Mental Health Practitioner in Community Rehabilitation

Job description

Job responsibilities

Providing effective assessment using a recovery approach and strengths model.

Establishing, maintaining and ending purposeful, therapeutic relationships with people experiencing mental health difficulties. Practice will be creative and underpinned by specialist knowledge of, and skills in, evidence-based and psychosocial interventions.

Using knowledge of psychological therapies (for example CBT and CAT) in order to work with people preparing for and participating in specific therapeutic work and to work collaboratively with people during periods of consolidation.

Delivering services using a recovery and strengths approach where solution focused intervention, motivational interviewing and communicating hope are central. Using developed persuasive, negotiation and re-assurance skills to facilitate and enable engagement.

Working with people experiencing relapse using a recovery approach to promote strengths and reduce the risk of dependency on mental health and other services.

Assessing risk in collaboration with people experiencing mental health difficulties, significant others and other workers/professionals, alongside use of own professional judgement and team processes. This involves exploring individuals risk of harm to themselves and/or others and may involve working with challenging, hostile and distressing behaviour.

Identifying strengths-based Recovery Plans and Risk Management Plans with individuals and other relevant people.

Taking responsibility for communicating Recovery Care Plans, risk management plans and other important information to relevant people, professionals and agencies as appropriate. Encouraging individuals to take the lead in sharing information wherever possible.

Undertaking care management processes through assessment of needs, identification of appropriate placement/packages of care, presenting funding requests to the Trusts panel and monitoring and reviewing agreed placements/packages.

Communicating highly complex information to a range of people and professionals with a wide range of levels of understanding. Identifying barriers to understanding and using creative methods to overcome them.

Communicating highly complex information between mental health practitioners and partner agencies including medical staff such as clinical information and investigations.

Identifying changed level of risk in relation to clinical investigations and mental state and distinguishing critical information that requires urgent action or rapid onward referral.

Providing and receiving highly complex and sensitive information in relation to Safeguarding and Child Protection work and taking appropriate action. This includes identifying and appropriately reporting concerns to Childrens Social Care while using communication skills in order to maintain a professional working relationship with parents and significant others in often hostile and highly emotive situations.

Communicating highly complex, sensitive and emotive information at Child Protection Conferences.

Identifying adult protection concerns, raising alerts and participating in Safeguarding Adults processes.

Providing and receiving information from carers, significant others and members of the community. Communication can be highly emotive and there can be significant barriers to acceptance of the approach and intervention of mental health services, for example when requests conflict with the rights and wishes of an individual experiencing mental health difficulties.

Using a systemic approach to working with individuals, their families and significant others. Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with carers and significant others.

Identifying and engaging with practitioners with specialist knowledge, for example by requesting specialist knowledge or clinical supervision sessions where appropriate.

Working without direct supervision and being accountable for own actions.

Skilled and constructive use of own supervision sessions, engagement in reflective practice, commitment to continuously develop self-awareness and work appropriately within professional boundaries.

Attend and contribute to team meetings and other appropriate meetings.

Ensure medication and treatments/injections are prescribed and administered by an appropriately qualified professional, as defined within relevant Trust procedures.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• RMN, Social Work or Occupational Therapy Qualification
• Current registration with relevant professional body
• Evidence of post qualifying professional development in an acute setting.

Knowledge and experience

Essential

• Significant post registration experience in multi-disciplinary community mental health services.
• Good knowledge of resources and working practices across health and social care.
• Ability to be innovative in practice.
• Experience of managing risk of clients in crisis.
• Experience of assessment, care-plan, development and evaluation in conjunction with clients and carers.
• Experience and knowledge of working with people with mental health problems.

Communication

Essential

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills including presentation of cases to multi-disciplinary case conferences.
• Professional and patient focussed approach with inspirational skills, acting as a role model to colleagues and junior staff members.

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Compassionate - Open minded, treats colleagues, patients, carers and relatives with dignity and respect

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Broadway Health Park

Barclay Street

Bridgwater

TA6 5LX

Employer's website

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