Home Treatment and Rapid Response Support Worker
Job overview
To work as a member of the Home Treatment and Rapid Response services, working within the home treatment function delivering support to patients and their families using evidence based, profession specific and general mental health knowledge providing client centred, recovery orientated principles and practice for individuals, families and carers referred to the Service.You will also work within the Rapid response function undertaking assessments 24/7 received from Urgent Mental Health Helpline as well as undertaking gatekeeping assessments. To work in accordance with Trust and Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team Policies and Procedures and the Care Programme Approach.
To provide an alternative to inpatient admission treating patients in their home environment who are presenting in a crisis with significant distress.
Main duties of the job- Contribute in the assessment of clients referred to Home Treatment and Rapid Response
- To provide support to clients of Home Treatment and Rapid Response and their carers in relation to personal care, daily living and social activities, and help maintain the social network by the use of a range of home treatment interventions.
- To carry out specified interventions, alone on occasion, as per crisis plan and update as appropriate
- To monitor progress of Home Treatment and Rapid Response clients against the crisis plans and communicate findings, recommend changes to senior HOME TREATMENT AND RAPID RESPONSE staff in order for crisis plan to be reviewed.
- To report any changes in client presentation and safety to Senior Home Treatment and Rapid Response staff
- Work flexibly in order to respond to crisis work and adjust allocated work and prioritise at short notice as required by Shift Co-Ordinator.
- Engage clients and carers with Home Treatment and Rapid Response crisis plans and negotiate options available whilst promoting crisis prevention recovery and resilience.
- Support carers to enable clients to remain at home. On occasions assist client with administration of medication as per crisis plan.
- Promote work of Home Treatment and Rapid Response to clients, carers, other mental health professionals, statutory and non statutory agencies
Working for our organisation
Come and work with us in the Garden of England where we combine exceptional professional development opportunities with a tremendous quality of life.
We are Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT), providing mental health, learning disability and specialist services, serving 1.8 million people in Kent and Medway, as well as specialist services for adults in Sussex and Surrey.We are rated Good overall by the CQC.
Each year we care for over 2,000 people in our hospitals and 54,000 people in the community.
We are proud to employ over 3,700 people from 66 nationalities, and to serve an increasingly diverse range of communities across rural and urban areas.
You will be joining friendly, passionate colleagues, rich in their diversity, who are committed to providing excellent care to our service users and their loved ones.
The nature of our work attracts kindness and compassion as standard and everyone from our cleaners and porters to the chief executive and chairman are recognised as playing a vital role in providing an exemplary service.
Our strategy
Our mission is what we set out to do every dayWe deliver brilliant care through brilliant people
Our vision is where we want to be in the future
To provide outstanding care and to work in partnership to deliver this in the right place, for every service user, every time.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description for full details and main responsibilities of the role.
Person specification
Training and Qualifications
Essential criteria- Be willing to work towards the qualifications listed in the desirable section.
- Ability and desire to both obtain and underpin knowledge and skills appropriate to a support worker
- NVQ level 2 or 3 as an example.
- Certificate in mental health.
- Health and social care awards as examples
Experience
Essential criteria- Previous experience of working in or using mental health services
- Knowledge/experience of emotional distress
- Knowledge/experience of mental health Services
Knowledge and Skills
Essential criteria- Ability to listen effectively and communicate effectively at all levels
- Basic written communication skills to enable completion of records etc
- Empathy, compassion, and patience
- Ability to create innovative solutions to help empower service users
- Ability to work on own initiative in a range of settings
- Ability to form positive therapeutic relationships with service users and carers
- A keenness to make a positive contribution to improving the quality of life for people with mental health problems
- Ability to acknowledge diversity and promote anti-discriminatory practice/equal opportunities
- Ability to provide practical support with daily living skills
- An ability to act calmly in emergencies and respond in a professional manner to stressful and challenging behaviour
- Ability to reflect on practice and receive and deliver constrictive feedback to enhance performance
- Basic first aid
- Basic health and safety awareness
- Moving and handling awareness
- Awareness of local services/resources
- Knowledge of benefits/employment system
Circumstances
Essential criteria- Has UK driving licence, a car and is able to travel within the geographical work area in a timely and effective manner.