DOLs Practitioner

Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB; High Wycombe; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A local NHS healthcare organization is looking for a DOLs Practitioner to join the All Age Complex and Continuing Healthcare Service. The successful candidate will conduct assessments and deliver training on Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards while ensuring compliance with the Mental Capacity Act and providing leadership within the team.

Qualifications

• Must be registered with Social Work England or other relevant body.
• Hold a professional qualification in a relevant health or care discipline.
• Evidence of post qualifying continuing professional development.

Responsibilities

• Deliver training on DoLS/MCA to support practitioners.
• Ensure the highest standards within DoLS/MCA legislation.
• Work with Band 8b AACCC Complex Case Manager to deliver an effective service.

Skills

Extensive knowledge of DoLS

Mental Health legislation knowledge

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Education

Professional qualification in a relevant health or care discipline

Job description

DOLs Practitioner

The closing date is 30 September 2025

Unfortunately, we are unable to consider applications from individuals who require sponsorship.

An excellent opportunity has arisen to join the Frimley with NHS Buckinghamshire Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (BOB) ICB All Age Complex and Continuing Healthcare Service as a Mental Capacity Act & Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) Assessor. We are looking for dynamic and committed individuals to become part of a supportive team completing assessments under the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and helping to support and develop excellent MCA practice across the AACCC service in Frimley with BOB ICB.

You will show an ability to analyse information and make independent, professional decisions along with excellent report writing and communication skills. The postholders will be required to develop good working relationships with colleagues, service users and carers alike. You will uphold the strong emphasis on safeguarding the rights of service users and upholding the key principles of the Mental Capacity Act.

Main duties of the job

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) is the procedure prescribed in law when someone requires care and treatment but lacks the capacity to consent whilst being deprived of their liberty. The purpose of this role is to identify and support the All Age Continuing Care Team by ensuring that BOB (ICB) is meeting its legal responsibilities in terms of DoLS.

The post holder will need to have extensive experience and in-depth knowledge in respect of mental health legislation, including the Mental Capacity Act, its application, and implications for both the patient and organisation if statutory legislation is not adhered to. The post holder will be required to support the delivery of a training package which will positively engage all staff across the ICB.

You must provide proof that you have successfully registered with Social Work England (or other relevant professional body) such as NMC (Nurses & Midwifery Council) or HCPC (Health and Care Professions Council). If this sounds like you, then we want to receive your application.

About us

NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (BOB) Integrated Care Board is the statutory NHS organisation responsible for planning and delivering health and care services for the communities of Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West.

We work collaboratively with partner organisations including local government, the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector, and people and communities across the BOB Health and Care Integrated Care System (ICS).

Our key priorities are to increase healthy life expectancy and reduce health inequalities for the 1.7 million people who live in our communities.

We value and promote diversity and are committed to equality of opportunity for all. We believe that the best employers are those that reflect the communities they serve. We want to increase the diversity of our NHS leadership and particularly encourage applications from women, people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, LGBT communities, younger candidates and from people with lived experience of disability, who we know are all under-represented in these important roles.

Our Values are:

Respectful we are inclusive

Impactful we make a difference

Integrity we are kind and fair

Leadership we encourage leadership

Collaborative we work together in a positive way

Job responsibilities

The post holder will work with the Band 8b AACCC Complex Case Manager to deliver an effective and safe AACCC service, ensuring Mental Capacity is considered and adhered to as an integral part of this service.

The post holder will need to have extensive experience and good knowledge in respect of mental health legislation, including the Mental Capacity Act, its application and implications for both the patient and organisation if statutory legislation is not adhered to.

The post holder will be required to deliver training on DoLS/MCA to support practitioners in the AACCC service.

The DoLS/MCA Practitioner will undertake the required DoLS assessments for people who are eligible for CHC.

Individuals requiring consideration of a DoLS application will be living in supported living accommodation or in their own homes within the community. The DoLS/MCA Practitioner will progress applications either via ICB legal representatives or directly to the Court of Protection.

It is essential the post holder has a clear understanding and is able to fully articulate the principles of the Mental Capacity Act and has experience of DoLS applications for those individuals living with complex health and social care needs.

The post holder will ensure they adhere to all relevant DoLS authorisation processes and guidance, the NMC Code of Professional Conduct or other professional body, and work within established policies, procedures, protocols, and systems ensuring quality standards and performance are met and as directed by the AACCC Senior Management Team.

A key aspect of the post will be to share DoLS/MCA and complex case management skills and knowledge and, provide senior professional leadership within this field of expertise with members of the AACCC Team.

This post will require good communication skills with individuals and their families or representatives and requires the ability to work in a multi-disciplinary way with colleagues.

Deliver against objectives, achieve quality outcomes, prioritise own workload and work to tight deadlines.

The post will be instrumental in securing and ensuring the highest standards within DoLS/MCA legislation within the CHC Service by working with the individual and/or their representative and in partnership with care providers and others involved in the persons care and support to promote positive patient experience.

The post holder will be responsible for ensuring their professional registration and mandatory training is up-to-date.

The job description and person specification are an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes of the role. The post holder will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required by their line manager.

The job description and person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the AACCC service and the ICB.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Hold a professional qualification in a relevant health or care discipline.
• Evidence of post qualifying continuing professional development.
• Member of relevant professional body.

Autonomy Freedom to Act

• Must be able to use initiative to decide relevant actions and make recommendations to Team Manager, with the aim of improving deliverables and compliance with policies.
• Ability to make decisions autonomously, when required, on difficult issues, working to tight and often changing timescales.
• Experience of identifying and interpreting national policy. Experience of researching best practice (globally, private and public sector), interpreting its relevance and processes/ practices which could be implemented successfully to achieve service improvement.

Management Skills

• Must be able to prioritise own work effectively. Experience of managing and motivating colleagues.

Experience

• Extensive knowledge of DoLS, MCA and CHC, acquired through formal education or equivalent experience or training plus further specialist knowledge or experience to a high-level equivalent.
• Must understand the background to and aims of current healthcare policy and appreciate the implications of this on engagement.
• Should have an appreciation of the relationship between the Department of Health & Social Care, local authorities and individual provider and commissioning organisations.

Communication Skills

• Must be able to provide and receive sensitive or contentious information, negotiate with individuals, their families and representative and stakeholders on challenging and controversial issues.

Analytical

• Problem solving skills and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands.
• Ability to analyse complex facts and situations and develop a range of options.
• Take decisions on difficult and challenging issues where there may be a number of courses of action.
• Strategic thinking ability to anticipate and resolve problems before they arise.

Planning Skills

• Demonstrated capability to plan over short, medium and long-term timeframes and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly.

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.

Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB