Job summary
Mental Health Practitioner - Mental Health Urgent Care Department
Base - Basildon Hospital
Hours - 37.5hrs Full Time (Full Internal Rotation)
The Mental Health Urgent Care Department, is a facility where adults, aged 18 years and above, who are experiencing a mental health crisis can receive an urgent biopsychosocial assessment with immediate care planning. It is a new, purpose built department based at the Basildon Mental Health Unit on the Basildon university Hospital site.
The post holder will work as a Band 6 Senior Practitioner with the urgent care team providing high quality, evidence-based, holistic assessments to patients attending the service. Assessments must be completed in line with your professional code and Trust policies and clinical guidelines
The service offers full emergency mental health assessments and onward care planning with a diverse and highly skilled mental health workforce incorporating support workers, peer coaches, social worker, nurses and doctors.
The role will require the post holder to work collaboratively to support every aspect of emergency mental health care planning from GP referrals, ambulance conveyance to Mental Health Act Assessments, whilst providing 24/7 access for 'walk in's.'
Main duties of the job
You will assess, plan, implement and evaluate care based upon individual service user needs, under the guidance of the Clinical lead as per NICE guidance.
Provide delegated accountability for Band 3 Health Care Assistants ensuring clinical competence and understanding, with effective support and guidance during the shift.
As required by your manager, you will have deputise when required for the day to day co-ordination of the shift within the Urgent Care Department, for example to cover breaks and the clinical lead's attendance to urgent clinical matters as they arise.
You will work collaboratively with key partner organisations, service users, carers, clinicians and other practitioners within the multi-disciplinary team in delivering services; providing a 7-day a week, 24-hours a day service for 365 days a year working shifts where appropriate and operationally required.
Please note that this role outline serves to provide an illustrative example of the duties and responsibilities you may be expected to undertake during the course of your normal duties. It is not an exhaustive list and you will therefore be required to undertake other responsibilities and duties that are considered to be commensurate with the band.
About us
EPUT are looking for motivated staff who shares our Trust values of Care, Learn and Empower. In return, EPUT can offer you a range of benefits and development including;
- Season Ticket Loans
- NHS discounts for staff
- Excellent Training facilities and opportunities
- Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
- The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
- Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
- Day One Flexible Employer
The Trust supports and actively encourages flexible working for all employees. We offer many options and you are encouraged to ask the recruiting manager what is possible for this role. If appointed, you will have the opportunity to apply for a flexible working request from the first day of your employment
Join our Staff bank
What is Staff Bank?
Our EPUT NHS staff bank is an entity managed by the trust that hires clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals to take on shifts at our trust hospitals and community settings. Here at EPUT we maintain our own bank of specialist staff to ensure that we are able offer safe and effective care at all times.
All our permanent staff are automatically enrolled onto the staff bank however this does not mean you have to work any additional shifts, but the option is there for you if you wish.
If you are joining our Trust in a fixed term role, please indicate on your New Starter Paperwork that you wish to join our staff bank.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Professional Functions:
- Provide comprehensive assessment, care and safety planning for patients attending the Urgent Care Department ensuring their care pathway is purposeful and promotes recovery.
- Ensure accurate and timely clinical documentation in line with your professional Code and Trust policy.
- Develop and maintain specialist clinical skills and expertise in the assessment and treatment of people with mental health needs.
- Receive, triage and assess patients attending the Urgent Care Department, ensuring nursing triage, assessment, care and support of each person is appropriate to their individual needs
- Offer advice on management of patients with mental health issues other health care professionals, advocating for best practice in line with Trust and national guidance.
- Assess, investigate, treat and discharge or refer patients attending the department with a diverse range of minor injuries/illnesses, within the parameters of the Urgent Care Department guidelines and scope of practice.
- Feedback outcomes of assessments to the department clinical leaders and agree and implement the management plan
- Ensure that patients requiring further assessment and help are referred on appropriately.
- Implement effective joint care planning for people who repeatedly attend throughout the urgent care pathway
- Arrange admission to the mental health services in conjunction with the Urgent Care Department psychiatrist
- Support and participate in the introduction and delivery of short-term psychological interventions for a specific cohort of individuals.
- Liaise effectively with staff in local systems and maintain accurate patient records that provide assessment reports to GPs and other allied agencies.
- To provide advice and monitor the use and provision of the Mental Health/Capacity Act (1983/2005) and other relevant legislation.
- To provide clinical advice/expertise health education, consultation and staff support to other health professionals
- Have knowledge of how to access appropriate services and develop effective networks and channels of communication
- To actively participate in the achievement of clinical outcome measures and accreditations for the servic
Managerial:
- Support the Clinical Lead in ensuring the effective provision of care, service developments of the urgent Care Team
- In the absence of the Clinical Lead ensure that referral, assessment and workload allocation happens in a timely, flexible and responsive manger, taking into account the wishes of the patients and their carers.
- On a daily basis, support and manage the patients within the urgent care department, providing appropriate prioritisation of the workload within agreed timeframes depending on the nature of the presenting needs and patient safety risks.
- Participate in team meetings, initiating and discussing new methods/models of care using QI methodology and contribute in the introduction of research or trials within the area.
- Participate in the multi-disciplinary and multi-agency decision-making process through team meetings and team building.
- Undertake duties as assigned by senior staff to ensure that all agreed patient quality, safety and operational performance outcomes are delivered within the area of responsibility
- To promote the understanding of urgent mental health care through formal and informal teaching
- To support the induction of new staff to the team as required
- To supervise students as part of their training, either on placement or providing information/teaching sessions
- Act as role model at all times, able to demonstrate leadership skills
- Provide specialist advice, support and consultation to staff within the team, outside teams and other agencies.
- Undertake professional, clinical and managerial supervision in line with Trust policies and procedures, discussing the overall nature of the workload, work methods and techniques whilst evaluating clinical practice.
- The post holder will support the introduction of outcome measures to measure patient experience.
- Contribute towards team education and development providing opportunities for exchange of ideas, experience, techniques and interventions.
- Ensure that all junior staff are fully conversant with the physical health needs agenda of all patients. A holistic approach to care is required that encompasses physical health, mental health and social care.
- Take part in service development and review.
Communication and Working Relationship:
- Establish and maintain professional and effective working relationships with allied professionals
- Develop and ensure effective communication and relatives and carers and all appropriate agencies, especially when patients are admitted or being prepared for discharge from hospital, allowing continuity of care and effective care planning
- Ensuring effective and confidential communication between medical, nursing, social care and health care agencies
- Ensure proficient communication and documentation of risk to maintain the safety of others
- Positively support the concept of change within the team by contributing ideas for improvement of patient care.
- Participate in the maintenance of a constructive learning environment, encouraging enquiry and teaching and able to demonstrate physical and mental health clinical skills.
Responsibility for Patient/Client Care:
- Work flexibly to meet the needs of patients
- Develop and maintain effective individualised care by ensuring the following areas are proactively undertaken at all times:
- Triage and assessment of client mental, physical and social care needs
- Planning, implementation and evaluation of clinical interventions
- Clear, accurate and concise documentation of individualised patient care and reflect the changing needs of the patient
- Ensure risk assessment and management is an integral part of everyday practice
- The post holder will be approachable and develop good working relationships with the patients and carers providing them with adequate information on services
- Contribute to department patient review procedures to ensure timely clinical decisions and departmental flow are maintained
- Use research findings when designing care programmes and develop and awareness of the significance of nursing research that underpins evidence based practice.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Professional Functions:
- Provide comprehensive assessment, care and safety planning for patients attending the Urgent Care Department ensuring their care pathway is purposeful and promotes recovery.
- Ensure accurate and timely clinical documentation in line with your professional Code and Trust policy.
- Develop and maintain specialist clinical skills and expertise in the assessment and treatment of people with mental health needs.
- Receive, triage and assess patients attending the Urgent Care Department, ensuring nursing triage, assessment, care and support of each person is appropriate to their individual needs
- Offer advice on management of patients with mental health issues other health care professionals, advocating for best practice in line with Trust and national guidance.
- Assess, investigate, treat and discharge or refer patients attending the department with a diverse range of minor injuries/illnesses, within the parameters of the Urgent Care Department guidelines and scope of practice.
- Feedback outcomes of assessments to the department clinical leaders and agree and implement the management plan
- Ensure that patients requiring further assessment and help are referred on appropriately.
- Implement effective joint care planning for people who repeatedly attend throughout the urgent care pathway
- Arrange admission to the mental health services in conjunction with the Urgent Care Department psychiatrist
- Support and participate in the introduction and delivery of short-term psychological interventions for a specific cohort of individuals.
- Liaise effectively with staff in local systems and maintain accurate patient records that provide assessment reports to GPs and other allied agencies.
- To provide advice and monitor the use and provision of the Mental Health/Capacity Act (1983/2005) and other relevant legislation.
- To provide clinical advice/expertise health education, consultation and staff support to other health professionals
- Have knowledge of how to access appropriate services and develop effective networks and channels of communication
- To actively participate in the achievement of clinical outcome measures and accreditations for the servic
Managerial:
- Support the Clinical Lead in ensuring the effective provision of care, service developments of the urgent Care Team
- In the absence of the Clinical Lead ensure that referral, assessment and workload allocation happens in a timely, flexible and responsive manger, taking into account the wishes of the patients and their carers.
- On a daily basis, support and manage the patients within the urgent care department, providing appropriate prioritisation of the workload within agreed timeframes depending on the nature of the presenting needs and patient safety risks.
- Participate in team meetings, initiating and discussing new methods/models of care using QI methodology and contribute in the introduction of research or trials within the area.
- Participate in the multi-disciplinary and multi-agency decision-making process through team meetings and team building.
- Undertake duties as assigned by senior staff to ensure that all agreed patient quality, safety and operational performance outcomes are delivered within the area of responsibility
- To promote the understanding of urgent mental health care through formal and informal teaching
- To support the induction of new staff to the team as required
- To supervise students as part of their training, either on placement or providing information/teaching sessions
- Act as role model at all times, able to demonstrate leadership skills
- Provide specialist advice, support and consultation to staff within the team, outside teams and other agencies.
- Undertake professional, clinical and managerial supervision in line with Trust policies and procedures, discussing the overall nature of the workload, work methods and techniques whilst evaluating clinical practice.
- The post holder will support the introduction of outcome measures to measure patient experience.
- Contribute towards team education and development providing opportunities for exchange of ideas, experience, techniques and interventions.
- Ensure that all junior staff are fully conversant with the physical health needs agenda of all patients. A holistic approach to care is required that encompasses physical health, mental health and social care.
- Take part in service development and review.
Communication and Working Relationship:
- Establish and maintain professional and effective working relationships with allied professionals
- Develop and ensure effective communication and relatives and carers and all appropriate agencies, especially when patients are admitted or being prepared for discharge from hospital, allowing continuity of care and effective care planning
- Ensuring effective and confidential communication between medical, nursing, social care and health care agencies
- Ensure proficient communication and documentation of risk to maintain the safety of others
- Positively support the concept of change within the team by contributing ideas for improvement of patient care.
- Participate in the maintenance of a constructive learning environment, encouraging enquiry and teaching and able to demonstrate physical and mental health clinical skills.
Responsibility for Patient/Client Care:
- Work flexibly to meet the needs of patients
- Develop and maintain effective individualised care by ensuring the following areas are proactively undertaken at all times:
- Triage and assessment of client mental, physical and social care needs
- Planning, implementation and evaluation of clinical interventions
- Clear, accurate and concise documentation of individualised patient care and reflect the changing needs of the patient
- Ensure risk assessment and management is an integral part of everyday practice
- The post holder will be approachable and develop good working relationships with the patients and carers providing them with adequate information on services
- Contribute to department patient review procedures to ensure timely clinical decisions and departmental flow are maintained
- Use research findings when designing care programmes and develop and awareness of the significance of nursing research that underpins evidence based practice.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- Registration Mental Health Nurse RMN Part 3 or equivalent LD/social work/AHP qualification
- Educated to Degree Level or equivalent
Desirable
- Completion of Mentorship Course/ENB equivalent
- Non-medical prescriber
Skills/Experience
Essential
- Evidence of personal development e.g. objective setting, time management skills etc.
Desirable
- Previous experience with patient triage.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- Registration Mental Health Nurse RMN Part 3 or equivalent LD/social work/AHP qualification
- Educated to Degree Level or equivalent
Desirable
- Completion of Mentorship Course/ENB equivalent
- Non-medical prescriber
Skills/Experience
Essential
- Evidence of personal development e.g. objective setting, time management skills etc.
Desirable
- Previous experience with patient triage.
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).
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).
