Mental Health Practitioner

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 08 May 2024

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a band 6 mental health practitioner to work in the Home Treatment Team in Kendal.

The Home Treatment Team cares for people who are experiencing acute episodes of mental illness or emotional distress. The service is an alternative to admission and offers intensive support to service users and their families in the community.

The service works closely with the in-patient wards to support early discharges and with other parts of the mental health services as well as third sector providers, so great communication skills are essential.

The post is a full-time, permanent post covering the service over 7 days per week working long days and nights. The team covers Kendal and surrounding areas.

As a member of the team you would be working with a multi-disciplinary team consisting of Mental Health Nurses; Support Workers; Occupational Therapist; Psychologist and Consultant Psychiatrist.

Main duties of the job

You will provide a comprehensive assessment and triage service and, where necessary signposting or clear onward facilitation to a mental health pathway. Your referrers will include GPs, Police and Acute Hospital colleagues, self-referrals and referrals from carers. Service users will be triaged collaboratively and a decision will be made in consultation with the referrer and with the use of a clinical tool, the response time required.

This comprehensive, collaborative triage system will lead to comprehensive assessment clear onward facilitation of service users to the most appropriate care following assessment.

The post holder will provide evidence based mental health assessments and/or signposting to alternative service provision for people who present requiring a specialist urgent mental health assessment. The post holder may offer follow-up appointments within the agreed timescale for intervention as part of the on-going assessment process.

About us

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health and forensic services including low and medium secure care.

The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area.

Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust encourages flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, flexi-time and career breaks. We encourage applicants to state clearly on their application forms this request and discuss these options at interview.

For more information please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT

Date posted

25 April 2024

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£35,392 to £42,618 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

351-BAY589-LW-B

Job locations

Garburn House

Kendal

LA9 7RG

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see attached the job description and person specification for more information about this role.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see attached the job description and person specification for more information about this role.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Registered Mental Health Nurse/ Social worker / Occupational therapist

Knowledge

Essential

Able to understand the difference between crisis planning and contingency planning and able to formulate explicit planning in these areas
Knowledge, understanding and experience of the care pathways for psychosis and non psychosis and relevant interventions
Understanding of how physical illness and substance misuse can affect the mental health of individuals oKnowledge of Safeguarding procedures, Criminal Justice procedures, Mental Health legislation, guidance and processes,
Knowledge of recovery models and promoting independence

Skills

Essential

Assertiveness skills in relation to bed management
Able to work autonomously within the community
Ability and skills in undertaking robust psycho social urgent assessments of mental health service user needs
Complete risk assessments which reflect the risk a service user may pose. Transfer the risk assessment into robust risk management planning.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Registered Mental Health Nurse/ Social worker / Occupational therapist

Knowledge

Essential

Able to understand the difference between crisis planning and contingency planning and able to formulate explicit planning in these areas
Knowledge, understanding and experience of the care pathways for psychosis and non psychosis and relevant interventions
Understanding of how physical illness and substance misuse can affect the mental health of individuals oKnowledge of Safeguarding procedures, Criminal Justice procedures, Mental Health legislation, guidance and processes,
Knowledge of recovery models and promoting independence

Skills

Essential

Assertiveness skills in relation to bed management
Able to work autonomously within the community
Ability and skills in undertaking robust psycho social urgent assessments of mental health service user needs
Complete risk assessments which reflect the risk a service user may pose. Transfer the risk assessment into robust risk management planning.

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.