Senior Dist Practitioner

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust provides child and adult mental health services, learning disability, wellbeing, older people's and eating disorder services across Norfolk and Suffolk.

At any one time, around 23,000 people in Norfolk and Suffolk are receiving care and attention from the Trust. We believe in whole life care - seeing people in the context of their whole lives, understanding the importance of good physical health, friends, family, spirituality, culture, home, work, education and a sense of purpose and achievement to experience good mental health.

Nearly 3,200 full and part-time practitioners care for our service users in hospitals, in the community and in their own homes, whilst an additional 900+ staff provide non-clinical support, including cleaning, delivering supplies, ward administration, information technology, human resources and financial services.

We are committed to delivering quality driven mental health services. Every individual makes a valuable contribution. We are proud of our staff who have been commended for the care they provide. Do you value working positively, respectfully and together? If so, we’d love you to join us

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JOB DESCRIPTION/PERSON SPECIFICATION

YOUR APPLICATION

**Job overview**:
**Senior DIST Practitioner - Dementia Intensive Support Team West Suffolk**

There is an exciting opportunity to join the Dementia Intensive Support Team in the West of Suffolk.

If you have a passion for working with this client group then we would be really interested to hear from you.

We are looking for someone with strong communication skills and the ability to engage with clients and carers, often in difficult and distressing circumstances. You will have experience of working with this client group in the community, undertaking positive risk taking and working in a multidisciplinary way.

The team has a strong person centred approach undertaking holistic assessments and working with clients and carers to achieve positive outcomes for both. The team works closely with statutory and voluntary organisations to achieve these aims and prevent unnecessary admissions to hospital.

**Main duties of the job**:
Working with other multi-disciplinary professionals within the team you will:

- Manage and hold a caseload
- Undertake initial assessments
- Engage and work with clients with dementia and their carers
- Liaise with statutory and voluntary Sector to get care and support in place as required
- Monitor and support packages of care
- Supervise members of the team
- Undertake triage and duty role
- Be a leader within the team

**Working for our organisation**:
Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust is the main provider of specialist mental health services for the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, serving a population of 1.6 million.

The Dementia Intensive Support Team is a part of the West Suffolk Care Group, working within the community to meet the needs of people with Dementia and their carers.

Benefits included with this role are:

- NHS pension
- a comprehensive in house & external training programmes
- career progression
- starting annual leave of 27 days per annum increasing to 33 days pa based on length of service (plus paid bank holidays)
- staff physio service
- gym membership
- NHS discounts and many more.

**Detailed job description and main responsibilities**:

- The post requires strong communication skills and an ability to empathise and engage with both the individual with the dementia and their carers.
- The post will involve you working autonomously in the community. You will be holding a caseload and managing this appropriately. This will involve engaging with people, and using effective communication.
- You will be undertaking initial assessments, introducing services, making referrals to appropriate agencies, and monitoring and supporting situations to achieve positive outcomes for our service users and carers.
- You will be acting as a leader within the team supporting other team members
- You will be taking on supervision of team members
- You will be undertaking triage and duty responsibilities

**Person specification**:
**Qualifications**:
**Essential criteria**:

- Degree in MH Nursing/OT or Social Work

**Desirable criteria**:

- Post qualification learning

**Experience**:
**Essential criteria**:

- Experience of working with people with dementia in the community

**Desirable criteria**:

- Experience of working in a DIST type environment

**Skills**:
**Essential criteria**:

- Ability to identify and action change in health care need

**Desirable criteria**:

- Able to time manage and reflect on clinical practice

**Knowledge**:
**Essential criteria**:

- Up to date and evidence based knowledge of Person Centred Care

**Desirable criteria**:

- Knowledge of mental health needs for older people

**Other**:
**Essential criteria**:

- Able to travel independently
- EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES_
- Apart from its legal duties in relation to equality a