Community Practitioner

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust; Croydon; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health service in Croydon is seeking a motivated Mental Health Nurse, Occupational Therapist, or Social Worker to join their Assessment & Liaison Team. The role involves providing assessments, care planning, and support to individuals with complex mental health needs. This position offers a collaborative work environment and a comprehensive benefits package, promoting work-life balance and career development.

Benefits

Generous pay, pensions, and leave

Flexible working options

Career development opportunities

Car lease deals

Keyworker housing

NHS discounts

Counseling services

Wellbeing events

Long service awards

Cycle-to-work schemes

Qualifications

• Experience in mental health assessments and care planning.
• Ability to work in multidisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Provide assessment and care planning for service users.
• Supervise junior staff and support the team leader.

Skills

Assessment Skills

Crisis Management

Team Collaboration

Education

Mental Health Nursing (RMN)

Occupational Therapy

Social Work

Job description

The Assessment & Liaison Team provides a service for people aged 18-65 who live in the Borough of Croydon. We are a short-term service offering mental health assessments to service users experiencing moderate to severe mental health difficulties within the community. We also advise on the best treatment and care options for mental health illnesses such as anxiety, depression, psychosis, or personality disorder.

Our team includes health and social care professionals such as nurses, doctors, social workers, and psychologists. We work closely with service users, their carers, local organizations, and GPs.

The Croydon Assessment and Liaison team comprises three teams (North, South, and Central) based at Jeanette Wallace House, Croydon. Typically, we work with individuals for up to 12 weeks, providing a holistic package of care in collaboration with local care networks.

Key responsibilities include:

1. Providing assessment and care planning for service users within the team, ensuring records are maintained accurately.
2. Working effectively within a multidisciplinary team and across other agencies.
3. Delivering high-quality care to individuals with complex bio-psychosocial needs.
4. Carrying out procedures that ensure safe and effective care, adhering to professional codes of conduct.
5. Supervising junior staff and students.
6. Supporting the team leader and acting as team leader in their absence.

We seek a motivated and dynamic Mental Health Nurse (RMN), Occupational Therapist, or Social Worker to join our front-line team. The role involves working with senior nurse practitioners within a GP clustered team, delivering an enhanced liaison approach using an engagement and stabilization model.

This includes liaising with primary care, conducting baseline mental health assessments, managing crises, supporting individuals to understand their difficulties, and developing joint treatment plans for the 12-week process to facilitate appropriate treatment and care.

Excellent assessment skills are essential, particularly in working with mood, anxiety, and personality disorder service users within a highly skilled team.

We are committed to supporting our staff with a comprehensive benefits package and promoting a healthy work-life balance. Our benefits include:

• Generous pay, pensions, and leave, dependent on role and service length.
• Flexible working options such as part-time and job sharing.
• Career development opportunities through mentoring, coaching, and talent programmes.
• Car lease deals.
• Keyworker housing on selected sites.
• NHS discounts up to 10% at various retail outlets.

Additional benefits include counseling services, wellbeing events, long service awards, cycle-to-work schemes, and season ticket loans.

For further details or informal visits, contact:

Name: Patricia Phillip
Job title: Service Manager
Email: [e-mail]