Trainee Apprentice Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner

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We encourage all applicants to share their equality information with us.

Job overview

This is an apprentice trainee Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner role within the NHS Talking therapies programme. Please note that there are specific requirements for this training route. Applicants must be 18+.

Specifically the post-holder will have GCSE Maths and English grade C/4 or above, and will have studied and achieved a Level 3 qualification OR possess the relevant skills and experiential knowledge to demonstrate your ability to study at Level 6

However; applicants with qualifications beyond level 3 will not be eligible for the apprenticeship route.

The training post will equip the post -holder to provide a range of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) based self- management interventions to clients with mild to moderate anxiety and depression.

The post- holder will attend all taught and self-study days required by the education provider (Liverpool John Moores University), and submit the required work as specified. They will work in the service for the remaining days of the week, developing their clinical skills.

You will be supported in the completion of both your academic study and clinical delivery by skilled and experienced supervisors.

The training posts are available within the St Helens Talking Therapies service. Please note; upon qualifying however the post-holder will work within whichever team holds vacancies.

Main duties of the job

1. Accept referrals via agreed protocols within the service.
2. Assess and supports people with a common mental health problem in the self- management of their recovery.
3. Undertake patient-centred interviews which identifies areas where the person wishes to see change and or recovery and makes an accurate assessment of risk to self and others.
4. Make decisions on suitability of new referrals, adhering to the department’s referral protocols, refers unsuitable clients on to the relevant service or back to the referral agent as necessary or steps-up the person’s treatment to high intensity psychological therapy.
5. Provide a range of information and support for evidence based high-volume low-intensity psychological treatments. This may include guided self-help computerised CBT, information about pharmacological treatments. This work may be face to face, telephone or via other media.
6. Adhere to an agreed activity contract relating to the overall number of client contacts offered, and clinical sessions carried out per week in order to minimise waiting times and ensure treatment delivery remains accessible and convenient.

Working for our organisation

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

We’re currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES

To ensure that suitable IT systems are in place to record and audit clinical and professional activity in the relevant psychology services.

GENERIC RESPONSIBILITIES FOR ALL STAFF

• Commit to the vision of supporting Mersey Care in becoming a leading organisation in the provision of community services, mental health care, addiction services and learning disability care, and in doing so fully utilise their skills and experience to support the objectives of the Trust.
• Role model the values of the Trust – Continuous Improvement, Accountability, Respectfulness, Enthusiasm and Support– in all activities and interactions with employees, service users and other stakeholders.
• Challenge the stigma associated with mental health and learning difficulties.
• Comply with the Duty of Candour, defined by Francis as: 'The volunteering of all relevant information to persons who have or may have been harmed by the provision of services, whether or not the information has been requested and whether or not a complaint or a report about that provision has been made.’
• Work across professional and organisational boundaries to improve services for all.
• Maintain their specific knowledge base and develop new skills.
• Value the contribution of the patient/ service user voice.
• Operate within any organisational codes of practice or those from a relevant professional body.
• Respect equality and diversity across all areas of working practice and communications with staff, service users and other stakeholders.
• Take responsibility for the accurate and timely collection and recording of data and ensuring all personally identifiable information is protected and used only for the purposes for which it was intended.
• Comply with all health and safety legislation and local policies and procedures.
• Adhere to all organisational policies.
• Have knowledge and understanding of technology in the workplace which is sufficient to maintain their efficiency and also how technology can empower service users in a digital environment.
• Comply with the NHS Constitution in relation to the staff responsibilities that it sets out for NHS employees.
• Attend a one day Just and Learning & Civility and Respect training workshop.
• Be an ambassador for Just & Learning and Civility & Respect following the training.
• Positively advocate the just and learning culture within your team.
• Be a confident supporter and implementer of the Trust CARES Values including Civility & Respect within your team.
• Support their team/ services to create a positive environment for Just and Learning Culture.
• Participate in Just and Learning Culture events.
• Bring Just and Learning Culture updates/ information to the attention of team members and other MCT colleagues they work with.
• Support and encourage the sharing of concerns about the safety and quality of care with senior leaders with the aim of improving safety and quality.
• Actively participate in creating an open culture within your team so that concerns and difficulties can be discussed safely and respectfully.
• Speaking up in the event that they are exposed to incivility between colleagues in the workplace #iwillspeakup.
• Listening and understanding others who have concerns and taking a collaborative approach to work towards a solution to improve civility and respect.

This job description is intended as an outline indicator of general areas of activity and will be reviewed in light of the changing needs of the Trust in consultation with the postholder.

Person specification

Qualifications

• You will have studied and achieved a Level 3 qualification OR possess the relevant skills and experiential knowledge to demonstrate your ability to study at Level 6
• Working towards Foundation Degree Examples of ‘Level 3’ qualifications (as specified by the National Framework of Qualifications): o BTEC Level 3 o NVQ/Apprenticeship level 3 o A-Level AND
• GCSE Maths and English grade C or above or grade 4 and above, or equivalent qualification
• Qualifications gained overseas will be required to be checked by NARIC for equivalency You must be able to evidence all essential qualifications and experience
• Additional academic/study support can be offered to students on the programme if required
• GCSE Maths and English grade C or above or grade 4 and above, or equivalent qualification
• Qualifications gained overseas will be required to be checked by NARIC for equivalency You must be able to evidence all essential qualifications and experience

• Level 2 Health and Social Care qualification

Knowledge / Experience

• Have an understanding of anxiety and depression
• Relevant experience of working with / being a carer for people with common mental health problems OR Evidence of transferable skills through employment or life experience, and how you could apply this to supporting people with mental health problems
• Experience of managing own workload and time
• Experience of working in a role where agreed targets have been in place, demonstrating performance
• Experience of working effectively in a team

• Demonstrates a knowledge of the issues surrounding work and the impact it can have on mental health
• Knowledge of self-help materials for managing common mental health problems
• Knowledge of medication used in anxiety and depression and other common mental health problems
• Proven relevant experience of working in the local community
• Experience of working within a Health or Social Care related environment
• Demonstrates an understanding of psychological therapies used in the treatment of anxiety or depression

Values

• Continuous Improvement
• Accountability
• Respectfulness
• Enthusiasm
• Support
• High Professional Standards
• Responsive to Service Users
• Engaging Leadership Style
• Strong Customer Service Belief
• Transparency and Honesty
• Discreet
• Change Orientated

Skills

• High level of enthusiasm and motivation
• Demonstrates high standards in all aspects of communication
• Ability to understand the importance of personal development
• Ability to be self reflective, whilst working with service users, in own personal and professional development and in supervision
• Ability to work within a team and foster good working relationships
• Ability to develop therapeutic relationships with service users
• Ability to work under pressure
• Regard for others and respect for individual rights of autonomy and confidentiality
• Computer literate
• Ability and willingness to travel to locations throughout the Mersey Care footprint

• Fluent in community languages other than English

Please ensure you check the email account from which you apply for all correspondence. All information regarding your application will come from apps.trac.jobs not NHS Jobs.

Only those applicants who demonstrate clearly how they meet our person specification will be shortlisted for interview.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we offer a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants who consider themselves to be disabled who meet the minimum (essential) criteria for the role in the person specification. If you would like your application to be considered under the Trust’s guaranteed interview scheme you can indicate this in the personal information section of your online application form.

Should you require a reasonable adjustment to our recruitment process please email [email protected] to ensure that measures can be put in place to support you.

We reserve the right to close any vacancies from further applications when we have received a minimum number of applications from which to make a shortlist. Please ensure you apply without delay if you wish to be considered for this role.

The team can prevent any previous identity showing on the DBS Certificate, unless the applicant has a conviction under their previous details in which case this will need to be disclosed.

Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

Please be advised that the use of Artificial Intelligence on applications is monitored and if you choose to use this, you must declare this on your application form.

Please note: new entrants to the NHS will commence on the first pay point of the relevant band.