Senior Mental Health Liaison Practitioner

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; Reading; On-site; GBP 46,000 - 53,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player in mental health services is seeking a dedicated Band 7 Ward Liaison worker to enhance patient care at Prospect Park Hospital. This role is pivotal in bridging community and inpatient services, ensuring safe and timely discharges for individuals. The ideal candidate will possess a professional qualification and experience in community mental health, demonstrating strong organizational and interpersonal skills. Join a supportive team committed to delivering outstanding care and fostering your professional growth in a rewarding environment. If you're passionate about making a difference in mental health, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Benefits

Flexible working options

27 days annual leave

Excellent learning and career development opportunities

Cycle to Work scheme

Access to wellbeing tools

Discounts at retailers and restaurants

Generous leave policies

Free parking

Qualifications

• Must have a professional qualification and experience in community mental health services.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to work in emotionally demanding situations.

Responsibilities

• Assess, plan, implement, and evaluate specialist care to support discharge from the ward.
• Provide leadership to the multidisciplinary team and develop junior staff.

Skills

Mental Health Knowledge

Organizational Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Leadership Skills

Communication Skills

Education

Professional qualification - RMN, OT, DipSW/CQSW

Registered for practice through NMC

Job description

Band 7

Main area: CMHT Reading
Grade: Band 7
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref: 371-MHS675

Site: Prospect Park Hospital
Town: Reading
Salary: £46,148 - £52,809 per annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 30/01/2025 23:59
Interview date: 11/02/2025

Job overview

Reading Community Mental Health Team is looking for a Band 7 Ward Liaison worker to support patients through their inpatient journey at Prospect Park Hospital in Reading. The successful candidate will provide a key link between community and inpatient services, working alongside our partners in Reading Borough Council to support the safe discharge of individuals back to the community in a timely manner.

This post offers the opportunity for a Band 6 looking to progress their career or a Band 7 looking to enhance their experience to build relationships, knowledge, and expertise while supporting people through the admission process and their return to the community.

The Reading Community Mental Health Team is a busy service, and the role is key to our commitment to support our client group in receiving the best possible care on their recovery journey. The successful candidate will join an experienced and supportive leadership team and be encouraged to focus on their own career development while supporting others.

The working pattern for the post holder is as per service operating hours, Monday – Friday 9-5. The main base is the Prospect House within the Prospect Park Hospital site, with some flexible working arrangements.

Main duties of the job

• Responsible for the assessment, planning, implementing, and evaluation of specialist care to support discharge from the ward, including evaluating the work of junior staff and developing care packages and programmes of care with multi-agency input.
• Maintain and develop relationships with professionals external to the area of service, service users, and their significant others within the area of service/specialism.
• Ensure services are delivered in a manner that is appropriate, relevant, and respectful to all community members, recognizing the diversity of ethnicity, culture, belief, privilege, and capacity of service users and carers.
• Ensure services meet quality and clinical effectiveness standards; proactively participate in measuring service user and staff satisfaction.
• Provide leadership to the multidisciplinary team, actively developing junior staff and imparting knowledge and experience.

Working for our organisation

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated ‘outstanding’ by the CQC, we’re committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we’re committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.

Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:

• Caring for and about you is our top priority
• Committed to providing good quality, safe services
• Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

Your wellbeing is important to us. Some benefits of working for us include:

• Flexible working options to support work-life balance
• 27 days’ annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
• Excellent learning and career development opportunities
• ‘Cycle to Work’ and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
• Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
• Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
• Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment, and armed forces community to support equality
• Generous maternity, paternity, adoption, and special leave
• Free parking across Trust site

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The “must haves” for this role:

• Professional qualification - RMN, OT, DipSW/CQSW, registered for practice with professional body.
• Experience of working in community mental health services as part of a multidisciplinary team, promoting good teamwork and excellent communication; good knowledge and understanding of inpatient care setting.
• Thorough working knowledge of mental health problems and their management, Mental Health Act, and its application in hospital and community settings.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to analyse situations and make the right decisions under pressure and in emotionally demanding situations.

For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification. We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.

We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to call: Joanna Jelonek on 01189605612 or email: [e-mail].

Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.

Person specification

Education/Qualifications /Training

• Registered for practice through NMC.
• To have a Sign Off Mentor (SOM) qualification as in accordance with the NMC and be able to sign off students as proficient for registration.

Continuous Professional Development

• Evidence of continuous professional development to a high standard

Previous Experience

• Experience of working in community mental health services
• Minimum two years post-qualification experience of working with adults with mental health problems
• Experience of supervising staff and students
• Experience of multidisciplinary team working
• Experience of report writing

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Thorough working knowledge of mental health problems and their management
• Knowledge of current mental health policy
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to analyse situations and make the right decisions
• Ability to work as a member of a multi-disciplinary team
• Ability to work autonomously and set own priorities
• Ability to apply client-led principles and form non-discriminatory therapeutic relationships with clients and carers
• Ability to maintain good quality records
• Ability to take responsibility appropriate to senior clinician role
• Ability to deal with emotionally demanding situations and remain in control under pressure
• Ability to reflect and critically appraise own performance
• Good interpersonal and communication skills, IT literate to use various IT systems available to the team.

Additional Requirements

• Effective leadership and management skills
• Proven interpersonal, communication, and supervision skills
• Confident in making rapid and effective decisions
• Ability to be creative in changing service delivery to meet the needs of the service user
• Flexible working with an ability to use own initiative as well as to be a team player
• Demonstrates evidence of Trust's values
• Hold a clean driving licence and have use of a car for work
• Occupational Health clearance satisfactory to the Trust
• Disclosure and Barring Service check satisfactory to the Trust
• Ability to travel to multiple sites

These are the values that we live by at Berkshire Healthcare:

• Caring for and about you is our top priority
• Committed to providing good quality, safe services
• Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

We welcome people who share these values to come and work for us.

Please find attached the behaviour framework that underpins these values for this job role.

At Berkshire Healthcare, we foster an inclusive workplace where everyone belongs.

We welcome talent from all backgrounds and offer guaranteed interviews to disabled applicants and armed forces community members who meet the minimum criteria.

Please note we may close positions before the advertised date.

Once you have applied, please check your email regularly for updates. All appointments are subject to NHS Employment Checks, and false information may result in withdrawal of offers.

No agencies, please.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

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.