventions, making autonomous clinical decisions about own professional practice.

Responsibility for the development, planning and implementation of brief care and treatment interventions for individual patients within First Response.

Provide assessment, planning and implementation of individual packages of care and treatment.

Ensure that individual episodes of care are delivered in a timely, effective and integrated manner.

Promote a recovery model that empowers patients, carers and relatives to be at the forefront of decision making and ownership of their packages of care and treatment.

Undertake clinical risk assessments, based on latest empirical evidence and compliant with local policies and procedures.

Act as the patients and relatives advocate.

Enable patients and carers to manage disability, loss and change.

Champion patients rights, including: dignity, equality, diversity, choice and respect. When undertaking all of the above ensure good documentation is provided and entered within the appropriate systems of record sharing.

Communication and Working Relationship Skills

Provide complex and sensitive information to a wide range of internal and external stakeholders (users of services, carers, multi-disciplinary staff, and other statutory / non statutory services)

Contribute to the safe and effective day to day operations of the service managing clinical enquires

Provide a high standard of written and verbal communication that is clear and in line with local guidance

Role model effective communication; demonstrating empathy, respect, compassion and hope where there may be barriers to understanding.

Communicate information in a way that makes it relevant and understandable in line with operational guidance

Maintain professional relationships with all colleagues to ensure professional standards are met

Promote a culture that incorporates Organisational values and is recovery focused

Analytical and Judgement Skills

Undertake complex clinical risk assessments, based on latest empirical evidence and compliant with local policies / procedures

Reporting of exceptions, complaints and gaps in service

Assist in data collection for the on-going evaluation of the service

Assist in Promotion of the Service locally and nationally as appropriate

Act as the persons and their carers / familys advocate

Incident reporting - To report any incidents of harm or near miss in line with the organisations incident reporting policy supporting appropriate actions are taken to reduce the risk of reoccurrence

To assist with ensuring day to day practice reflects the highest standards of governance, clinical effectiveness, safety and person experience

To be aware of the responsibility of all employees to maintain a safe and healthy environment

To comply at all times with the organisations Safer Governance related policies

Seek advice and support from senior colleagues/line manager whenever necessary

Planning and Organisational Skills

Ensure good documentation is provided and entered within the appropriate systems of record sharing

Plan assessment/appointments for service users

Discuss and arrange appropriate police response as required under guidance from senior staff

Co-ordinate any agreed lone working arrangements

To be responsible for the prevention and control of infection

Responsibility for Persons Care, Treatment and Therapy

Ensure that individual episodes of care are delivered in a timely, effective and integrated manner

Promote a recovery model that empowers persons, carers and relatives to be at the forefront of decision making, owning their packages of care / treatment

Create, implement and update care plans and risk assessments as required

Champion persons rights and service users including: dignity, equality, diversity, choice and respect

Provide advice and guidance regarding mental health problems

Share clinical information on individuals coming into contact with Police Officers, as per agreed information sharing protocol under guidance from senior staff

Request information on specific individuals from Police Officers as per information sharing protocol

Promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults

Implementation of NICE guidance and other statutory / best practice guidelines (if appropriate) under guidance from senior staff

To maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to service provision

Responsibility for Policy and Service Development Implementation

Participate in programmes of audit and research within the team as agreed, implementing the findings

Contribute to clinical governance arrangements in order to ensure the quality of the service provided

Involvement in the development of local systems and process that ensure the implementation of Organisational policies

Responsibility for Finance, Equipment and Other Resources

The post holder does not have financial responsibility for budgetary management

It is the individual post holders responsibility to manage organisational resources efficiently and to suggest efficiency savings to line management as they arise

The post holder has the responsibility to maintain the safekeeping of the organisations property

Responsibility for Human Resources, e.g. Supervision, Training, HR Advice and Management

Supervise and support junior staff with guidance from senior staff

Monitor practice and development of junior staff as appropriate reporting to supervisory staff

Assist in induction of staff

As required by the Clinical Leads, conduct appraisal and performance management of junior staff

Provision of day to day management supervision

Demonstrate and role model excellent clinical leadership skills

Ensure that core training is maintained

Ensure participation in the teams compliance with CQC standards as directed by clinical lead

Responsibility for Information Resources and Administrative Duties

Ensure information resources are used to maintain knowledge of Organisational, Directorate and Team priorities and safety initiatives.

Maintain up to date clinical records in a timely and accurate manner

Ensure information is shared with key stakeholders and other agencies in a secure manner

Responsibility for Research and Development

Participate in research and development

Freedom to Act

To participate in regular supervision in accordance with good practice guidelines and organisational policy.

Work without direct management and take accountability for your own actions.

When tasks are delegated, ensure that the person you have delegated these tasks to is appropriately skilled to do so.

Work within the operational policies and service specifications of the team.

Work without direct supervision to deliver interventions via telephone and/or video call under direction of practice leads

Any Other Specific Tasks Required

To participate in the organisations annual Appraisal process

To attend all relevant mandatory training as and when required to do so

Work cooperatively with staff colleagues ensuring a no hands off approach

Ensure that you remain professionally competent

This is not an exhaustive list of duties / responsibilities, and the post holder may be required to undertake other duties, which fall within the grade of the job, in discussion with the clinical lead

Qualifications

Essential

• Professional Qualification (e.g. RMN, Social Worker, Occupational Therapist)
• Professional Registration (e.g. NMC, HCPC, Social Work England)
• Evidence of continuing professional development

Desirable

• Clinical supervision qualification.
• Medical prescribing
• Teaching (clinical practice) qualification/certificate or equivalent experience
• Successful completion of an AMHP Training approved prerequisite consolidation module (eg Risk and Decision Making module)

Skills

Essential

• Assessing, formulating and working with people presenting in heightened state of distress
• Communicating (oral and written) complex/highly technical and clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the organisation
• Clinical risk assessment and contingency planning
• Able to meet the service needs for mobility across the geographical area covered
• Able to demonstrate commitment to high quality care and service provision

Desirable

• Brief psychological interventions/strategies for managing crisis

Experience

Essential

• Mental health care/treatment relevant to service
• Working with people presenting in mental health crisis
• Multi-agency working/working across service interfaces
• Working within a multicultural framework
• Evidenced based clinical interventions relevant to the service.
• Relevant clinical courses/training
• Models of care and treatment relevant to working with people in mental health crisis
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Working knowledge of relevant legislative frameworks (i.e., Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, Care Act, Human Rights Act)

Desirable

• Teaching, training and/or supervision of clinical staff
• Experience of working on the acute care pathway

Knowledge

Essential

• Evidenced based clinical interventions relevant to the service
• Relevant specialist clinical courses/training
• Models of care and treatment relevant to working with people in mental health crisis
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Sound knowledge of relevant legislative frameworks (ie Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, Care Act, Human Rights Act)

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).