Band 7 Advance Mental Health Practitioner

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust; London; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in London seeks a dedicated mental health professional to join their Crisis Team, providing essential support to children and young people facing mental health challenges. The role involves assessing crises, triaging cases, and delivering training to staff. This is an excellent opportunity to impact the lives of young individuals in need of immediate support within a large, diverse organization committed to world-class care.

Qualifications

• Experience in assessing mental health crises in A&E and pediatric wards.
• Ability to provide crisis support and conduct mental health assessments.

Responsibilities

• Assessing deliberate self-harm cases in A&E and providing crisis intervention.
• Conducting mental health assessments and triaging young people in A&E.
• Providing training to A&E staff and clinical supervision to practitioners.

Skills

Crisis Support

Mental Health Assessment

Training

Job description

These positions have been set up to meet the mental health crisis needs of the North Central London (NCL) population, specifically targeting individuals under 18 who present at A&E departments, pediatric wards, Crisis Hubs, and NCL CAMHs clinicians if required.

The post holder will contribute to providing a 7-day crisis service for children and young people experiencing mental health problems. The service will operate from 12:00 noon to 12:00 midnight, with possible extension to 24 hours in the near future, including weekends and Bank Holidays.

Working autonomously within professional guidelines and the overall framework of CAMHS services, the post holder will undertake a range of therapeutic tasks both individually and jointly with members of the multidisciplinary NCL CAMHS Crisis Team, including:

• Assessing deliberate self-harm (DSH) cases in A&E or on pediatric wards, providing crisis support, intervention, and consultation to community-based CAMHS colleagues across NCL, and conducting assessments in Crisis Hubs (North and South Hub).
• Triage of young people in A&E to identify concerns about mental health that do not necessarily require a psychiatric assessment.
• Providing training to A&E staff and pediatric ward staff.
• Providing operational management and clinical supervision to Band 6 practitioners across NCL when required.

Crisis and Liaison Intervention Service

• Undertaking initial mental health and risk assessments of young people following acts of deliberate self-harm, mainly in A&E, Crisis Hubs, and pediatric wards, using a Biopsychosocial modality to inform care plans.
• Conducting initial mental health and risk assessments following other risky behaviors and urgent mental health presentations in A&E departments and hubs.
• Consulting with staff at Tier 3 CAMHS teams for further specialist assessment if necessary.
• Following assessment protocols and completing clinical records in the relevant electronic patient records.
• Identifying and responding appropriately to child protection issues within Local Authority, Pan-London, and national Safeguarding Children guidelines.
• Providing training to mental health leads of children’s wards, A&E staff, and others as appropriate.

Our trust has around 10,000 staff serving 1.6 million patients across Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital, and over 30 community services. This large organization offers an excellent opportunity to continue pioneering work and improve patient care.

Our mission is to deliver world-class care and expertise in clinical services, supported by top-tier teaching and research. We measure our progress against five objectives: excellent outcomes, patient and staff experience, value for taxpayers, safety, and organizational strength.

Everyone is welcome at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. We are committed to diversity and equality, promoting initiatives for LGBT+, BME, gender equality, staff carers, and people with disabilities and lived experiences to foster good relations and understanding.

Click here to view our video Welcome to the Royal Free.

For further details or informal visits, contact:

• Name: Jaswinder Chauhan
• Job title: Team Manager
• Email: [e-mail]
• Telephone: [phone]