Senior Mental Health Practitioner

We are the Mental Health & Learning Disability NHS Trust for County Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York and Selby.

From education and prevention, to crisis and specialist care —our talented and compassionate teams work in partnership with our patients, communities and partners to help the people of our region feel safe, understood, believed in and cared for.

We nurture the recovery journey of anyone in need of our help. In Our Trust, everyone has a say in how they are supported and treated because we listen to every person in our care until they feel understood. Our patients, their families and carers work together with us towards better mental health.

We’re committed to new thinking that improves the wellbeing of our region. We connect with our communities and partners to get mental health care right, in areas that really need it.

We won’t rest until everyone in our region has the mental health care they need, to lead their best possible life.

Job overview

You will be a member of a pro-active and forward thinking multi-disciplinary team and be offered opportunities to develop and enhance your skills in this field.

The post holder will be part of a multi-disciplinary Community Mental Health Team for Older Persons.

The post holder will work within core hours of Monday to Friday 9-5pm. Alongside an active caseload you will also be required to support the duty system in the team which entails managing and prioritising daily enquiries and referrals addressing any identified risk concerns and offering urgent assessments for women if indicated in line with operational policy.

To ensure the delivery of high standards of care, in accordance with evidence based professional practice and trust policies. Work within the multi-disciplinary team, with partners, carers, relatives, other services, and agencies to promote positive mental health and wellbeing of older people.

• To improve the lives of people with mental ill health by minimising the impact of their condition through the delivery of excellent services to promote recovery and well-being.
• To be compassionate in meeting the needs of patients and their carers.
• To work as part of a community team which may be integrated, working collaboratively and in partnership with local authority services.
• To be professionally accountable and responsible for patient care, undertaking a range of clinical/therapeutic interventions in patients’ homes and other community settings.
• To act as lead professional or care co-ordinator as appropriate.
• To promote social inclusion, community access and participation through the provision of patient care.
• To facilitate others in the team to develop competence by providing leadership, day to day supervision, clinical advice and clinical supervision to registered healthcare professionals as appropriate, associate practitioners, community support workers and students.
• To be committed to and take a lead role in activities integral to the Trust’s Quality Improvement System.
• To always promote a positive image of people with mental ill health.
• To always promote a positive image of the Older Persons Mental Health Service and the wider Trust.

Working for our organisation

We seek highly motivated individuals who are open to learning & developing their skills in older peoples mental health with a comprehensive induction, ongoing development within the post from existing members of the team & other professionals.

We are an aspirational service & actively encourage innovation.

Be the best you can be – bring your skills, re-set your work life balance and come & work in TEWV.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Candidates must have 18 months post qualifying experience including sign off of appropriate preceptorship or competency framework.

You must be able to work flexibly within a challenging environment.

Due to the nature of the role it is essential that applicants are able to travel independently across the locality and have access to a suitable vehicle for business purposes. If necessary, adjustments can be considered in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further detailed information to ensure that you meet the role criteria before applying.

Applicants must ensure that prior to applying they have agreement from their current line manager that they can be released on a secondment basis. In the event that permanent funding is secured for this post the successful applicant will be confirmed in post on a permanent basis.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Current professional registration with an approved professional body.
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development.
• For registered nurses: MIP, FLIP, ENB 998 Teaching & Assessing in Clinical Practice or City & Guilds 730 Teaching in Adult Education. Must be achieved within agreed timescale.
• 18 months post qualifying experience including sign off of appropriate preceptorship or competency framework.
• Recognised sign-off mentor, clinical educator or equivalent. Must be achieved within agreed timescale.
• Key skills in literacy, numeracy and ITQ level 2 (or equivalent)

• Leadership or management qualification
• Post-graduate qualification in a relevant area

Experience

• Significant experience working with people with mental ill health in a care environment.
• Working collaboratively with service users and their families/carers.
• Providing clinical supervision to individuals or groups as professionally appropriate.
• Mentoring or facilitating students on practice placement.
• Working in a multi-disciplinary team
• Quality improvement activities

• Leadership or management experience
• Significant experience working with people with mental ill health in a community environment.

Knowledge

• Demonstrable knowledge to post-graduate level of evidence-based practice in caring for patients in the designated field.
• Understanding of relevant legislation (e.g. Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act).
• Care Programme Approach and its application in practice.
• Detailed understanding of Safeguarding and its application in practice
• Clinical Risk Assessment and Management and its application in practice
• Clinical Governance and its application in practice
• Research and development methodology
• Understanding of psychological models of care and treatment

• The Trust’s Quality Improvement System (QIS)

If the contract type on the vacancy states 'Fixed Term' this would mean the vacancy is being advertised to address a temporary need for the duration stipulated on the advert, however, in the event that permanent funding is secured for the post the successful applicant will be confirmed in post on a permanent basis.

Internal applicants must ensure that prior to applying they have agreement from their current line manager that they can be released on a secondment basis.

Trust Welcome Day

Here at Tees, Esk and Wear Valley Foundation NHS Trust we want you to have a positive experience when you start your new role with us. To ensure you have great welcome, for all new starters joining the Trust, we offer two start dates per month on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of that Month.

For certain clinical roles, your Welcome Day could then be followed by up to 9 days face to face training. If this is applicable to you, further information will be provided ahead of your Welcome Day.

Right to Work in the UK

Non UK / RoI candidates wishing to apply can self-assess the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship here Browse: Work in the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Your current immigration status will not be considered as part of the shortlisting or interview process.

Please note that not everyone needs a ‘Skilled Worker’ visa. If you are applying for a vacancy in health or adult social care, you may be eligible to apply for the Health and Care Worker visa instead.

We are able to offer sponsorship for a Health and Care Worker or Skilled Worker visa, subject to candidate and position eligibility. Please review the job eligibility guidance for skilled workers here: Skilled Worker visa: Your job - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and for the Health and Care Worker visa here: Skilled Worker visa: eligible healthcare and education jobs - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

If you are in the UK already on a visa, please ensure you have no restrictions that would prevent you from taking this post.

AI in Recruitment

This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.

Newly Qualified Nurses

All band 5 nursing positions are only open to those candidates who already have their NMC registration in place and have successfully completed a preceptorship programme. Please note: Newly qualified applicants or those due to qualify will be recruited via a separate process, for more information about this process please contact: [email protected]

TEWV encourages and supports all staff to be vaccinated as this remains the best line of defence against COVID19.

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust is committed to the protection of staff, service users and visitors to the Trust from second hand smoke and currently operates a no smoking policy which ensures all buildings and grounds are smoke free.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from individuals who have experience of mental ill health or learning disabilities. Our service users and carers tell us our staff should be consistently concerned with maintaining and improving care with pride, empathy and compassion.

This job advert may close as soon as sufficient suitable applications have been received. If interested please apply for this post as soon as possible.

If this section is not fully completed your application may not be processed.

If your application is successful, the information you give on your application form will be used to create and be retained on your electronic staff record and to provide access to core Trust systems.

Please note that if the post you are applying for requires a DBS check, you will be required to also subscribe to the DBS Update Service, if successful, and thereafter renew your subscription each year. The Trust will reimburse the subscription fee.

After applying via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into our preferred Third party recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs. You will not be able to track the progress of your application or receive messages through the NHS Jobs website, and furthermore, that as an employer, we will not be able to respond to any e-mails sent to us via the NHS Jobs website.

By applying for this post you are agreeing to Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Candidates who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e-mail. You should check your SPAM folders as well as your inbox. If you have not been contacted within 4 weeks of the closing date you should assume your application has been unsuccessful.