Mental Health Practitoner

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust; Bexleyheath; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a senior clinician for the Older People’s Intensive Home Treatment Team. The role focuses on gatekeeping acute inpatient admissions, conducting complex assessments, and delivering evidence-based care in patients’ homes.

You will lead clinical practice, supervise junior staff, and contribute to training and professional development while ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and NHS policies.

Qualifications

• Qualified mental health clinician with registration and post-qualification training.
• Proven ability to work autonomously in high-pressure mental health settings.
• Strong risk assessment skills and decision-making in crisis care.

Responsibilities

• Gatekeep acute inpatient admissions with complex assessments.
• Lead and develop junior staff through supervision and teaching.
• Coordinate shifts and manage team resources within HR policies.

Skills

Mental health legislation knowledge

Autonomous work

Driver with license

Shift coordination experience

Clinical audit/research

Education

Nurse/AHP/Social worker registration

Post-qualification training

Practice Educator/Assessor/Supervisor training

Job description

The Older People’s Intensive Home Treatment Team is a multidisciplinary team, providing a service seven days a week, 365 days per year to individuals in mental health crisis with the principal aim of providing an effective alternative to inpatient care. This involves intensive clinical work over short periods of time to prevent the need for admission or facilitate safe early discharge. The team also carries out 72 hour follow–up for individuals discharged from mental health inpatient units.

As a senior clinician, the post holder will play a key role in the gatekeeping of acute inpatient admissions, undertaking complex assessments to determine whether individuals can be safely and effectively treated in their own homes. This requires a high degree of clinical autonomy, advanced risk formulation skills, and the ability to make robust, evidence-based decisions under pressure.

Main duties of the job

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be expected to promote and develop clinical leadership and clinical practice and be a positive role model to junior members of the team through the practice of evidence based care. The post holder will be expected to support professional development through clinical appraisal and supervision and contribute to the ongoing educational programme for staff, fostering a positive learning environment. The post holder will be encouraged to foster collaborative cross organisational working.

The postholder may be expected to transfer to another CRHTT temporarily or permanently where there is a clear clinical need to do so.

Working for our organisation

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children’s centres, schools and people’s homes.
We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

• We Listen
• We Care

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Management responsibilities

Support and teach junior staff to develop understanding of mental health signs and symptoms and develop appropriate responses to these in practice.

Recognise and respond appropriately to challenging behaviour in line with Trust policies and training.

Lead and coordinate junior staff and the wider care team in the management of difficult situations and de‑escalation, developing resilience and strategies to manage, including on leading staff and patient ‘de‑briefing’ sessions.

Demonstrate an in-depth of knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of the Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty and other legislation applicable to the practice area and how they are implemented in practice ensuring adherence to legislation at all times.

Teach junior staff to understand the legal frameworks that support their practice

Leadership

Develop the clinical practice of junior members of staff, including newly qualified staff.

Act as shift co‑ordinator when allocated to provide a point of contact for all enquiries, working in partnership with the team manager and the wider MDT to coordinate the shift.

Deputise for the team manager in their absence and be accountable for the care and management of team, including maintaining communication with the Borough Crisis Manager and other senior staff.

Assist the team manager in ensuring the team is safely staffed, prioritising, and deploying resources within budgetary parameters and escalating concerns to managers where appropriate in accordance with HR policies and procedures.

Support the team manager to investigate incidents and complaints: compile reports and disseminate this information to management.

Recognise practice that needs improvement and work in partnership with the team manager to ensure appropriate action is taken to address it.

Support the team manager to ensure mandatory and statutory training are up to date for all staff.

Facilitate the induction of new staff and students.

Support the team manager to ensure all newly qualified band 5 staff have undertaken their induction and preceptorship.

Support the team manager to ensure all qualified nurses are engaged with the revalidation process.

Maintain your status as a mentor/sign‑off mentor and participate in training of students.

Encourage band 5 nurses to undertake and develop their mentorship skills.

Attend and participate in regular personal development, ensuring compliance with all mandatory training requirements. Maintaining a work development portfolio and complying with all requirements of NMC/ HCPC revalidation.

Clinical

Be able to conduct comprehensive mental state examinations.

Demonstrate and apply an enhanced understanding of Mental Health signs and symptoms and how these may present in practice, including recognition of impact on patient presentation and behaviour including risk factors, especially in the older adult population

Deliver a range of clinical interventions with patients.

Be able to conduct a detail risk assessment, with clear formulation of risk and suitable risk management plan.

Work autonomously within the parameters of the role, leading and supporting junior staff and wider care team to implement the delivery of quality care, contributing to the physical, psychological, social, recreational, and spiritual care in a recovery‑focused way through therapeutic engagement and activities, and taking steps to address any issues that arise.

Be confident to take positive risks to support patients within the environment that most suits their needs.

Lead on and undertake activities to ensure that the fundamentals of care are met.

Co‑ordinate and evaluate collaborative patient centred care; getting feedback and improving plans with the multi‑disciplinary team (MDT).

Provide accurate information about care in an accessible format to patients and their relatives / carers.

Liaise and work positively with members of the multi‑disciplinary team and partner organisations.

Administer, and monitor the side‑effects of, medication and monitoring service user compliance.

Ensure safe custody of medicines, sharps, clinical equipment, report all incidents following trust policy.

Lead and support/teach junior staff on risk assessment and risk management that involves making decisions based on knowledge of the research evidence, knowledge of the individual service user and their social context, knowledge of the service user’s own experience and clinical judgement.

Support and supervise junior staff to develop the management of care needs through: Initial data collection; Monitoring of individual service user / patient progress; Feedback and discussion; Producing reports and in‑care reviews; Devising a plan of care and interventions in partnership with service user, carer, and MDT.

Coordinate junior staff and the wider care team in providing hands‑on care to service users and evaluating processes of care delivered. This will include undertaking 1‑1 engagement with service users in an honest, open and non‑ judgmental way

Recognise and value patients as individuals, acknowledging the importance of maintaining the patient’s respect and dignity at all times and ensure that the care provided respects equality and diversity.

Develop care plans that reflect service user needs and relevant patient care documentation working in partnership with service users, wider MDT, and family/carers.

Ensure the monitoring and recording of patient clinical observations are undertaken, such as physical observations and vital signs and treating or escalating as appropriate any signs or symptoms of deterioration or that does not fulfil the personal parameters to the relevant professional for treatment.

Promote healthy lifestyles and give health promotion advice and support.

Implement the principles of ‘recovery’: encouraging and supporting service users to engage with healthy lifestyles, facilitating psychosocial activities and other activities of their interest.

Where appropriate contributing to psychological interventions

Escort service users, as required, in line with Trust policies.

Advocate for patients’ needs and rights within Trust policy.

Encourage and empower patients to have an optimum level of responsibility for their individual programme of care.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Registered Mental Health Nurse/ AHP/ Social worker
• Evidence of post qualification training in relevant area
• Formal training/ demonstratable evidence as Practice Educator/ Assessor/ Supervisor

Experience

• Significant relevant clinical experience (older people's mental health, crisis experience, community experience)
• Experience of providing supervision to junior colleagues/ students
• Experience conducting crisis assessment/ reviews and risk assessment
• Experience of shift co‑ordination/ deputising for senior colleagues

Skills

• Knowledge of relevant mental health legislation (Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act)
• Ability to work autonomously and manage competing demands under pressure
• Car driver with license and access to vehicle for work purposes
• Involvement in clinical audit/ research

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that welcomes and supports individuals of all abilities. Remember, if you meet the minimum criteria for this role and you have a disability, you can be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme - Please ensure you select this on your application form. We would encourage you to be open about your needs so we can work with you to design a comfortable and accessible interview experience. Any information you provide regarding a disability or a need for adjustments will be treated in confidence and will only be shared with colleagues who are supporting this request.

If you require any adjustments to participate fully in the interview process, please let us know by adding the relevant details when scheduling your preferred interview date and time. Please feel free to contact the appointing manager to discuss your needs.

We encourage applicants to contact the hiring manager before their interview, if they have any questions about the role or the process. This is a great way to get clarity and prepare effectively for the interview.

If you have declared you are part of the armed forces community, you may be asked to provide evidence during the recruitment process. If you misrepresent this information, your offer may be withdrawn. For Armed Forces specific support, see our webpage: https://oxleas.nhs.uk/armed-forces-community/

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

If you choose to use AI or other tools to assist in writing your application, it's essential to personalise this information, particularly your supporting information section. While AI can help streamline the writing process, these tools cannot fully grasp the context or requirements of the job you’re applying for. There is also a risk that it can generate false or misleading information. AI-generated job applications can often be generic, impersonal and may not accurately reflect your qualifications, knowledge, skills, and experiences. It is crucial that you personalise your supporting statement by articulating these in your unique voice. Relying solely on AI to write your application or supporting information section is not advocated by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and could negatively impact your chances of success in the application process.

We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully. You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct.Please note that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is prohibited during the interview process.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.