Forensic Mental Health Specialist - London

Thank you for your interest for the North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT), it is an exciting time to join us and being part of our journey to improve mental health care across North London and deliver excellent services to our local people. We will achieve this through the North London Way, as we:

• Collaborate at every level by living our Values to create the right conditions for us all to work together.
• Develop our new Trust culture, to help make our new Trust a great place to work and to receive great care.
• Empower our teams to lead the planned improvements in our services, by skilling them and giving them the tools to make the changes.
• Focus on delivering excellence at every level to improve our performance and ensure consistently high-quality care across all our services.
• Ensure that research, Quality Improvement, and technology lead the way and are embedded in our services.
• Take a trauma informed approach to everything we do

We proactively welcome diversity in our workforce and pride ourselves on being an inclusive employer. We aim to recruit from our local communities and provide opportunities to all including apprenticeships, veterans, care leavers and more.

The North London Way to deliver, Better Mental Health, Better Lives, Better Communities.

Our trust website is: https://www.northlondonmentalhealth.nhs.uk/

Job overview

The purpose of The Fixated Threat Assessment Centre is to evaluate and manage the risk posed to prominent people by the fixated (i.e. those who engage in inappropriate or threatening communications or behaviours towards prominent people in the context of abnormally intense preoccupations, many of which arise from psychotic illness).

Staff at the centre comprise of a Metropolitan Police team and an NHS team. The NHS partnership includes a team leader, team coordinator, forensic consultant psychiatrists, forensic consultant psychologists, and forensic mental health professionals.

The position of the forensic mental health professionals with FTAC places emphasis upon a broad knowledge of systems that deliver mental health services. The knowledge base might include an operational understanding of the community mental health services, GP provision along with an understanding of the criminal justice pathway; including the courts, prison service, courts, police service and secure mental health services.

Please note that a requirement of the successful candidate will be to hold SC vetting with the Metropolitan Police. This can be a lengthy process and can take up to a year to clear. Until cleared the post cannot be started.

Main duties of the job

To formulate strategies of intervention to convey information that might be complex or sensitive to services. Demonstrate an ability to communicate verbally and in written form to a high standard with partner agencies. Agencies will not only involve providers of health care, but also representatives of prominent people, including government.

Required to have developed forensic risk assessment skills and a willingness to undertake further training in this specialist area of work.

It is extremely rare that face to face assessments occur.

The research work will require skill to enter data onto a computerised database for the purpose of statistical analysis and assimilation of complex facts.

The role requires the worker to consult at a high level and to formulate strategies based upon an ability to arrive at judgments that demonstrate initiative and professional accountability.

Working for our organisation

North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.

Our Five-Year Strategy:

1. We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.
2. With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all
3. We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.
4. We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology.

The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.

• The post holder will function within a team of specialist practitioners, along with the police officers in the unit. There is an expectation of the post holder to train in threat management and the specialist skill development will be through formal teaching programs, along with practice based supervision in post.
• The post holder will work jointly with other mental health personnel and police officers in the evaluation of concerns in each case, working to specific protocols. The post holder will take part in group referral meetings and supervision sessions that include police officers at which risk evaluations and possible interventions will be discussed.
• Although less likely, the post holder may on occasion be required to undertake assessments of the mental state of people making inappropriate attempts to gain proximity to prominent people. Such assessments may occur in public places, hospitals or the persons ordinary place of residence.
• The post holder will aid in the assessment and implementation of appropriate interventions, designed to contain or reduce the level of concern relating to a particular individual. Such interventions in many cases include a psychiatric liaison and/or diversion; this will mean liaising with mental health services in the persons area of origin and the provision of relevant background information which might assist the assessment.

This is not an exhaustive list, please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification for more information on the role requirements and duties.

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

• NMC/HPC registered

Experience

• Experience working in prison, police liaison, court diversion.

Experience

• Demonstrate relevant knowledge gained in previous employment or elsewhere (community mental health, forensics units)
• Excellent understanding of mental health pathways, including, prison and court diversion.
• Excellent risk assessment and management skills, and risk management tools.
• Achieved grade/experience
• Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate, to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to sensitive information.
• Experience of dealing with GP and community services
• Excellent communication skills
• Ability to work autonomously
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team

• First degree other postgraduate qualifications (must state which field)
• Experience working in prison, police liaison, court diversion Line management responsibilities Experience teaching and training others Experience in undertaking presentations to external services
• Experience in working in a multi-agency/joint partnership agency