Band 6 Specialist Practitioner - Bristol

Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health service provider in Bristol is seeking a Band 6 Specialist Practitioner to support patients with mental health needs. The role includes providing comprehensive assessments, collaborating with healthcare professionals, and promoting positive mental health practices. Ideal candidates will possess relevant professional registration and demonstrate advanced assessment skills. Flexible working options are available to meet service needs, fostering both professional growth and collaborative team values.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated professional registration and education to degree level.
• Experience in mental health assessment and collaboration.
• Ability to communicate effectively and demonstrate sensitivity.

Responsibilities

• Provide assessments and support for adults with mental health needs.
• Collaborate with Primary Care Health Professionals.
• Manage and advise on risk in accordance with best practices.

Skills

Professional qualification in mental health equivalent to RMN, Registered Social worker or OT

Current registration with a professional body

Advanced assessment skills

Multi agency working

Risk assessment and management strategies

Strong verbal communication skills

Education

Degree level education

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Band 6 Specialist Practitioner - Bristol

THIS POST IS AVAILABLE TO ALL APPLICANTS WHO CAN DEMONSTRATE RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION, EDUCATION TO DEGREE LEVEL OR ABILITY TO DEMONSTRATE EQUIVALENT LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE.

Bristol Shared Point of Access - Triage team is the main integrated referral points into adult secondary mental health services. The teams provide mental health support, advice and signposting for service users and potential users of AWP mental health services, their carers and relatives, GPs, Health and Social Care and third sector.

Our multi-disciplinary team consists of a mix of professionals including Nurses, Occupational therapist and other allied health professionals.

Flexible working, compressed hours and blended approach to home working will be considered in line with meeting service need.

This post is open to newly qualified social workers. In line with AWP trust policy all newly qualified social workers (NQSW) will be recruited initially at Band 5 level, regardless of advertised role banding. All NQSW's are expected to successfully complete their ASYE within 2 years of employment, unless there are exceptional circumstances in which case it may be extended for a further 2 years.

If you have been appointed to an advertised Band 6 role this will be an automatic progression, following confirmation of your successful ASYE completion. If you have been appointed to a Band 5 post you will then be eligible to apply for a subsequent Band 6 vacancy upon successful ASYE completion.

Main duties of the job

Bristol Mental Health Shared Point of Access Triage Team work Monday to Friday, operating between the hours of 8am and 6pm offering assessments for adults aged 18 years onwards. The team provides a duty function in which referrals are screened and triaged with multi-disciplinary discussions to support decision making. Practitioners provide comprehensive assessments and psychoeducation to individuals referred through a range of sources.

You will be a team player and someone who is able to show sensitivity and tact as an essential requirement, with excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

We invest in all our team members and will support you to develop new skills and training opportunities such as 'brief interventions', various training initiative and 'management courses'.

You will join a highly experienced and dedicated multi-disciplinary team who pride themselves on collaborative working. We are currently office based however we are taking a modern approach to working remotely and integrating with the Mental Health Integrated Network Teams (MINT).

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 provide 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 in 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 give better care.

AWP is committed to support and create a positive research and evidence-based environment and culture, which can have a beneficial impact on everyone who works for the organisation and the care we provide to those who use our services.

At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from 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

To provide information, proportional assessment and sign posting to patients and their family and carers presenting with mental health problems/needs in community settings.

To foster strong collaborative and trusting working relationships with the referring agent/Primary Care Health Care Professionals underpinned by an educative and solutions focussed philosophy whilst providing them with credible clinical expertise.

This may include:

• The promotion and use of additional standardised assessment tools.
• Promoting the importance of working with, strengths and aspirations of the person referred.
• The provision of succinct formulations and recommendations (inclusive of risk management advice).
• Assessment of or advice on the impact of culture and diversity.
• Consideration of the respective Primary Care HCPs confidence and capability in relation to The 10 Essential Shared Capabilities (best practice in Mental Health Care).
• Best practice advice and support in a broad range of conditions for people with both functional or organic mental health needs.
• Promotion and recognition of the needs of family and carer/s, including various support networks and third sector agencies.
• Advice and support on evaluating risk from a positive risk taking perspective.
• Support and clarity on formulations within a bio-psycho-social model, including people with medically unexplained symptoms.
• Identifying and ensuring specialist involvement where required.
• Advice on interventions and treatments required to enable positive change.
• Support and advice within Safeguarding and public protection procedures where the issues are complicated by mental health problems.
• Second opinion on complex capacity assessments.
• To facilitate the development of safe and effective mental health care practice within the primary care setting.
• To assist the primary care and secondary mental health teams in the delivery of safe and appropriate care planning processes.
• To provide a prompt response to all referrals following jointly agreed procedures and within agreed time frames.
• To provide concise and effective liaison and feedback to clinical staff within secondary mental health services and Primary Care teams including advice on effective and appropriate management strategies for those patients referred to the service.
• To ensure where needed that people experience a seamless transfer into AWP provider/treatment services.
• To make effective use of the standard liaison approach and structure for assessments according to the SBAR (Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation) format.
• Following assessment, to provide short- term follow up of patients where appropriate.
• To contribute evidence based expertise to multi-disciplinary team care planning processes.
• To provide effective communication with service users, relatives and carers, Primary Care and Secondary health services.
• To advise on medication management issues.
• To ensure the active involvement of carers during all stages of the assessment process.
• To provide a prompt response to requests for information and advice.
• To ensure appropriate communication, both verbal and written, at all stages of the consultation process.
• To promote positive attitudes, mutual understanding and collaboration between non mental health staff and mental health services, users, carers, voluntary agencies, primary care and social services.
• To provide evidence-based specialist advice on how best to meet the mental health needs of the population for staff of other agencies, service users and carers.
• To raise awareness of the effects of physical conditions on the mental health of service users.
• To assist and participate in appropriate service development forums.
• To provide mentoring/ training for others in relevant practice areas, according to professional requirements, taking a collaborative approach to practice development and evidence-based care.
• Demonstrate responsibility for developing own practice in line with professional qualifications and for contributing to the development of others, by making use of and providing, effective feedback, supervision, coaching and appraisal.
• To adhere to the NMC professional code of conduct ensuring required skills and competencies required are maintained.
• Monitor and maintain health, safety and security of self and others, undertaking assessments and taking appropriate action where required.
• Develop own knowledge and practice, and contribute to the development of others, making use of available feedback, supervision and appraisal to identify appropriate areas of development for this work role, taking responsibility for accessing identified learning and training opportunities.
• Lead, maintain and participate in practices which enable team working.
• To maintain the single health and social care record, ensuring both paper and electronic records are kept up to date in accordance with professional and organisational standards.
• To assist in the development and implementation of appropriate systems aimed at ensuring a consistent approach to assessment, communication and follow-up.
• To make appropriate use of time and resources.
• To participate in clinical audit and service evaluation programmes as required.
• To participate in local arrangements where required to manage unexpected staff absences.

Person Specification

Skills & knowledge

• Professional qualification in mental health equivalent to RMN, Registered Social worker or OT.
• Current registration with a professional body and commitment to CPD.
• Front line experience of using advanced assessment skills especially in determining the nature and severity of mental illness/health (functional and organic) and differentiation between physical and mental health symptoms and conditions.
• Extensive working knowledge of the make up of the wider health and social care community including statutory and non-statutory services and direct experience of multi inter-agency working and collaboration.
• Detailed working knowledge of how secondary specialist mental health services are organised and operate, where and how they fit into the health and social care community.
• Demonstrates substantial experience of assessing risk and developing risk management strategies.
• Significant skills and experience in educating and training the mainstream workforce, particularly non-specialist mental health workers.
• Strong track record of an ability to act with high levels of diplomacy whilst maintaining the strength of relationship to challenge inaccurate assumptions and perceptions.
• Highly developed verbal communication skills, able to engage effectively with people at all levels even when a more assertive approach is needed.
• Conversant with policies and national drivers influencing the service development in question, plus a broader and detailed understanding of the respective legislation affecting the people using the service.
• Specialist knowledge of the needs, treatment approaches and rights of people with mental health problems and the needs of their carers and family.
• Able to articulate a detailed understanding of the relevant legal frameworks/legislation including CPA process, Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, and Safeguarding.
• Significant and demonstrable levels of initiative utilised within practice and work delivery.
• Demonstrates an understanding of recovery principles and the role of secondary mental health services in the delivery of care.
• Highly developed active listening skills, which allow for reframing and testing of understanding
• Highly developed written communication skills, with experience of compiling and sorting notes and reports, establishing statistical data and analysing information.
• Substantially developed IT skills with an understanding of Microsoft Office, and demonstrate a willingness to embrace new technology and processes.
• Experience gained in a wide variety of setting.

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.