Senior Mental Health Practitioner

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust; Cheltenham; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking mental health Trust dedicated to providing exceptional care in the community. This role offers the chance to make a significant impact on individuals experiencing mental health crises through the Mental Health Acute Response Service. As a vital member of the Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team, you will engage with service users, providing essential triage and support while collaborating with various agencies. The Trust values inclusivity and professional development, offering a supportive environment where your contributions are recognized and celebrated. If you're passionate about mental health and eager to make a difference, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Benefits

Free car parking

27 days leave plus bank holidays

Training and development opportunities

Generous NHS pension

Flexible working opportunities

Recognition and long service awards

Fast Track physiotherapy

Discounts and salary sacrifice schemes

Qualifications

• Registered Mental Health Nurse or Social Worker with ongoing professional development.
• Experience in crisis resolution and collaboration with other agencies.

Responsibilities

• Provide rapid triage and assessment for mental health crises.
• Ensure excellence in clinical care and lead the team effectively.
• Work collaboratively with partner agencies for integrated care.

Skills

Mental Health Nursing

Crisis Resolution

Communication Skills

Risk Assessment

Collaboration with Agencies

Education

Registered Nurse Mental Health (RMN)

Registered Social Worker (HCPC)

European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL)

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

We love what we do and we think you will, too!

At Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC), we provide joined-up mental health, physical health and learning disability services to people of all ages across Gloucestershire. We run community hospitals and provide care and support in people’s own homes and in a range of other locations across the county.

We are on a mission to enable people to live the best life they can and we have a vision to work together to provide outstanding care. We put people at the heart of our services, focusing on personalised care by asking ‘what matters to you’.

We’re passionate about making sure that everyone can contribute to achieving our mission and we are continually working to support healthy and happy high-quality teams in all areas of the Trust.

Job overview

Are you an experienced and motivated individual looking to join a high performing mental health Trust?

GHC NHS Foundation Trust, rated ‘Good’ in our recent CQC report, has a number of opportunities for Mental Health Professionals to join an exciting venture. The Mental Health Acute Response Service (MHARS) was commissioned in 2016 with the aim of improving response times and widening access for people in the community in mental health crises and acute psychological distress as per Crisis Care Concordat.

The service aims to provide a joined-up approach to crises working collaboratively with other agencies such as the police as we have been piloting a Police Triage service with Gloucestershire Constabulary. We are aiming to develop a fully inclusive service (age 11 to end of life) that will act as the single point of access and triage to a whole system care pathway.

Main duties of the job

We are now seeking highly motivated and committed Band 6 practitioners to join us in the Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team. You will complement our current team of professionals, assisting with the day to day running of the service and ensuring you are professionally accountable and responsible for service users’ care.

As the ideal candidate for this post, you would be an experienced and highly competent mental health practitioner looking for a new challenge and seeking an opportunity to make a real difference to people’s lives. We’re looking for candidates with excellent communication skills and a passion for helping those experiencing a mental health crisis.

You will have the ability to build relationships with key partner agencies and help us to integrate more effectively with other services, as well as thriving on working in a high-pressure situation. This service will also give you the opportunity to work with specialists from a number of different professions.

This vital service will be available to our patients 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, so we are looking for flexible people who would like to work on this rewarding service to cover shifts throughout the week at varying times of the day. We offer mixed economy shifts enabling people to choose to work long shifts i.e. 12 hour shifts or shorter shifts of 7.5 hours.

Working for our organisation

We have in excess of 5000 staff working over 50 sites, providing a diverse range of services. We strive to support an organisational culture that is welcoming, builds and celebrates inclusivity and diversity and provides a sense of belonging and trust.

The annual NHS Staff Survey gives our people the opportunity to tell us about their experience working at the Trust. For the 2023 survey just over 2800 colleagues gave us their views (58.5%). It was great to see from the results that colleagues are saying that:

• 89.7% believe they are making a positive difference to patients/service users;
• 73.3% would recommend the organisation as a place to work;
• 82.4% agree that care of patients and service users is the organisation's priority;
• 76.7% would be happy with the standard of care for a friend or relative.

Our results put us as 5th nationally as a Community, Mental Health and Learning Disabilities NHS Employer of Choice and 1st equal amongst all NHS Provider Trusts in the South West. However, we know we have more to do and will continue to drive forward our commitment to making GHC a Great Place to Work.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Please refer to the Additional Information attachment before submitting your application.

The post holder will be a senior member of the Mental Health Acute Response Service (MHARS) working with people in Gloucestershire who are thought to be experiencing a period of mental health crisis or psychological distress. The service provides an acute, mobile, 24-hour community service as an alternative to hospitalisation.

• To provide rapid triage, assessment and implementation of crisis resolution or evidence-based home treatment for service users who are experiencing an acute mental health crisis.
• To optimise the service user’s ability to remain in the community and/or be cared for in the least restrictive environment in line with the principles of recovery and social inclusion and the 10 essential capabilities.
• To facilitate early discharge from hospital and respond to agencies requiring assessment of service users who are being considered for immediate psychiatric hospitalisation.
• To be responsible for provision of excellence in clinical care, providing clinical leadership to the team and promoting a culture of evidence-based practice and person-centred care.
• To be professionally accountable and responsible for individual assessments of people referred to the team by the police at their first point of contact with the Criminal Justice Services, prior to a decision to detain under the Mental Health Act.

Person specification

QUALIFICATIONS

• Registered Nurse Mental Health (RMN) or Registered Social Worker (HCPC)
• Evidence of continued professional development
• Evidence of formal post registration learning
• European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL)

LENGTH AND / OR NATURE OF EXPERIENCE

• Working knowledge of Early Intervention, Primary Care, Recovery, Crisis Resolution & Home Treatment (CRHT) approach and social inclusion
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office packages, e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher and Outlook
• Post qualification experience or Crisis experience as a qualified practitioner.
• Experience of collaboration working with other agencies including the voluntary sector

PROFESSIONAL / MANAGERIAL / SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE

• Knowledge and understanding of the Mental Health Act & legal aspects of Mental Health care
• Demonstrable skills in risk assessment and management
• Knowledge of the different approaches to mental health assessment
• Knowledge of evidence-based intervention with service users in all phases of mental illness
• An understanding of national policy in relation to mental health
• Up to date clinical knowledge including risk assessment, dual diagnosis and health and social care needs
• Knowledge of child care / protection issues
• Ability to work on social factors affecting mental distress e.g. accommodation, substance misuse, domestic violence, welfare rights

When joining us, as well as becoming part of a team that makes a difference, we also offer:

• Free car parking at many of our sites
• 27 days leave plus bank holidays, increasing up to 33 days with long service
• A broad range of training and development opportunities, including apprenticeships up to Level 7 qualification.
• A multi-professional preceptorship programme for all Newly Qualified Nurses, Nursing Associates, Internationally Educated Practitioners, Allied Health Professionals and Return to Practice Practitioners.
• Generous NHS pension and enhanced pay if you work unsocial hours
• Flexible, family friendly and agile working opportunities
• Recognition and long service awards
• Fast Track physiotherapy
• Access to discounts and salary sacrifice schemes; including Cycle to Work, Car scheme and discounts on travel, leisure and retailers.

Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date. Good luck with your application.

For more information please see the attached 'Additional Information for Applicants' document.

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.