Band 6 Specialist Mental Health Control Room Practitioner - Devizes

NHS; Devizes; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading health service organization is seeking a part-time Band 6 Specialist Mental Health Control Room Practitioner based in Devizes. This exciting and rewarding role focuses on supporting police with mental health-related incidents, requiring strong decision-making skills and experience in crisis situations. The ideal candidate will have a background in mental health assessment, excellent communication abilities, and a readiness to work shifts. This position offers a friendly work environment with access to on-site facilities.

Benefits

Free parking

Access to gym

Canteen facilities

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in mental health services, particularly in frontline roles.
• Competent use of IT systems and software.
• Strong understanding of mental health legal frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Deliver mental health assessments in emergencies.
• Work collaboratively with police and mental health teams.
• Provide clinical leadership and supervise team members.

Skills

Crisis management

Excellent communication

IT proficiency

Mental health assessment

Risk assessment strategies

Education

Professional Registration

Tools

Electronic record keeping systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

Band 6 Specialist Mental Health Control Room Practitioner - Devizes

The Mental Health Control Room Triage Service is looking for a new part-time team member to join our team, based in the Wiltshire Police control room.

We are a small and friendly team of mental health professionals. We support each other and pride ourselves on the strong working relationships we have built with our Wiltshire Police colleagues.

If you are enthusiastic and looking for a challenging, different, yet rewarding role, this could be the job for you!

Unlike many other nursing roles, this team does not hold a caseload. We work with the "here and now," helping to support police officers and staff in dealing with any mental health-related incidents that arise.

Mental health demand has increased in all areas during the pandemic and continues to rise as we move beyond it. We are here to help relieve some of that pressure for the police.

This role is fast-paced and requires the new team member to be confident in making good, concise, and quick decisions, mainly based around clinical risk. Therefore, a background in crisis work would be highly desirable, although not essential.

Main duties of the job

This role is focused on working closely with the police to ensure the most effective pathway is followed when they are called upon to address the needs of individuals with mental health problems.

The role involves using information technology as a matter of course, so being reasonably confident and competent in IT is desirable. Full training on the systems we use will be provided as part of the induction.

The service operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; therefore, the new team member will be expected to work shifts, which will include some bank holidays, unsocial hours, and night shifts.

The aim of the role is to facilitate the following:

• Reduction of inappropriate use of Section 136 of the Mental Health Act (MHA)
• Improved communication through partnership working
• Increased police confidence in dealing with individuals experiencing mental health issues
• Faster response for those suffering from mental health problems
• Reduction in the number of people accessing A&E inappropriately
• Improved information sharing between agencies
• Better patient outcomes and experience
• Enhanced working relationships between police and health services
• Direct access to mental health services

The successful candidate will work in a friendly and supportive environment at Police Headquarters in Devizes, Wiltshire. We enjoy access to on-site facilities such as free parking, a canteen, rest areas, kitchen spaces, and a gym.

About us

We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust): a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.

We deliver services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire, and parts of Dorset.

Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees provide better care.

AWP is committed to supporting and creating a positive, research- and evidence-based environment and culture, which benefits everyone who works for the organisation and enhances the care we provide to those who use our services.

At AWP, we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds. We are particularly keen to receive applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives, and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.

Job responsibilities

In a wide range of situations, deliver comprehensive mental health assessments, including in emergencies for service users who may be distressed and in crisis. This will include:

• The use of standardised assessment tools (e.g., SBAR, Risk Assessment, Progress Notes).
• Accessing available information on RiO and recording on RiO:
  • History, strengths, and aspirations.
  • Mental state.
  • Impact of culture and diversity.
  • Functional needs.
  • The needs of family and carers.
  • Evaluation of risk.
  • Physical health.
  • Complicating factors.
• Identifying and ensuring specialist involvement where required.
• Determining interventions and treatments required to enable positive change.
• Social care considerations.
• Safeguarding and public protection.
• Assessing capacity under the Mental Capacity Act.
• Effective use of Police IT systems.

Additional responsibilities include:

• Participating in developing comprehensive plans for individuals with mental health needs who frequently contact emergency services, including strategies to manage risk for service users with complex needs and involving other resources as required.
• Providing effective liaison with healthcare and other professionals.
• Coordinating and undertaking protective interventions required for the protection of others, as outlined in the protection plan, and taking individual action where indicated.
• Undertaking active clinical leadership and supervision within the team, covering for the Manager and colleagues as required.
• Maintaining the single health and social care record, ensuring both paper (if required) and electronic records are kept up to date in accordance with professional and organisational standards.
• Providing mentoring and training for others in relevant practice areas, according to professional requirements, taking a collaborative approach to practice development and evidence-based care. Specifically, this includes:
  • Providing a safe and effective learning environment for mentoring and supervising students.
  • Participating in their learning objectives and assessments.
• Demonstrating responsibility for developing own practice in line with professional qualifications and contributing to the development of others by making use of and providing effective feedback, supervision, and coaching.
• Adhering to professional codes of conduct and ensuring required skills and competencies are maintained.
• Monitoring and maintaining health, safety, and security of self and others, undertaking assessments and taking appropriate action where required.
• Developing own knowledge and practice and contributing to the development of others, making use of available feedback, supervision, and appraisal to identify appropriate areas of development for this work role, and taking responsibility for accessing identified learning and training opportunities.
• Leading, maintaining, and participating in practices that enable effective team working.
• Participating in local arrangements where required to manage unexpected staff absences.
• Supporting all team members to keep their mandatory and statutory training up to date and identifying the learning and development needs of all team members, ensuring that everyone has an up-to-date Personal Development Plan (PDP).

Person Specification

• Evidence of Professional Registration
• Demonstrates substantial post-registration experience, gained working in a range of frontline adult mental health services, undertaking assessment and delivering interventions
• Substantially developed IT skills including competent use of Microsoft office, and the use of electronic record keeping systems
• Highly developed written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrates substantial experience in assessing risk and developing risk management strategies
• Demonstrates and knowledge and understanding about the Mental Health control room triage service and it's background
• Able to articulate a detailed understanding of the relevant legal frameworks/ legislation

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.