Senior Inpatient Support Worker

NHS; Greater London; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in the UK is looking for a Transition Senior Support Worker to deliver expert occupational therapy support to individuals post-discharge from acute care. The role encompasses developing tailored assessments, coordinating with agencies for holistic care, and fostering patient well-being. Applicants should have experience in supportive roles, a solid understanding of mental health legislation, and exceptional communication skills. This is a vital position aimed at reducing readmissions and promoting patient recovery.

Qualifications

• Experience in patient supportive roles and understanding community working.
• Knowledge of safeguarding policies and procedures.
• Understanding of the Mental Health Act and relevant national policies.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement tailored occupational therapy assessments.
• Collaborate with AMHS and partner agencies for holistic care.
• Provide information, advice and guidance to service users and families.

Skills

Organisational skills

Excellent communication skills

Ability to work within a team

Specialised clinical skills

Education

Educated to GCSE or equivalent

Tools

IT recording systems

Job description

The Transition Senior Support Worker will play a key role within the multidisciplinary team of the AMHS service, focusing on delivering expert occupational therapy support to individuals following discharge from acute mental health care. This position is dedicated to patients with frequent admissions, aiming to reduce the risk of future readmissions through comprehensive, person-centred occupational therapy interventions.

In this role, you will ensure a seamless transition into the community by providing integrated, person-centred care that upholds continuity of support. Working under the guidance of the Clinical Lead and Transition team, you will develop and implement tailored occupational therapy assessments, treatment plans, and interventions. Your approach will be solution-focused, addressing the specific needs and preferences of each individual.

You will collaborate closely with AMHS and partner agencies to deliver a holistic and coordinated care pathway. Your responsibilities will include helping service users access relevant local resources and opportunities that support their well-being and recovery. By fostering a supportive environment, you will enable individuals to engage in meaningful activities that promote choice, empowerment, and self-determination.

This role is essential in reducing readmissions and offers the opportunity to enhance your skills across healthcare, social care, and community engagement.

Main duties of the job

All interactions with service users should be underpinned with empathy and a clear understanding of the effects of disability in the areas of productivity, leisure and activities of daily living (ADL).

All interactions should be sensitive and responsive to the service users' ethnic, cultural and social background, using a range of communication and engagement skills as appropriate to the context.

To ensure that immediate concerns regarding service users are verbally reported to the relevant professionals and documented in medical/ MDT files.

Provides information, advice and guidance to service users, carers, families and other health and care professionals, and engages in personalised discussions, communicates complex or challenging information, undertakes social prescribing where required, and refers to services.

Can share and advocate for their service function and role to others.

About us

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse providers of mental health, community and social care in the UK.

Our 3,982 staff care for people in hospital and in the community, helping them to recover and go on to lead full and productive lives. We aim to be the best organisation of our kind in the country.

We provide care and treatment for more than 800,000 people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow, delivering services in the community (at home, in GP surgeries and care homes), hospital, specialist clinics and forensic (secure) units.We're rated good overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Together, we're committed to promoting hope and wellbeing, working with patients, service users, carers, families and partners across the communities we serve.

We are keen to ensure that our workforce reflects the community it serves, particularly in terms of ethnicity, gender, disability, LGBTQ+ and experience of mental illness.

Job responsibilities

The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached

The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.

Person Specification

Qualifications & Training

• Educated to GCSE or equivalent
• Experience of working in patient supportive roles / discharge coordinator roles, and an understanding of in-reach and community working.
• Understanding and up to date knowledge of social security systems, namely benefit and financial support systems.
• Experienced in using a variety of IT recording systems.
• A commitment to completing full quality improvement development as outlined in the trust strategy.
• An awareness of child developmental stages and the impact of adverse childhood experiences on mental health.
• A developing confidence in working directly with service Users and Carers.
• Training in providing supervision, mentorship or equivalent, or willingness to undertake training.
• To have completed or be working towards accredited courses which enable potential development

Experience

• Demonstrable experience of working at Band 5 or equivalent for 2 years.
• Experience of liaising with community agencies.
• Experience of working with people who have experienced serious ongoing mental health problems.
• Experience of working within a multidisciplinary team.
• Experience of implementing the principles and practice of the Recovery approach.
• Experience of implementing changes in working practices
• Experience of using quality improvement methodologies.
• Experience of implementing and monitoring standards of care, including clinical audit and governance.

Knowledge

• Sound knowledge and skills in risk assessment
• Knowledge of safeguarding policies and procedures
• Clear understanding of the Mental Health Act, Care Act, Housing Act, Quality & Safety Governance, Clinical audit and relevant national policies
• Knowledge of recent initiatives across professional workforce
• Clear understanding of the process of Supervision
• Ability to contribute to, monitor and implement changes and improvements to services
• Familiarity with budget control and management
• Ability to monitor and control resources
• Knowledge of performance management procedures
• Ability to think creatively about opportunities for practice development
• Appreciation of the ward/team manager's role and how to balance clinical and non-clinical responsibilities
• Knowledge of Recovery Model of care
• Ability to work within a Team

Skills

• An ability to develop, supervise, teach and manage junior staff
• Good organisational skills Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, and the ability to influence others in clinical decision making towards discharge
• Specialised clinical skills, e.g. group work, anxiety/anger management, CBT, family work skills
• Report writing skills
• Clinical audit skills

Other Requirements

• Ability to reflect, identify and take responsibility for continuing professional development needs
• Understand the need for and actively participates in own supervision and constructive use of feedback
• High levels of initiative, innovation and self-motivation
• Commitment to client-centred, non-discriminatory practice
• Able to demonstrate a strong professional identity

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.

£37,259 to £45,356 a yearper annum including 20% HCAS