Band 7 Senior Practitioner - BNSSG Integrated Access Partnership

Avon And Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership Nhs Trust; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A mental health service provider in Bristol is seeking a dedicated Senior Practitioner to deliver high-quality mental health triage and assessments. This role involves working in a multidisciplinary team, supervising staff, and contributing to service development. The ideal candidate will have a relevant mental health qualification and experience in crisis intervention. Flexible working patterns are available, and relocation expenses may be offered.

Benefits

Up to £8,000 relocation expenses

Diversity and Inclusion initiatives

Qualifications

• Must hold a relevant mental health qualification.
• Proven experience in mental health triage and assessment.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and supervise a team.

Responsibilities

• Provide mental health triage and assessment.
• Supervise team members and support managers.
• Engage in service development initiatives.

Skills

Communication

Clinical assessment

Team leadership

Crisis intervention

Education

Relevant mental health qualification

Tools

Rio

MHIS

Job description

Overview

Our award-winning, nationally-recognised initiative brings together BrisDoc Healthcare Services, Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership Foundation Trust, and South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust to provide an integrated front door service for people in mental health crisis across both 999 and 111. We are seeking a dedicated Senior Practitioner to join our dynamic IAP team. The primary purpose of this role is to deliver high-quality mental health triage, assessment, and care coordination across various settings. You will play a crucial part in our multidisciplinary team, working to ensure patients receive timely, appropriate care that addresses both their mental and physical health needs.

This rotational post offers diverse experiences across multiple bases. You\'ll be at the heart of our efforts to reduce inappropriate A&E attendances, decrease S136 detentions, and improve outcomes for individuals experiencing mental health crises. You would be primarily working clinically in the role demonstrating senior practice and leading by example. You will also supervise staff and support the team managers in working towards shared objectives.

We are proud to be fostering a diverse workforce that reflects our communities. A key commitment to this is improving staff representation from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, those from the LGBTQ+ communities, people with lived-experience of mental health conditions and people living with disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Employer offering a guaranteed interview to Disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. This includes people with a variety of disabilities and neurodivergent conditions (for example autism, ADHD, sensory, physical and learning disabilities).

We encourage applications from people who wish to work on a flexible basis, recognising that flexibility may mean a range of different working patterns and hours. We do our utmost to work with our staff to meet their needs and the needs of our service users.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist mental health triage and assessment across various settings.
• Offer clinical support and advice to emergency service professionals.
• Coordinate seamless, integrated responses addressing both mental and physical health needs.
• Participate in service development and quality improvement initiatives.
• Supervise and support team members, promoting a culture of continuous learning and excellence.
• Contribute to our 24/7 service delivery, including shift work covering days, nights, and weekends.
• Under the direction of the Team Manager, develop and lead an efficient mental health service for a defined population in accordance with commissioned services.
• Develop and support a service that delivers high quality effective health and social care interventions which lead to positive outcomes for service users and carers.
• Lead by example, motivating and empowering others and promoting positive attitudes, mutual understanding and collaboration between all services involved in the care process.
• Support the team manager to ensure staff within the team have effective processes where this is delegated.
• Proactively work towards continuous service improvement by assisting in the planning and development of services, including participating in the design and introduction of a new service and communicating changes to staff.
• Support the team manager to supervise and authorise decision making on issues requiring statutory intervention including all aspects of initial investigations and necessary follow-up action.
• Maintain awareness of complex cases and projects for which allocated staff are responsible and keep the team manager informed on cases of particular risk or concern.
• Be responsible for the effective management of workload.
• Support the team manager to manage the performance of all designated specialist practitioners and mental health workers within the team to ensure consistent clinical and quality standards.
• Ensure close working relationships and protocols with other internal and external services, encouraging their involvement in planning and provision of the care plan through effective liaison between Trust services and commissioners.
• Ensure compliance with Trust and Local Authority policies in relation to people management activities (recruitment, sickness/attendance management, conduct and performance standards) and undertake regular practice and management supervision.
• Be responsible for ongoing completion of staff appraisals and ensuring development plans linked to the KSF.
• Provide and ensure an effective learning environment for student placements across all professions.
• Maintain a skill mix within the team that provides effective services in line with statutory requirements and professional guidance.
• Support the team manager to manage performance against national and local KPIs as defined in the SBU Balanced Scorecard for health and social care parameters.
• Undertake investigations into complaints, untoward incidents and staffing matters, preparing reports and meeting deadlines in partnership with others.
• Ensure health and safety and risk assessments are undertaken, including infection control, delegating responsibility as appropriate.
• Ensure systems at team level engage in integrated governance activity.
• Engage with and contribute to relevant SBU and corporate management and governance forums.
• Ensure complete and accurate recording of all clinical and performance data in relevant systems (e.g., Rio, MHIS, CAST, CAD).
• Ensure case records and data are collected within approved policies and data held on computer systems is accurate for planning and monitoring services.
• Support the team manager to ensure compliance with quality standards (e.g., CQC, CNST, Standards for Better Health) and identify responsibilities within the team for key roles including infection control and emergency planning.
• Maintain up-to-date evidence of quality and safety outcomes and provide these as required for inspection.
• Depending on team location, contribute to the management of Trust estate and facilities.
• Demonstrate responsibility for developing own practice in line with professional qualifications and for the development of others through feedback, coaching and appraisal.

Additional Information

Location and relocation: If you are considering relocating to the region, we can offer up to £8,000 relocation expenses (subject to terms and conditions).

We are a diverse organisation with over 5,000 staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care for approximately 1.8 million people across multiple regions. We actively encourage applications from all backgrounds, with emphasis on encouraging applicants from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities, and from the LGBTQ+ community.