Community Mental Health Practitioner
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.
We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’.
We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone’s potential as change makers.
The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.
Our Values
We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I’m going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you’ll be part of something special.
As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.
Job overview
This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and dynamic Mental Health Practitioner to join the Lewisham Community Mental Health Neighbourhood 3 Team. The post is open to qualified Nurses, Social Workers and Occupational Therapists.
The post-holder will conduct assessments of newly referred adults to the Community Mental Health Team. They will undertake the responsibilities of a Mental Health Practitioner within the Care Programme Approach for a defined caseload of service users and their carers.They will provide evidence-based psychosocial interventions and will focus on engagement, recovery and social inclusion as well as addressing physical health care needs.
The successful candidate will be an experienced registered professional who is able to demonstrate a specific interest in working with people with psychosis and personality disorders.
This is an exciting time to be working in this field which has undergone a Community Transformation as part of the NHS Long Term Plan . We are able to offer excellent support and training opportunities.
Main duties of the job- To manage a caseload of mental health service-users with complex needs as lead professional and care co-ordinator under the CPA process.
- To use evidence-based and client-centred principles to assess needs and to plan, implement and evaluate health and social care interventions
- To facilitate flow through the service and timely step-down to low intensity services and primary care.
- To provide leadership for junior staff through supervision and appraisal.
- To participate in the planning, development and evaluation of MDT services, holding personal responsibility for defined projects and areas of responsibility.
- To mentor and supervise students on practice placements
- To carry out MDT activities e.g. coordinating meetings and undertaking duty responsibilities
- To provide profession-specific interventions for the wider team as required and in line with NICE guidelines
- To offer/provide timely NICE concordant interventions to clients with FEP and their carers
- To participate in team training and mandatory training and ongoing professional development.
Working for our organisation
South London and Maudsley NHS Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich.
We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’.
Our Values
We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I’m going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you’ll be part of something special.
As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Band 6 Mental Health Practitioner will be based within neighbourhood-based community mental health teams which provide integrated health and social care services.
Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team alongside colleagues from a range of professional backgrounds, they will undertake assessments of need and coordinate the development of sustainable recovery-focussed care plans. They will provide practical support and carry out planned interventions to address assessed needs and to overcome barriers to access and social inclusion.Using a strengths-based approach they will support service-users to develop their own solutions, minimising long-term dependence on services through self-directed support and promoting the take-up of personal budgets where appropriate.
- To manage a caseload of mental health service-users with complex needs as lead professional and care co-ordinator under the CPA process.
- To use evidence-based and client-centred principles to assess needs and to plan, implement and evaluate health and social care interventions
- To facilitate flow through the service and timely step-down to low intensity services and primary care.
- To provide leadership for junior staff through supervision and appraisal.
- To participate in the planning, development and evaluation of MDT services, holding personal responsibility for defined projects and areas of responsibility.
- To mentor and supervise students on practice placements
- To carry out MDT activities e.g. coordinating meetings and undertaking duty responsibilities
- To provide profession-specific interventions for the wider team as required and in line with NICE guidelines
- To offer/provide timely NICE concordant interventions to clients with SMI and their carers
- To participate in team training and mandatory training and ongoing professional development.
Person specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential criteria- Registered Mental Health Nurse/ Occupational Therapist or Social Worker and/or Registered Learning Disabilities Nurse
- Up to date professional registration
- Mentorship qualification or equivalent
- Masters Level Qualification
- Nurse Prescribing
- Evidence of significant continuing professional development
Knowledge and Skills
Essential criteria- Ability to manage a complex caseload and prioritise caseload and workload effectively.
- Significant experience of working with service users who are deteriorating in the community
- Significant experience of clinical assessments of adults with mental health issues
- Knowledge of Relevant Research and its application to Assessment treatment and Case Management
- IT Skills
Ability and other Requirements
Essential criteria- Able to provide quality care that is responsive to the service user's needs, without close supervision
- Experience in psychosocial interventions
- Experience of interagency working
- Experience of a service development and quality improvement
- Advanced Practitioner Qualification
The Trust is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and that promote equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applicants from all sections of the community and people of all protected characteristics. We provide reasonable adjustments for candidates with a disability and are committed to treating people fairly with compassion, respect and dignity and in promoting equality and human rights. We aim to put this commitment into practice by:
- Embedding our commitment to tackling inequality, eliminating discrimination and harassment; promoting equality of opportunity and fostering good relations in our everyday practice
- Ensuring that all our services and all staff understand and support our commitment
- We believe that people who use our services, their carers and our staff, should be treated with compassion, respect and dignity
Please note:
- That all applications for this post will need to be made online
- That you read and understand the Job Description and Personal Specification attached to the role. Your Statement in Support should reflect the requirements specified as your application will be judged against these criteria
- That the closing date listed is a guide only and that the vacancy may close earlier should sufficient number of applicants have been received. We advise that you submit your application as early as possible
- That once you have submitted your application you agree to your application being transferred to a 3rd party e-recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs
- That should you not have heard from us within three weeks from the closing date your application has not successful
- That priority consideration for applications may be given to at-risk NHS employees
- That should you be successful and appointed, you authorise South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust to confirm your previous NHS service via an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process
- That we are a smoke-free Trust
SLaM is a Stonewall Diversity Champion , Stonewall is the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans (LGBT) rights charity in Europe’