Mental Health Law Administrator - SLA

NHS; Warrington; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS Trust is seeking a knowledgeable professional to support mental health law compliance. The role involves providing expertise on the Mental Health Act, training staff, and ensuring legal requirements are met. Ideal candidates will possess strong communication and interpersonal skills, along with relevant qualifications in mental health law. Flexibility in duties and a commitment to high standards of care are essential.

Benefits

Flexible working requests considered

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent with in-depth knowledge.
• Significant knowledge of Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act.

Responsibilities

• Provide expertise on Mental Health law-related issues.
• Support training for multi-disciplinary staff on legislation.
• Coordinate systems for Mental Health law compliance.

Skills

Communication

Interpersonal Skills

Judgment

Education

Degree level education or equivalent experience

Qualification in Mental Health Law

Training qualification or equivalent experience

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust as a leading provider of community services, mental health care, physical health, addiction services and learning disability care. Service users receiving a high-quality service and one which is free from stigma, discrimination and harm. Staff engaged with the delivery, innovation and continuous improvement of services to benefit service users. Visible and responsive leadership, setting the standard for others and role-modelled throughout the division for all managers. The Trust values of Continuous Improvement, Accountability, Respectfulness, Enthusiasm and Support will be embedded across the division for all staff and evident to service users.

Main duties of the job

To have responsibility for supporting and providing expertise on a range of Mental Health law-related issues, particularly the Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended by the Mental Health Act 2007),To provide support to the Team Manager and M H Law Service Manager. To participate in the development and delivery of training to a wide range of multi-disciplinary staff (including medical, nursing and social care staff) across the Trust, enabling staff to understand primary and secondary legislation. To support the Trust's planning for the implementation of changes to Mental Health law.The post holder will be required to provide and receive complex, sensitive information, co-ordinate a range of specialist systems and processes and should possess persuasive, motivational, negotiating skills. They will need to be confident in presenting information to a wide variety of audiences, including staff and members of the public. They will require a range of administrative and organisational skills and skills for researching a variety of issues and proposing solutions for dealing with complex enquiries.They must be able to plan and organise meetings and events, prioritise their work and work autonomously. The post involves contact with patients and relatives often when upset or unhappy with the circumstances of their care.

About us

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

Job responsibilities

To provide expert knowledge of the Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended by the Mental Health Act 2007), Mental Health Review Tribunal Rules, Consent to Treatment regulations, the MHA Code of Practice, ensuring delivery of the best possible care in a manner governed by legislation/good practice.To have knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA), Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and their respective Codes of Practice and be able to provide advice on this and its implications to a wide range of individuals, including patients, carers and multi-disciplinary staff within the Trust and the relevant Acute Trusts in accordance with the proposed SLAs with those organisations.To take a central role in participating in the Trusts planning for the implementation of changes in Mental Health law, recommendations from inquiries and changes to case law, which includes the development of multi-disciplinary policies and procedures, introduction of new systems and implementing required training for all levels of staff.To raise awareness around assessments of capacity, best interests and deprivation of liberty for patients lacking capacity to consent to specific interventions.To ensure that all legal requirements are met to the highest of standards, dealing with possible conflict between staff, doctors, family members, legal representatives and other external agencies.To ensure the appropriate use of the MHA/MCA and the interface between the two.To be the first port of call in addressing issues of concern raised by the Hospital Managers, Mental Health Review Tribunal and Care Quality Commission, reporting back to the Mental Health Law Service Manager.To assist advocates with any concerns regarding MHA/MCA legislation.To obtain cost effective and timely legal advice, where appropriate, on MHA/MCA issues, in line with the relevant Trust procedures.To participate in MHA/MCA-related incident investigations, as required.To be formally authorised to act on behalf of the Hospital Managers in receiving and scrutinising section papers.To receive, analyse and relay information from, and to, a wide range of staff, patients, carers and external agencies on contentious or complex issues relating to the MHA/MCA.To attend relevant local committees and meetings, including the MH Law Forum.To support the Team Manager and M H Law Service Manager in devising/developing systems and procedures to ensure the effective administration of all Mental Health law related issues, including data collection and record keeping.To be responsible for maintaining a local Mental Health Law resource and ensuring all relevant wards/departments have access to the required statutory forms/paperwork, appeal forms, rights leaflets, policies and guidance (in appropriate formats) at all times.To ensure the Hospital Managers receive all the necessary information and support to enable them to carry out their statutory duties.To assist the Mental Health Law Admin Manager in the management and supervision of newly appointed Mental Health Act Administrator(s) and/or any junior staff employed to work in the office.To be flexible in the duties performed and is expected that similar duties not specifically listed above will be carried out as requested and may be required to work across different sites within the Division.TrainingIn collaboration with a wide range of individuals, including the Medical Director, the Mental Health Law Service Manager, Operational Service Leads, Ward/Team Managers, supporting and identifying any improvements that may be made to Mental Health law systems and processes.To plan, devise and participate in specialist training to a wide range of multi-disciplinary staff, liaising with the Mental Health Law Team Manager and Training Department, as necessary.Research & AuditTo work closely with the Clinical Audit Department to develop and support a number of audits in order to establish whether the Trust is compliant with the appropriate legislation.To carry out research in developing improved practices governed by the MHA/MCA.To be able to interpret legal cases in relation to the MHA/MCA in order to ensure up-to-date practice is complied with.To be fully conversant with Trust policies in relation to the MHA/MCA.Information TechnologyIn collaboration with the Trusts Informatics Department, to provide regular reports on MHA/MCA activity, to allow the organisation to monitor and audit a range of indicators, including compulsory admissions, leave of absence, consent to treatment.In collaboration with the Trusts Informatics Department, to play a central role in the development of the MH law element of the Trusts reporting and activity systems.To ensure the timely and accurate recording of Mental Health law activity onto the relevant information systems and using this information to develop regular reports to the Mental Health Implementation Group.To influence the development of a Care Records System by providing expert advice and support to the Project Team.Professional DevelopmentTo keep up to date on MHA/MCA developments, attending training sessions and update seminars as necessary and be able to disseminate accurate information to relevant professional staff.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent OR equivalent level of experience and in-depth knowledge
• Qualification in Mental Health Law
• Training qualification or equivalent experience
• Appropriate Keyboard and IT Certificates

Knowledge/Experience

• Significant in-depth knowledge of the Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended by the Mental Health Act 2007) and Mental Capacity Act 2005
• Experience in working with all levels of staff across an organisation
• Experience of working with mental health service users, including forensic services
• An excellent understanding of the NHS structures and their interrelationship
• Fully conversant with a range of standard IT packages, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and databases
• Fully conversant with the MHA elements of NCRS

Values

• Accountability
• Support
• High professional standards
• Responsive to service users
• Engaging leadership style
• Transparency and honesty
• Discreet
• Change oriented

Skills

• High standard of written and spoken English
• Able to provide and receive complex and sensitive information
• Highly developed interpersonal skills required to communicate sensitive and unwelcome information to detained patients and their carers/families
• Able to translate complex legal information into everyday English to various staff/voluntary 09/4/25 groups/service users and members of the public
• Good presentational skills to deliver specialist presentations and training sessions to all staff groups
• Able to exercise judgement in identifying and assessing complex legal scenarios
• Able to advise senior clinicians of the legal [sometimes conflicting] options, outlining the implications of each to enable clinicians to come to a decision
• Able to interpret complex legislation and case law to advise clinicians and senior managers recommending actions to prevent litigation claims
• Able to advise patients and their carers of their legal rights and the statutory duty of the Trust
• Ability to plan work within the MHL Admin Team, allocating tasks and co -ordinating reviews of detention with all clinical groups across The Trust and partner agencies
• Ability to devise and implement operational systems to include local procedures and protocols
• Able to participate in the development of strategies with senior managers and partner organisations in the implementation of MH legislation across the Trust
• Able to develop and deliver training packages for multi-disciplinary staff within the organisation
• Able to maintain concentration with frequent interruption
• Able to concentrate on occasion for prolonged periods when checking detailed and complex documents, policies and reports
• Due to the unpredictable nature of the job, able to change from one activity to another at a moment's notice
• May be required to travel between sites across the Trust to provide cover in emergency situations
• Provide specialist advice in relation to the care and treatment of clients/ patients subject to the Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended by the Mental Health Act 2007) and the Mental Capacity Act 2005

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.