Outreach Practitioner

Devon Partnership NHS Trust; Exeter; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional mental health service provider is seeking an Outreach Practitioner to support mothers facing severe mental health challenges. This role involves providing assessments, collaborating with health services, and ensuring high-quality care delivery. Ideal candidates will possess a professional mental health nursing qualification and substantial experience in mental health settings. This position offers competitive compensation based on a part-time schedule.

Qualifications

• Experience working with vulnerable cohorts in mental health.
• Extensive experience managing a caseload of clients.
• Substantial experience working at a senior clinical level.

Responsibilities

• Provide assessments and support to mothers experiencing mental health issues.
• Manage referrals and collaborate with health services.
• Develop and implement care plans in collaboration with service users.

Skills

Mental Health Knowledge

Team Collaboration

Communication Skills

Risk Management

Empathy

Education

Professional mental health nursing qualification (e.g., RMN)

Post graduate qualification relevant to specialization

Job description

An excellent opportunity awaits to become part of our dedicated Outreach Team. As part of this committed and professional team, you will work within a supportive and compassionate environment, collaborating closely with women who access our services and their families to make a meaningful difference.

The Mother and Baby Unit Outreach Service provide assessment and intensive support/treatment of women who would otherwise be admitted to the MBU, and facilitates early discharge from the MBU in order to prevent relapse and readmission.

The Outreach Service works with mums who are experiencing a severe episode of mental illness. This includes mums who might benefit from an admission to our Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) - Jasmine Lodge, Exeter - and require additional support.

Our Outreach Practitioners are based across Devon, Cornwall and Somerset and this post will cover Devon and Somerset. They work collaboratively with other local health services to ensure mums and their families receive joined-up care, when and where they need it.

Main duties of the job

• Offer advice, support and signposting for professionals
• Undertake an initial assessment for the admission of vulnerable women
• Offer high quality, consistent and patient-centred care to a number of women and families on caseload
• Ensure there is parity of services across Cornwall, Devon and Somerset
• Ensure a cohesive, team working approach with the mother, baby and family at the centre of the service delivered
• Offer family support, assessments and interventions
• Support post-discharge in collaboration with local services
• Undertake the triage role managing incoming referrals and queries from a number of different professionals

About us

We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.

We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.

Job responsibilities

Communication and Working Relationship Skills

• Work closely with keyinternal and external personnel and stakeholders
• Co-ordinate andinvestigate complaints, ensuring that any clinical lessons learned areidentified and disseminated to the relevant teams
• Act as a point ofcontact for agencies outside Devon Partnership Trust seeking information aboutthe team, or wanting to refer to it
• Present information, some of which may becontentious, to staff groups, service user groups, carers groups and otherstakeholders using a range of techniques and media.
• Demonstrates communicationswhich are professional, and act as role model for peers and wider staff group

Analytical and Judgement Skills

• Rolemodel clinical leadership
• Practicein a way that actively minimises dependency and promotes recovery
• Communicateinformation in a way that makes it relevant and understandable for users ofservices
• Promotea duty of care to users of services; encompassing safe and competent care
• Take personal accountability for own practice;answerable for actions and omissions, regardless of advice or directions fromanother professional
• Remain professionally competent by participatingin own and others clinical supervision
• Demonstrate specialist knowledge and skills, notonly relating to the care of users of services, but also in depth knowledge ofthe roles and functions of other professionals across services

Planning and Organisational Skills

• Assess, plan & deliver complex care packages toadmission vulnerable & discharged women from the Mother & Baby Unit,ensuring high quality liaison with other professionals, families & carersat every stage of care.
• Actively participatein multi-agency forums to ensure the identification of need and the developmentand delivery of integrated local services in line with local need
• Ensure that activityis delivered in accordance with agreed quality standards and to service levelagreements and in line with relevant national guidance
• Work within the service Clinical Governance framework, which includeswith care pathways/clinical practice; provide expert professional advice withregards to clinical care, incidents and complaints
• Contribute to the ongoing operation and development of the service..
• Promote the servicelocally and nationally as appropriate

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care

• Promote, develop and role model high standards ofclinical care.
• Develop and implement care plans, ensuring activeinvolvement of service users and their carers
• Ensure the availability of choice that meets theneeds of the local population.
• Provide expert advicepertaining to complex cases
• Have enhanced clinicalskills
• Work closely withother teams with the Trust and the Voluntary, Statutory and independent sectorsto ensure effective discharge planning which incorporates implementation of keysuccess criteria for NICE guidance eg NICE 192 Antenatal Postnatal Mental Health,CPA, Information Sharing etc
• Participate inSafeguarding Adults and Children to Level 3 Enhanced as set out in SafeguardingChildren and Young People: Roles and Competencies for Health Care Staff

Responsibility for Service Development

• Identify and implement best practice in thedelivery of the MBU Outreach Service
• Undertake programmes of audit and researchwithin the team and implement the findings
• Promote the NHS programme; right person has theright care, in the right place, at the right time, making the best use ofavailable resources
• Provide clinicalleadership to the Community Perinatal Teams as required
• Promote and beinvolved in reflective recovery focused practice
• Provide specialistPerinatal Mental Health training to staff within the Perinatal Service, DPT& to external agencies
• At all times followCodes of Professional Conduct,ensuringall staff within sphere of responsibility also adhere to codes of conduct

Person Specification

Experience

• Experience working with admission vulnerable cohorts of people
• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary and multi-agency environment
• Extensive experience of managing a busy caseload of clients with a range of mental health problems.
• Substantial experience of working at a senior clinical level.
• Working within a community mental health setting in either the statutory or voluntary sector.
• Providing clinical supervision and managing staff.

Knowledge

• Knowledge and experience of working in acute mental health settings
• An excellent understanding of the NSF and Mental Health Act/ Mental Health Capacity Act requirements, CPA Process.
• Awareness of community structures and social care options and processes
• Understanding of recovery principles in Mental Health
• Specialist knowledge and experience in working in perinatal mental health.

Qualifications

• A professional mental health nursing qualification e.g. RMN, Nursing Degree, Qualified Occupational Therapist or Social Worker with extensive mental health experience.
• Post graduate qualification relevant to specialism or commitment to work towards.
• Training to Level 3 Enhanced in Safeguarding Adults, Children and Young People: Roles and Competencies for Health Care Staff, or commitment to work towards.

Analytical & Judgemental Skills

• Able to own problems and get involved in the solutions.
• Ability to manage risk.

Planning & Organisation Skills

• Supervisory skills.
• Ability to manage own time and that of the teams.
• Ability to work flexibly.

Communication & Working Relationships Skills

• Excellent communication skills including the ability to engage with large groups who may be antagonistic.
• Able to produce well written reports.
• Ability to chair and participate in meetings which encompass complex organisational structures

Physical Skills

• Ability to be mobile across a geographical area.

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.

£47,810 to £54,710 a yearpro rata (30 hours per week)