Mental Health Practitioner - Reconnect Service

Job summary

The Criminal Justice Liaison & Diversion Service has a unique vacancy for a Mental Health Practitioner in it's new Reconnect Service. The Reconnect Service is funded by NHS England and is a care after custody service, working with individuals, including higher risk, eg MAPPA 3 prisoners, who have any significant health or social care vulnerability, leading up to, on release from prison and in the community.

The aim of the Reconnect service is to increase access to and uptake of healthcare or relevant support services for individuals who have health needs upon release from Guys Marsh, Portland and The Verne Prisons and ensure a safe transition to community-based healthcare services.

We are looking for someone who has real passion for developing their clinical skills in an environment that is ever changing. You'll have a flexible approach working within a team that encourages new ideas and opinions on how to improve the service. You should possess a good working knowledge of assessment and care planning including comprehensive risk assessment.

You will be creative, forward thinking and able to work through the issues that may arise in this challenging but exciting environment.

Main duties of the job

You will attend Prison Discharge Meetings to risk assess and plan the care of those being released and carry out comprehensive assessments within the prison setting to identify the needs of the men upon their release. Working closely with the Reconnect Support Workers you will build a trusting therapeutic relationship to encourage the prisoner's engagement with their Support Worker for up to 6 months after discharge.

You will also work alongside the Probation Service in Bournemouth to provide assessments, signpost and refer individuals to services and provide support and advice to staff on engagement and management plans and in Police custody suites to provide mental health assessments, advice and identify robust care pathways for individuals where a potential mental health and or learning disability need has been identified.

If you are self-motivated and able to work autonomously as well as showing plenty of initiative when it comes to handling a wide range of situations, then this could be the right role for you. As this is a new role in a challenging environment we strongly suggest you contact the service before applying.

Employment in the role is conditional on the successful applicant passing the Police enhanced vetting and prison vetting processes.

About us

At Dorset HealthCare we're on a mission to empower people to make the most of their lives through our outstanding, joined-up healthcare services. We're a dynamic, forward-looking Trust, running 12 community hospitals, specialist inpatient facilities and a wide range of integrated community and mental health services for a population of almost 800,000 people.

We do things differently here - it's one of the reasons the CQC rated us 'outstanding' in 2019. It's also why 95% of patients across our services say they have a good or very good experience of our services and 89% of staff feel they can really make a difference. Whether you're looking to work with us in one of our bustling market towns, vibrant urban locations, thriving seaside spots, or among the rolling hills of Dorset, there are lots of ways you can make a difference in our communities.

Our 7,000-strong workforce is at the heart of what we do and our success is a testament to our brilliant people. We're all about building a workplace for the future, we believe in equal opportunities and we celebrate diversity. We're an inclusive workplace, where everyone is welcome, everyone can be authentic, and we are all encouraged to be the best version of ourselves.

Working with us you'll be part of a strong team, challenge yourself, build a career, and teach us what we don't know. And you'll be working towards our vision to be better every day through excellence, compassion and expertise in all we do.