Band 8a

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Mental Health professional to improve the experience of patients at West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

We are looking to appoint a dynamic, innovative individual to drive forward and enhance the support provided to our patients, staff, and service users. You will be working collaboratively with HPFT’s mental health liaison team, wider health system and networks to ensure patients receive appropriate and safe care during their stay in our hospital.

You will develop and sustain a culture of clinical improvement, demonstrating compassionate care, and empowering colleagues to improve the care and wellbeing of mental health patients.

You will uphold the values of the trust and provide inspirational and visible compassionate leadership to the team

risk assessments and appropriate care plans, ensuring appropriate medication is prescribed by the liaison team to manage a patients who becomes dysregulated, ensuring the patient has appropriate one to one care provided, managing the multi-disciplinary team to work towards a safe discharge, supporting patients admitted with eating disorders and ensuring that MEED national guidance is fully implemented, escalating cases where there has been a delay in finding a suitable bed for a patients.

There has never been a more exciting time to join West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Major redevelopment works are planned as part of the New Hospital Programme. These will be most dramatic at Watford General Hospital where up to 90% of buildings will be new.

The trust has recently gained ‘teaching hospital’ status which reflects the dedicated work of many teams and individuals who have set the standard for delivering high quality training, learning and education at all levels of the workforce.

We are a flexible working employer

At West Herts we recognise the importance of a good work life balance and the ability to work flexibly. We are delighted to offer a variety of flexible working options for all staff. Please check out our web page for more information.

We encourage and welcome people with disabilities. If you need help, please ask.

Develop strong professional relationships with the Trust MHLT/CCATT and key clinicians in HPFT to ensure good lines of communication between the Trust and the mental health practitioners.

Act as a key point of contact and liaison for HPFT staff for operational and strategic matter.

Demonstrate excellent communication skills across agencies.

To work closely with HPFT, mental health commissioners and the wider health system to ensure best care for patients with mental health and complex social need.

To generate and sustain relationships that promote dignity, diversity, rights and responsibilities across mental health and wider networks.

Contribute to the development of a Trust culture that promotes patient safety and openness to learning.

To be actively involved in relevant audits/risk managing.

Develop a comprehensive and robust audit programme for mental health care working jointly with HPFT staff.

Participate in shared governance forums to provide shared best practice and drive quality care provision within the Trust.

Carry out a comprehensive training needs analysis across the organisation to identify training needs of specific staff groups around mental health including a competency framework.

Work closely with the Trust training department to ensure the training needs analysis is comprehensive and fits with the Trusts training strategy.

Working with key staff within HPFT, develop training programmes specific to clinical areas to deliver comprehensive and relevant training to staff around caring for patients with mental health issues.

Lead on the ongoing development of inpatient care plans - a process of patient pathways to manage communication, multi-disciplinary team working, systems and care delivery for inpatient admissions for complex mental health patients across the Trust.

Embedding care plans within clinical areas, monitoring, and updating them during inpatient admissions and following discharges. Monitoring the effectiveness of these care plans overall and adapting this to improve patient outcomes and reduction of harm.

Lead on the development and integration of the strategic MEED group (medical emergencies in eating disorders) within the organisation - co-ordinating the strategic group developing policies and procedures, workplan etc

Ensure all Trust policies relevant to mental health are in line with legislation and national guidance e.g., Restrictive Practice policy, Suicide prevention policy.

Be responsible for developing relevant policies and standard operating procedures, engaging with relevant staff, and ensuring relevant governance processes are followed.

Ensure promotion and awareness to staff around any new policy or SOP.