MHSPA Crisis Care Practitioner( Social Worker)

West London NHS Trust; Southall; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 49,000; Full time

Job summary

West London NHS Trust operates a Mental Health Single Point of Access and NHS111 option for mental health crises, providing 24/7 access to urgent care across London. The Trust seeks a Crisis Care Practitioner to assess and intervene in crisis situations and coordinate care with partner services.

You will deliver high-stakes triage, risk assessments and community evaluations, while guiding junior staff and ensuring safe pathways and thorough documentation.

Qualifications

• This role requires clinicians who are resilient, adaptable and able to remain calm and professionally curious under pressure.
• Successful applicants must be confident managing competing demands, uncertainty and emotionally challenging situations whilst maintaining compassionate, patient-centred care.

Responsibilities

• Managing complex and high risk triage calls, undertaking robust mental health and risk assessments in time-sensitive situations.
• Completing face to face community assessments for patients requiring urgent in person review
• Formulating risk management and crisis plans to support safe and effective patient care
• Working autonomously to make clinical decisions within a fast paced environment
• Liaising with partner agencies including GP’s, police, ambulance services, emergency departments and community mental health teams to coordinate safe care pathways
• Supporting and guiding junior staff with clinical decision making and risk formulation
• Managing referrals effectively to ensure patients access the most appropriate service and unnecessary hospital admissions are avoided
• Maintaining accurate, contemporaneous clinical documentation and records
• Contributing to service improvement and ongoing development of crisis pathways

Job description

Thank you for your interest in this exciting opportunity at West London NHS Trust.

The West London NHS Trust (WLT) Mental Health Single Point of Access (MH SPA) and NHS111 Option 2 for Mental Health (NHS111*2) provides 24/7 access to mental health services, every day of the year. Both services support people in a mental health crisis and provide a telephone support line for service users, their families and wider support networks. This includes a triage, signposting and referral pathway to appropriate onward care, if indicated. NHS111*2 is a national initiative developed under the NHS Long Term Plan to improve access to crisis services. The key operational difference is that NHS111*2 is open to all ages, whereas MH SPA primarily supports adults aged 18 and over.

Being part of the service, you will be at the forefront of innovation of service delivery in one of the fasted growing parts of community healthcare. The team is highly motivated, diverse, energetic, and has a ready to help attitude to both patients and their carers, and communicate with a variety of other health care providers, 3rd sector organisations and other statutory services.

We believe in embracing the expertise of our staff and making a difference to the lives of our service users. Working in this service places you on the frontline of community mental health care.

As a Crisis Care Practitioner, you will provide urgent mental health assessment and intervention for individuals contacting the service in crisis, whether for themselves or others.

The Role Involves

• Managing complex and high risk triage calls, undertaking robust mental health and risk assessments in time-sensitive situations
• Completing face to face community assessments for patients requiring urgent in person review
• Formulating risk management and crisis plans to support safe and effective patient care
• Working autonomously to make clinical decisions within a fast paced environment
• Liaising with partner agencies including GP’s, police, ambulance services, emergency departments and community mental health teams to coordinate safe care pathways
• Supporting and guiding junior staff with clinical decision making and risk formulation
• Managing referrals effectively to ensure patients access the most appropriate service and unnecessary hospital admissions are avoided
• Maintaining accurate, contemporaneous clinical documentation and records
• Contributing to service improvement and ongoing development of crisis pathways

This role requires clinicians who are resilient, adaptable and able to remain calm and professionally curious under pressure. Successful applicants must be confident managing competing demands, uncertainty and emotionally challenging situations whilst maintaining compassionate, patient centred care.

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.

Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ over 5,000 staff, of whom 59% are BME. Our turnover for 2024-25 is over £500m.

The Trust is rated as ‘Good’ overall by the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as ‘Outstanding’.

The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.

For further details / informal visits contact: Name: Mr Sumeeth Sheoraj Job title: Interim Team Manager Email address: [e-mail]