Job responsibilities
Job Purpose:
- This established post provides the CAMHS Crisis Service for children and young people presenting to Croydon University Hospital (CUH) with self-harm and in mental health crisis. The post holder will undertake a range of therapeutic tasks which will include:
- Assessment of children and young persons presenting with self-harm, suicidality and mental health crisis, at the A&E Department or following admission to the paediatric wards.
- Working with colleagues to provide training, education and support of A&E, Paediatric and Adult Psychiatric Liaison staff, through formal teaching and provision of active clinical leadership to the ward teams
- Provide consultation and advice to ward teams with respect to management of complex cases
- To actively participate in the service development.
The post will include a range of shift patterns between 9am 10pm Monday to Saturday.
2.1 The post holder, together with senior colleagues, will have responsibility for assuring the quality of clinical practice in the treatment of high risk and crisis cases within Croydon CAMHS. You will hold responsibility for ensuring that all team members participate in audit, evaluation and research in the treatment of self harm.
2.2 You will be responsible for ensuring that staff within the team achieve positive clinical outcomes for children, young people and their families and that these are evidenced by performance indicators such as activity data, targets and quality measures. 2.3 You will work in partnership with Social services, Education Voluntary agencies and child health to support integrated practice and service delivery.3. Facts & Figures
South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust provides a full range of mental health services to the people of Croydon, Lambeth, Southwark, and Lewisham as well as national specialist services. It has a budget of £370 million. The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service Directorate operates across the Trust and has a budget of circa £44 million.
3.1 Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service Clinical Academic Group (CAG) South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has the largest child and adolescent mental health service in the country. National leaders in their field, working in both the Trust and associated Universities have a profound influence on our understanding of mental health problems in childhood, on the development of treatment approaches and on service development and evaluation. The service is made up of five clinical units: National & Specialist and the boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham and Croydon. Staff within the CAG provide the main national training programmes for under and post-graduate trainees from all the key mental health professions and it is important to ensure that academic and service interests work in a collaborative and mutually beneficial way. Child and adolescent mental health services have a history of multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working and it is important to nurture these different perspectives to effectively contribute to the national policy of cross-agency collaboration. 3.2 National & Specialist in-patient and out-patient services The specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services within the South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust have a formidable reputation nationally and internationally. Clinical practice has thrived on mutually supportive links with the Institute of Psychiatry and with the Medical Research Council Child Psychiatry Unit.
3.3 Kings Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC)
The South London and Maudsley, Guys and St Thomas and Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trusts and Kings College London, are part of Kings Health Partners. Kings Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC) is a pioneering global collaboration between one of the worlds leading research led universities and three of Londons most successful NHS Foundation Trusts, including leading teaching hospitals and comprehensive mental health services.
3.4 The Borough of Croydon Croydon has the largest geographical area of all the London boroughs with a child population of approximately 88,700. It is a mixed urban and suburban area with some wards showing substantial socio-economic diversity.
Overall, the indices of social deprivation for the boroughs are close to the national average. It is an area of cultural and ethnic diversity with relatively high numbers of refugees and over 126 languages spoken in local schools.
3.5 Croydon CAMHS The Croydon Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) is based at Christopher Wren House.
Key Responsibilities:5.1 Clinical Specialist responsibilities to the Team
Clinical
- To undertake psychosocial of young people following acts of self-harm and/or when presenting with a psychiatric disorder. Assessments will take place on the Paediatric wards and A&E Departments of Croydon University Hospital.
- To complete risk assessments and risk management planning for young people in mental health crisis.
- To liaise and consult with CAMHS colleagues to provide further specialist assessment if necessary.
- To offer follow up appointments following initial assessment to review risk management plans and assess further support required.
- To provide links and transition support to other services as indicated.
- To evaluate and make decisions about treatment options in consultation with teams across the Trust and wider agencies including social services, voluntary services, CAMHS teams, the Response team, psychiatric inpatient wards, respectively.
- To provide advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals working in other agencies and contribute to multi-agency care planning.
- To provide clinical leadership to clinicians of the Paediatric wards, Adult Psych Liaison and A&E staff.
- To follow the assessment protocol and to complete the clinical record on the CAMHS Clinical Information System (EPJS) maintaining clinical records appropriately and in line with the Trust policy
- To participate in regular clinical supervision.
Ensure that conditions of service and HR procedures are followed within the Team, including monitoring of annual leave, staff activity, and take prompt action regarding concerns in staff performance in conjunction with the Section manager. Provide clinical supervision and or appraisal to junior members of the team, which would include assisting others in planning their workload. Undertake staff appraisals.
Monitor and improve the standard of service delivery of the team via through the implementation of clinical governance procedures such as audit and the development of protocols. Introducing new clinical practices based on research evidence and other evaluation work with the agreement of the Team Manager, Clinical Colleagues, Lead Clinician and Service manager.
Ensure that the team is a good quality learning environment for CAMHS trainees.
Oversee trainee placements and offering supervision and mentorship as appropriate
Attend and represent CAMHS at meetings relating to the work of child and adolescent mental health services as appropriate within and outside the service.
Ensure that any legislation and statutory requirements are complied with and implemented throughout the team/section.
Deputise for the Team Leader or other Clinical Specialists/Consultants in case supervision, assessment and review clinics during periods of Annual leave or sickness and regularly deputise on extra agreed duties within your team/section. 5.2 Clinical Individual
-Assume responsibility for own case list and case management of children, adolescents and families who are determined to be at high risk.
- Provide primary CAMHS assessments, other specialist assessments and risk assessments to identify and diagnose the cause of emotional and behavioural problems in children and young people.
-Formulate care plans, based on the primary CAMHS assessment. Design, write and share a copy of the care plan with children, young people and their carers.
- Carry out the care plan using evidence-based models of psychological and psychotherapeutic interventions.
- Participate and lead in joint complex assessments with other disciplines and other agencies and provide reports for referrers, families and other agencies as required, including 'witness of fact' court reports where appropriate.
- Assess safeguarding issues for each case and refer concerns to Child Protection teams.
- Maintain good relationships and clear lines of communication with other professional agencies and departments, providing specialist advice and support where appropriate.
5.3 Professional Conduct, Teaching, Training and Research
- Undertake all duties in line with the applicable Code of Professional Conduct, policies and guidelines.
- Work in accordance and within the principles/guidelines of all aspects of clinical governance.
- Make effective use of colleagues in sharing and participating in casework supervision and be able to seek clinical supervision when required.
-Remain up to date with changing practices and wherever possible make full use of all training and educational facilities. Identify development and training needs with manager in accordance with Trust/Directorate.
- Maintain and ensure good professional standards and attitudes towards the care and treatment of clients. Maintain good relationships and clear lines of communication with other professionals, agencies and departments, providing specialist advice and support where appropriate.
- Join colleagues in specialist teaching, consultation /support to other professionals and agencies.
- Will have responsibility for assuring the quality of clinical practice in the treatment of high risk cases in the adolescent team.
