Community Mental Health Practitioner

Job Overview
We are looking for team players who are passionate about service user well-being and recovery and who able to place service users at the centre of care. The service operates from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and the post holder will participate in the team duty and assessment systems. The team is committed to working with an individual's strengths in order to maximise autonomy and to deliver NICE concordant care for all service users on our caseload

The Team serves the population of Brent, a diverse and vibrant Borough, and is located in Brent with excellent transport links. It is an established team with a friendly, supportive culture. There is a visible and supportive management team and a strong emphasis on training and professional development opportunities.

Brent is a place of contrast and a destination for thousands of British and international visitors every year. Home of the iconic Wembley Stadium, the world famous Wembley Arena, the new London Designer Outlet and the spectacular Swaminarayan Hindu Temple, it provides a stage for cultural, sporting and religious events of national and international importance.

Please see the person specification for essential criteria.

If you are a looking for a new challenge to make a real difference supporting the recovery of adults in Brent experiencing mental health crises then this is the job for you.

Main duties of the job

• The post holder will be a member of Brent CMHT which also leads on primary care mental health liaison and link working.
• Responsible for undertaking initial and comprehensive assessment of health and social care needs alone or with colleagues and feedback to Multi-Disciplinary Team
• They will have care co-ordination and co-worker responsibility for the overall care of an identified group of service users, being part of a service that is committed to recovery and social inclusion.
• Provide supervision to an identified group of staff and students on placement with the team.
• Carry out MDT activities including being on duty and clinic rota as appropriate and within sphere of profession
• They will develop and maintain effective communication strategies between Mental Health Services and General Practice Teams to improve care pathways.
• The post holder will be required to work within CNWL policies and procedures, professional and legal framework upholding the values and ethos of the organisation.
• To have a clear understanding and practice within framework of one's Code of Professional Conduct, Adult and Child protection protocols, Mental Health and Capacity Acts
• To provide regular ongoing contact with GP Practices as part of the post holder's link worker role, this includes developing an improved understanding of the role and function of the CMHT.

Interview Date: TBC

Working for our organisation

The Team serves the population of Brent, a diverse and vibrant Borough, and is located in Brent with excellent transport links. It is an established team with a friendly, supportive culture. There is a visible and supportive management team and a strong emphasis on training and professional development opportunities

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.
Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities
Please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification on this advert for further info.

• Work collaboratively with other members of the multi-disciplinary team in the delivery of MH care pathway.
• To educate health professionals, other services eg ASC and voluntary sector regarding threshold criteria for Secondary Mental Health service and to provide pre-referral advice and consultation to assist in the appropriate triage and allocation of referrals
• Ensure, and clarify where necessary, the patient pathways through mental health services.
• Undertake initial assessment and reviews including the formulation of care plans to meet the identified needs of the patient
• Undertake Risk Assessments and formulate risk management plans as per Trust policies
• Regular attendance and participation at the clinical meetings that facilitate discussion of patient/client needs and ensure a shared approach to care, treatment and risk management where necessary.
• Plan and implement care as appropriate to the needs of the patient that is underpinned by best practice guidance and person centred principles.
• Review and evaluation of care plans and risk management plans on an ongoing basis
• Advice regarding medication management including promoting concordance and monitoring and advising regards effect and side effects in accordance with profession
• Facilitate undertaking of physical and mental health reviews
• Provide information, advice and assessment to carers, as required.
• To work with primary care to ensure that referrals to secondary services are timely and appropriate and that more complex cases are referred on.
• Work as part of the mental health practitioner team at base, in clinic and in service users homes as appropriate.
• To develop and maintain access to community & voluntary agencies/services who can offer patients alternative avenues for support and therapeutic help
• Ensure safe discharge process back to primary care when secondary services no longer required
• Facilitating and attending joint training events within Organisation/ Borough as appropriate and agreed with service management team
• To promote appropriate service users involvement in all aspects of the delivery of the service.
• To participate in clinical and business meetings.
• To create and maintain systems for managing data including audit.
• Supervise junior colleagues and students

Person specification

Previous Experience

Essential criteria

• Significant Experience of working in a clinical area providing mental and physical health care and assessment.
• Demonstrable experience of working with people who experience serious on-going mental health problems
• Knowledge and experience of working with people prescribed Clozapine or Long Acting Injection (LAI) medication, medication effects, side effects and patient management.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working with people in the community.
• Previous experience of in a clozapine or depot clinic.
• Health promotion experience.

Qualifications
Essential criteria

• Qualified Mental Health Nurse or OT
• Current registration with professional body
• Mentorship qualification

Desirable criteria

• Non-medical prescribing

Skills and knowledge

Essential criteria

• Care planning: being able to assess patients, develop, implement and evaluate a care plan
• Empowering and working in partnership
• Safeguarding and advocacy
• Understanding how the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards impacts on their work and the people they are working with
• Understanding how the Mental Health Act impacts on their work and the people they are working
• Understanding the concept of quality and their role in improving safety, clinical outcomes and the patient experience
• Infection control and aseptic Non-Touch Technique
• Manual Handling patients
• Obtaining Consent
• Medicines management and administration
• Work well with other members of the team including communicating effectively, being kind and considerate, reliable and enthusiastic
• Manage others and contribute to the management of the team
• Contribute to the culture of the team and play a role in making it inclusive, kind and hard working
• Coordinate work allocation and shifts (if appropriate)
• Help others in the team achieve their objectives and deliver safe, effective care
• Mentor, teach and support others in the team
• Supervise others in the team
• Facilitate appraisals
• Able to communicate with the multi-disciplinary team, present cases, take note of actions, update others in the team and use handover effectively. Speaking face to face but also by telephone and writing letters and reports.
• Maintaining accurate, timely, concise and legible clinical records both electronic and handwritten which adhere to the CNWL policies
• Able to talk to people about sensitive issues in a supportive manner but also challenge others assertively where necessary
• Able to maintain electronic patient records Use Microsoft Word for letter and report writing Use of electronic communication platforms TEAMS / ZOOM

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of Cardio Metabolic risks in clients with Severe and Enduring mental health conditions. LESTER Tool and NHS Plan.
• Knowledge of substance misuse and associated risks.
• Expertise in particular skills and evidence of how you developed them and use them in your current role
• Supervision, Line management and appraisal training
• HR skills training e.g. recruitment, managing absence

Attitudes, aptitudes, personal characteristics

Essential criteria

• Be a role model and embody CNWL's values by being:
• Caring for the people who use our services, their families and carers, and other staff
• Respectful of others and genuinely treating them how you would want to be treated
• Able and willing to work with service users, family and carers, and other staff in a way which empowers and supports others and makes them feel better about themselves
• Able and willing to work in partnership with service users, their friends and family as well as other health care professionals

Other
Essential criteria

• Able to work efficiently in the community

Desirable criteria

• Holder of full UK Driving Licence/Car Driver