Mental Health Practitioner

Job responsibilities

Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached. It is important to us that we ensure our recruitment processes are accessible and inclusive to everyone - if as a potential candidate you are concerned a person specification may prevent or restrict your application for employment as a result of unintentional barriers on the grounds of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, religion/belief or disability please initially contact the Trust's Recruitment team - detailed in the advert. The Trust will seek to resolve this issue wherever possible.

We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.

Qualifications

Essential

• PERSON SPECIFICATION
• Criteria
• Essential
• Desirable
• Qualification
• special/vocational training or equivalent experience
• Registered Mental Health Nurse or social worker or occupational therapist
• Current driving licence and use of vehicle
• Previous in-depth experience of working in adult mental health.
• Previous experience of working with psychosis.
• Previous experience of carrying out generic mental health assessments.
• Medication management and
• administration experience nurse
• Awareness of both national and local mental health developments.
• Child Protection Policy.
• Mental Health Law.
• CPA policy incorporating Care
• Management and knowledge of Care Co-ordinator role.
• Supervising of students on clinical placement
• IT skills
• What our services users expect of this post holder
• Flexible in approach
• Adaptable to change
• Sensitivity to the needs of service users and their families
• Commitment to support service users in their recovery
• Safeguarding
• Safeguarding Level 2 and 3 Training:
• Competence
• Demonstrates skills and knowledge to contribute too and lead effectivelythe safeguarding Process
• Awareness and application of a range of local/national policy and procedural frameworks when undertaking Safeguarding activity
• Ensure service users/carers are supported appropriately to understand Safeguarding issues to maximise their decision making
• Understand when to use emergency systems to Safeguard adults and children-know when to call for ambulance and or police intervention / contact out of hours service/ describe when emergency plans may be required and use legislation where immediate action may be required e.g Mental Health Act/Deprivation of Liberty/Child Protection
• Maintain accurate , complete and contemporaneous records
• Demonstrate the required level of skills and knowledge to undertake a Safeguarding Adults or Children investigation internally or as part of a multi-agency team
• Maintain and deliver safeguarding supervision
• Engage and participate in all safeguarding training appropriate to role

Desirable

• Assessor
• Mentorship
• Family Intervention Training
• CBT training
• Experience general specific

Experience

Essential

• Previous experience of working in a community based mental health service.
• Previous experience of completing physical health monitoring.

Desirable

• Knowledge of assessments for service users with psychosis
• Knowledge of local IT systems
• Training in Assessment of Motor and Process Skills

Additional Criteria

Essential

• Working Conditions
• Driver, outdoors VDUTo hold a current UK driving licence and have access to own vehicle.
• To be able to operate IT and display screen equipment.
• To be aware of the risks involved in working as a lone practitioner and adhere to the agreed policy to maintain personal safety.

Desirable

• HEALTH AND SAFETY
• Everyone is responsible for their own safety and the consequences of their own acts and omissions that can affect the health, safety and wellbeing of others. Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust is committed to promoting a safe environment for staff, visitors and patients that enter Trust premises. Employees have a duty under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 to take responsibility for their own health and safety at work.
• All SHFT employees are to:
• Carry out their work in a safe and competent manner, following detailed safe operating procedures, where applicable or directed by their relevant functional manager and in accordance with all SHFT policies and procedures.
• *Attend mandatory and statutory training sessions and other training, as directed by their line manager. Employees must bring to the attention of their line manager any outstanding training requirements needed to ensure they carry out their work activities in a safe and competent manner. A member of staff should not carry out any work activity if they are not qualified or trained to carry out these tasks.
• *Conduct activities with due regard for safety of themselves and others within the scope of their knowledge and training. All employees are required to co-operate with and assist workplace/departmental health and safety representatives as required, in accordance with the organisations'risk management policy.
• *Use any machinery, equipment, dangerous substances, transport equipment or personal protective equipment (PPE) provided, in a safe manner and in accordance with their level of competence and any training and instruction received.
• *Report all health and safety related accidents, dangerous occurrences'and near miss incidents via the Trusts incident reporting system. If the incident requires immediate action to preserve evidence and an investigation is required, the member of staff should contact the H&S Manager.
• SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
• It is the responsibility of all employees to support the Trusts'vision for sustainable development.To undertake their duties in a way that is not wasteful of environment, financial and social resources.
• EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY
• It is the responsibility of all employees to support the Trust's vision of promoting a positive approach to diversity and equality of opportunity, to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage in service delivery and employment, and to manage, support or comply through the implementation of Equality & Diversity Strategies and Policies.
• INFORMATION GOVERNANCE
• As an employee you will have access to information that is sensitive to either an individual or to the organisation and you are reminded that in accordance with the requirements of Information Governance, NHS Code of Confidentiality, Data Protection Act 1998 and also the terms and conditions in your contract of employment, you have a duty to process this information judiciously and lawfully; failure to do so may result in disciplinary action.
• PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
• The Trust is committed to providing a high quality service through the effective management and development of its employees.The Performance Appraisal process ensures that the Trust is able to achieve its key aims of delivering cost effective, high quality and responsive healthcare, whilst enabling employees to understand how the outcome of their contribution fits within these overall aims.
• All staff have the responsibility to support all learners and to keep their knowledge of supporting learners in practice up-to-date, according to appropriate governing bodies regulations.
• STATUTORY AND MANDATORY TRAINING
• The Trust will assess the requirements for Statutory and Mandatory training for all new staff prior to commencement and aims to ensure that all Statutory and Mandatory training requirements are completed before staff start their full duties.
• All required Statutory and Mandatory training must be completed within the first three months of staff start date and refresher training must also be undertaken on a regular basis and in accordance with the Trust's policy.
• INFECTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL
• The Trust has designated the prevention and control of infection and the full implementation of the Code of Practice (2008) as a core component in the organisations clinical governance, managing risk and patient safety programmes.All employees are expected to follow consistently high standards in the prevention and control of infection, especially with reference to hand hygiene, adherence to dress/uniform code and for clinical staff all procedures involving aseptic technique.Be aware of and follow all Trust Infection Control guidelines and procedures relevant to their work.Participate in mandatory training and annual updates.Protecting patients from infection is everyone's responsibility.
• SMOKE-FREE POLICY
• This Trust operates a Smoke-free policy.This means that smoking is not permitted anywhere within owned or leased premises, including within their grounds and within owned or leased vehicles.In the interests of promoting responsible healthcare all staff are to refrain from smoking when off-site in uniform or wearing an identifying NHS badge in any public place.The policy also applies to all staff employed by the Trust at any location they may work, whether within or external to the Trust's premises.The policy contains further details including support facilities; subsequent failure to comply with this policy may result in disciplinary action.
• CONFIDENTIALITY
• In the course of your employment you will have access to confidential information of a personal and/or clinical nature, including information relating to the Trust, its clients, patients, employees and other parties.
• You must not use such information for your own benefit nor disclose it to other persons without the consent of the Trust and the party concerned unless required to do so by law. This applies both during and after the termination of your employment. Any breach of confidentiality during employment may be regarded as serious misconduct and could lead to summary dismissal
• REHABILITATION OF OFFENDERS ACT 1974
• This post is subject to an exception order under the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.This stipulates that all previous convictions, including those that are'spent'must be declared.Previous convictions will not necessarily preclude an individual from employment but must be declared in writing at the appropriate stage during the recruitment process.
• DATA PROTECTION
• As your employer, the Trust needs to keep information about you for purposes connected with your employment. The sort of information we will hold includes information for payroll purposes, references, contact names and addresses and records relating to your career with the Trust. These uses are covered by our notification with the Information Commissioners Office under the Data Protection Act 1998.
• The information which we hold will be for our management and administrative use only but we may need to disclose some information we hold about you to relevant third parties (e.g. Inland Revenue).We may also transfer information about you to the NHS Executive solely for purposes connected with the management of the NHS.
• RECORDS MANAGEMENT AND QUALITY
• As an employee, you are legally responsible for all records that you gather, create or use as part of you work within the Trust and they remain the property of the Trust. This includes patient, financial, personal and administrative records, whether paper based or on computer.All such records are considered public records and you have a legal duty of confidence to all service users.
• You should consult the Trusts Records Management Policy and ask for guidance from your manager if you have and doubt about the correct management of records with which you work.All staff have a responsibility to ensure information quality standards are achieved.
• INFORMATION SECURITY
• Under the provisions of the Data Protection act, it is the responsibility of each member of staff to ensure that all personal data relating to patients and members of staff, whether held in manual or electronic format, is kept secure at all times.Computer passwords must not be shared either between systems or users. The Trust may monitor e-mail messages, any files stored on the networks or on equipment and usage of the Internet, NHS.net and computer systems, irrespective of whether these relate to trust or personal use.
• Access and usage of the Trusts computers must be in accordance with the Trust's Policies. Safehaven procedures are to be used for all electronic transfers of personal data. This is in order to protect the Trust's patients and staff, and its reputation and to ensure that it complies with the law and other guidelines.
• NHS CONSTITUTION
• You are obliged to comply with Staff Duties under the constitution, which are as follows:
• 1.To accept professional accountability and maintain the standards of professional practice as set out by the appropriate regulatory body applicable to your profession or role.
• 2.To take reasonable care of your health and safety at work for you, your team and others, and to cooperate with employers to ensure compliance with health and safety requirements.
• 3.To act in accordance with the express and implied terms of your contract of employment.
• 4.Not to discriminate against patients or staff and to adhere to equal opportunities and human rights legislation.
• 5.To protect the confidentiality of personal information you hold unless to do so would put anyone at risk of significant harm.
• 6.To be honest and truthful in applying for a job and in carrying out that job.

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).