Mental Health Practitoner

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust; Greater London; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust requires an experienced mental health professional to lead and coordinate junior staff, ensuring high-quality care in line with mental health legislation. The role involves supervising teams, conducting risk assessments, and promoting recovery-focused interventions within the MDT.

You will be responsible for mentoring staff, delivering comprehensive mental state examinations, and liaising with multi-disciplinary team members to optimise patient outcomes.

Qualifications

• Registered professional in mental health
• Experience supervising junior staff
• Knowledge of Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act and related legislation

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate junior staff and the care team in difficult situations and de‑escalation.
• Develop clinical practice of junior staff including newly qualified staff.
• Be able to conduct comprehensive mental state examinations and risk assessments.
• Work autonomously to deliver quality care within role parameters.
• Coordinate and evaluate collaborative patient-centred care with MDT.

Skills

Mental health legislation

Autonomy under pressure

Driver license

Supervision experience

Crisis assessment

Education

RMN/AHP/SW registration

Job description

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 judgment.

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

Essential criteria

• 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

Essential criteria

• 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

Desirable criteria

• Experience of shift co-ordination/ deputising for senior colleagues

Skills

Essential criteria

• 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

Desirable criteria

• 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 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.