Job summary
The Suffolk Police Triage Team are seeking highly motivated and enthusiastic mental health professionals who are looking for an exciting opportunity to work alongside Suffolk Police, within the NSFT Crisis Pathway. There are substantive posts and a secondment available for the right senior practitioners who would like to join this dynamic and responsive team.
The team provides designated practitioners for street triage and control room support to collaboratively work alongside police ensuring that timely and appropriate pathway support is offered to those experiencing a mental health crisis.
Mental health screening occurs through proactive observation of live police incidents and requests for assistance directly from officers at incidents where mental health assessment, support and direction benefit both the service user and police.
Main duties of the job
The Suffolk Police Triage service, provides effective specialist mental health assessment and risk management at the point of police community contact.
We support the effective use of Section 136 of the Mental Health Act and reduce overall detentions under the act. Utilising available resources to provide alternative support in the community.
We help reduce police time and resources at incidents that may be related to mental health issues, by quickly intervening and working together with Police.
We improve service user pathways into and through mental health services through effective triage and sign posting.
We help develop robust care plan and management strategies to support officers in their response to service users who have frequent contact at the point of crisis.
Supports processes around the application of the MHA.
Provides training and development of officers and police staff in the management of mental illness and risk.
The Police Triage car is part of the trusts wider Crisis Pathway which is developing to ensure that service users receive timely and effective mental health face to face assessment and treatment within their community at the point of crisis. As such the triage car has full access to all of the existing NSFT pathways and treatment options allowing service users prompt access to effective treatment and pathway direction.
About us
Benefits included with this role are:-
- NHS pension
- A comprehensive in house & external training programmes
- Career progression
- Starting annual leave of 27 days per annum increasing to 33 days pa based on length of service (plus paid bank holidays)
- Staff physio service
- NHS discounts and many more
Here at NSFT we pride ourselves on being a welcoming, talented, friendly and supportive team who like nothing better than sharing their experiences and learning from each other.
NSFT is committed to lifelong learning and continuous professional development (CPD) for its entire staff. There are a variety of definitions of CPD across the professions but it is usually taken to mean learning activities which update existing skills.
CPD is determined through appraisal with a personal development plan agreed between an individual and their manager, with the commitment of the necessary time and resources.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main duties of the job
The core roles include:
- Telephone, electronic and face to face mental health screening, triage and assessment
- Signposting/referral to appropriate services within NSFT or alternative support from external agencies within the community
- Supporting and advising police colleagues during their contact with members of the public presenting with mental health difficulties
- Providing professional liaison and sharing appropriate and proportionate information between NSFT and Suffolk Constabulary
- Collaborative development of support plans and management strategies to assist officers to respond to service users who have frequent contact and crises
- Consultation with police prior to the application of a S136 detention and other processes around the Mental Health Act
- Delivery of mental health training and promotion of mental health awareness and risk assessment to police and police colleagues
This is a county wide service, however at present the base is in Ipswich at either Police HQ in Martlesham within the Control Room or with Suffolk Constabulary at Landmark House. We are a 24/7 service with operational hours of 14:00 00.00. Flexible working within these hours would be considered.
Aims of the service are:
- To support effective use of S136 MHA and reduce the number of inappropriate detentions.
- To reduce the demands that mental health challenges in the community place upon police resources
- To facilitate prompt access to support options and treatment pathways for service users in crisis.
This post is subject to police vetting in addition to enhanced DBS check.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main duties of the job
The core roles include:
- Telephone, electronic and face to face mental health screening, triage and assessment
- Signposting/referral to appropriate services within NSFT or alternative support from external agencies within the community
- Supporting and advising police colleagues during their contact with members of the public presenting with mental health difficulties
- Providing professional liaison and sharing appropriate and proportionate information between NSFT and Suffolk Constabulary
- Collaborative development of support plans and management strategies to assist officers to respond to service users who have frequent contact and crises
- Consultation with police prior to the application of a S136 detention and other processes around the Mental Health Act
- Delivery of mental health training and promotion of mental health awareness and risk assessment to police and police colleagues
This is a county wide service, however at present the base is in Ipswich at either Police HQ in Martlesham within the Control Room or with Suffolk Constabulary at Landmark House. We are a 24/7 service with operational hours of 14:00 00.00. Flexible working within these hours would be considered.
Aims of the service are:
- To support effective use of S136 MHA and reduce the number of inappropriate detentions.
- To reduce the demands that mental health challenges in the community place upon police resources
- To facilitate prompt access to support options and treatment pathways for service users in crisis.
This post is subject to police vetting in addition to enhanced DBS check.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- NMC or HCPC registered practitioner
Skills
Essential
- Ability to work with resistance at times, to manage own reactions to difficult situations and to act with appropriate authority and diplomacy
- Assessing and interpreting service user conditions to enable appropriate intervention and/or referral.
Desirable
- Excellent negotiation and conflict resolution skills.
Experience
Essential
- Relevant health or social care experience
- Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team Familiar with undertaking clinical assessments including risk assessments
Desirable
- Significant demonstrable post registration experience
- Experiance working in a criminal justice setting
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- NMC or HCPC registered practitioner
Skills
Essential
- Ability to work with resistance at times, to manage own reactions to difficult situations and to act with appropriate authority and diplomacy
- Assessing and interpreting service user conditions to enable appropriate intervention and/or referral.
Desirable
- Excellent negotiation and conflict resolution skills.
Experience
Essential
- Relevant health or social care experience
- Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team Familiar with undertaking clinical assessments including risk assessments
Desirable
- Significant demonstrable post registration experience
- Experiance working in a criminal justice setting
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.
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).
Additional information
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).
