Mental Health Practitioner

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 15 May 2024

Job summary

Are you ready to unlock your potential within a challenging, creative and fast paced work environment? Do you want to escape your current job role and work with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past? Now is the time to break into offender healthcare and develop your career.

As part of the South West Prison Healthcare contract awarded to Oxleas NHS trust in 2022, we are able to expand recruitment and are looking for a compassionate, knowledgeable and motivated Mental Health Nurse to join our friendly team at HMP Portland.

Our healthcare team have a real impact on promoting health and well-being to those in prison and we pride ourselves on using skills and strategies that instil hope for patients future resettlement back into the community. We directly deliver Mental Health, Physical Health, Pharmacy and Clinical Substance Misuse in an integrated healthcare delivery model to provide effective and responsive care to improve wellbeing and support better outcomes in the future.

As part of our mental healthteam, you will enjoy all the benefits of NHS AfC employment (inc pension) with the opportunity to work within a forward-thinking service, who encourage career and personal development to all staff to increase their clinical and interpersonal skills.

Main duties of the job

As a Mental Health Practitioner you will be providing specialist mental healthcare to offenders and working as part of the Mental Health In-Reach Team, plus wider mental health services. You will be required to work in a psychologically minded way with offenders in achieving their agreed goals and quality health outcomes.

Our Mental Health Team provide specialist interventions at primary and secondary care level including; referral management, screening assessment, triage, evidence-based interventions, care planning and risk assessing, plus one-to-one and group-work facilitation.

Our Mental Health Practitioners manage a mixed and challenging caseload and are required to perform robust assessment, screening and interventions to offenders with learning disabilities and mental health conditions. You will contribute to alternatives to inpatient admission and assisting with early discharge through the implementation of high intensity interventions and complex case management arrangements.

One of our key aims is to ensure continuity of care for an offender on ordinary location and reduce the length of stay, both in relation to prison inpatient services and external NHS/independent in-patient services. You will work closely with community mental health teams to ensure appropriate sharing of information, continuity of care and the Care Programme Approach for all offenders as necessary.

About us

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London.

Our healthcare departments operate across three prisons in the Dorset cluster each of which require a bespoke service responding to the prisoner and prison needs:

  • HMP Guys Marsh - Cat C - Population = 550
  • HMP Portland - Cat C - Population = 530
  • HMP The Verne - Cat C - Population = 600

Oxleas are the lead provider across 10 South West prisons and operate in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Devon in addition to the above.

Our wider services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes.We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

  • We're Kind
  • We're Fair
  • We Listen
  • We Care

Date posted

20 March 2024

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£35,392 to £42,618 a year pa

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time

Reference number

277-5318537-SWP-M

Job locations

HMP Portland

104 The Grove Grove Road,

Portland

DT5 1DL


Job description

Job responsibilities

To communicate effectively on a range of issues that are often complex in their nature and in complex situations.

Participate in the annual appraisal reviews and demonstrate reflective practice through the Knowledge and Skills Framework

To maintain comprehensive and timely electronic clinical records ensuring confidentiality is maintained at all times.

Provide supervision, mentorship & leadership for junior staff.

Take all necessary care in the working environment, adhering to relevant health and safety policies.

Participate and positively contribute to the services integrated clinical governance arrangements

Carry out administrative tasks as directed including research, audit, data, and activity statistics.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION, PLEASE READ:

All applicants must be willing to undertake National Security Vetting in order to work in a Prison Setting. This will be completed as part of the pre-employment checks through Oxleas and the prison vetting team.

You will need to provide:

Proof of right to work documentation

Proof of ID, needs to include 1 photographicID

Proof of address documentation

Non-UK passport holders will need to have correct documentation (right to work in the UK) and a Home office Share code.

Address History:

5 years address history will be needed.

Applicants that are not UK Passport holders who provide less than 5 years UK address history will need to provide a Police Certificate which must be in English from where they resided previously.

Applicants who are UK Passport holders who have lived abroad for a period of more than six months during the last three years will need to provide a certificate of good conduct or an overseas police check in English from the countries resided in or visited.

In order to assist you in obtaining a Police Certificate, guidance can be sought from:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants

If the country you have resided in is not listed here, you can obtain the necessary information by contacting the relevant Embassy or High Commission for that Country. Their contact details can be found on the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website (http://www.fco.gov.uk/en).

Job description

Job responsibilities

To communicate effectively on a range of issues that are often complex in their nature and in complex situations.

Participate in the annual appraisal reviews and demonstrate reflective practice through the Knowledge and Skills Framework

To maintain comprehensive and timely electronic clinical records ensuring confidentiality is maintained at all times.

Provide supervision, mentorship & leadership for junior staff.

Take all necessary care in the working environment, adhering to relevant health and safety policies.

Participate and positively contribute to the services integrated clinical governance arrangements

Carry out administrative tasks as directed including research, audit, data, and activity statistics.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION, PLEASE READ:

All applicants must be willing to undertake National Security Vetting in order to work in a Prison Setting. This will be completed as part of the pre-employment checks through Oxleas and the prison vetting team.

You will need to provide:

Proof of right to work documentation

Proof of ID, needs to include 1 photographicID

Proof of address documentation

Non-UK passport holders will need to have correct documentation (right to work in the UK) and a Home office Share code.

Address History:

5 years address history will be needed.

Applicants that are not UK Passport holders who provide less than 5 years UK address history will need to provide a Police Certificate which must be in English from where they resided previously.

Applicants who are UK Passport holders who have lived abroad for a period of more than six months during the last three years will need to provide a certificate of good conduct or an overseas police check in English from the countries resided in or visited.

In order to assist you in obtaining a Police Certificate, guidance can be sought from:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants

If the country you have resided in is not listed here, you can obtain the necessary information by contacting the relevant Embassy or High Commission for that Country. Their contact details can be found on the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website (http://www.fco.gov.uk/en).

Person Specification

Education/Qualifications

Essential

  • Registered Mental Health Nurse.
  • Relevant, post registration training in one of the following areas: Learning disability/Personality disorder/Substance misuse/dual diagnosis/Psychological therapies

Experience

Essential

  • Appropriate working experience post qualification as a psychiatric nurse
  • Experience in prison or secure settings
  • Post qualification experience in working with one of the above specialisms

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge

Essential

  • Clear understanding of CPA policy
  • Clear understanding of Risk Assessment principles and procedures.
  • Knowledge of models of mental health assessment.
  • Show a clear understanding of how to give and receive highly complex and sensitive material.
  • Knowledge of current mental health issues.
  • Knowledge of Criminal Justice System
  • Sound evidence based clinical knowledge of adult mental health treatments and support.
  • Knowledge of Clinical Governance.

Effort and Environment

Essential

  • Ability to manage complex & challenging behaviour
Person Specification

Education/Qualifications

Essential

  • Registered Mental Health Nurse.
  • Relevant, post registration training in one of the following areas: Learning disability/Personality disorder/Substance misuse/dual diagnosis/Psychological therapies

Experience

Essential

  • Appropriate working experience post qualification as a psychiatric nurse
  • Experience in prison or secure settings
  • Post qualification experience in working with one of the above specialisms

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge

Essential

  • Clear understanding of CPA policy
  • Clear understanding of Risk Assessment principles and procedures.
  • Knowledge of models of mental health assessment.
  • Show a clear understanding of how to give and receive highly complex and sensitive material.
  • Knowledge of current mental health issues.
  • Knowledge of Criminal Justice System
  • Sound evidence based clinical knowledge of adult mental health treatments and support.
  • Knowledge of Clinical Governance.

Effort and Environment

Essential

  • Ability to manage complex & challenging behaviour

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).

Additional information

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

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Address

HMP Portland

104 The Grove Grove Road,

Portland

DT5 1DL


Employer's website

http://oxleas.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Address

HMP Portland

104 The Grove Grove Road,

Portland

DT5 1DL


Employer's website

http://oxleas.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


For questions about the job, contact:

Head of Health Care

Suraj Persand

s.persand@nhs.net

01305715545

Date posted

20 March 2024

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£35,392 to £42,618 a year pa

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time

Reference number

277-5318537-SWP-M

Job locations

HMP Portland

104 The Grove Grove Road,

Portland

DT5 1DL


Supporting documents

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