Clinical Practitioner

Job summary

We are seeking to recruit an experienced, motivated clinical practitioner within the Rough Sleeping and Mental Health Programme (RAMHP). The post holder will provide assertive, trauma informed mental health support through outreach; undertake comprehensive assessments, risk management and care planning, care needs assessment and safeguarding alerts as necessary.

RAMHP is an Oxleas Foundation Trust service that aims to improve the mental health of people sleeping rough in the London Broughs of Bromley, Bexley, and Greenwich. The role involves developing close operational working links with other advocacy and support services in the non-profit sector and will enhance, fill gaps, build bridges between services, and help existing services work together more effectively so that rough sleepers are rapidly identified, assessed, supported, and directed so that their recovery is sustained.

RAMHP is designed to complement, strengthen, and enhance existing provision, becoming part of a homeless wellbeing pathway. The service will work within Oxleas and allow access to a range of training and development resources, seminars, clinical support, supervision, and access to the Quality Improvement Programme.

A central aspect of the role is ensuring that the service provides comprehensive, adaptable, and trauma informed focused care with meaningful involvement of service users. The post holder will carry out joint outreach as may be needed, including outside of the usual 9- 5 work hours.

Main duties of the job

To carry out the initial assessments of service users who meet the criteria for the Rough Sleepers Mental Health Project.

To evaluate effectiveness whilst working within the framework of Risk Assessment.

To assess, plan, set goals with the service user; implement and evaluate care using psycho-social interventions and skills to meet individual needs.

To actively support the person in self-management of their symptoms through the formation of their care plan.

Liaise with other services and undertake referrals to other services.

To respond to emergency referrals within a timely fashion and to agree protocols and targets.

To develop and implement appropriate Health Promotion strategies.

To refer for carers' assessments and provide information and support to carers as appropriate.

To be responsible for accurate record keeping in line with Trust, NMC and HCPC policies.

To respond in an appropriate manner to emotional distress resulting from mental ill health and social deprivation.

To attempt to de-escalate potentially dangerous situations and to be supportive to colleagues in promoting and maintaining a safe and healthy working environment.

Manage distressing and challenging situations in a sensitive and non-threatening way to reduce anxieties and promote effective resolutions. Demonstrate appropriate emotional self-regulation and always maintain professional boundaries.

About us

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes.We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

• We're Kind
• We're Fair
• We Listen
• We Care

Job description

Job responsibilities

Significant knowledge, awareness and understanding of Mental Health Law, including legislation of relevance to the community sector including the Community Care Act (2015) treatment legislation, the Care Programme Approach (2008) and the Mental Capacity Act (2005).

To be personally responsible and professionally accountable for a caseload as part of the RAMHP team and lead and manage the work of others as required.

Co-ordinating care, communicating with other professionals involved in the care and ensuring regular reviews are held as required. This will include communication with other teams for example in-patient services through.

attendance at ward meetings and with interface services e.g., Drug and alcohol services and voluntary organisations where appropriate.

Independently carrying out assessment, care planning and care coordination with excellent interpersonal skills, ability to listen to others views, respect, and value individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds.

Leading meetings with community team members on a regular basis to discuss report and evaluate client care.

Ensuring a flexible approach in care provision with focus on choice and social inclusion opportunities.

Recognising and addressing concerns about the physical health needs of service users with long term conditions (e.g., diabetes, asthma etc.); escalating these concerns as necessary to senior members of the multi-disciplinary team.

Encouraging and empowering service users to have an optimum level of responsibility for their individual programme of care and with their consent, where appropriate, seeking the cooperation of friends, relatives, and carers following recovery principles and approaches.

Supporting service users to adopt recovery strategies that promote their wellbeing, healthy lifestyle, independence, and self-care.

Reporting any incident or Serious Untoward Incidents that may take place in a community setting and provide reports and accurate records relating to the incident.

Working safely to ensure safe custody of medicines, sharps, and clinical equipment in a community setting; and reporting of all incidents following Trust Policy.

Recognising and responding appropriately to self-harm and suicide prevention regarding the risks in community settings, in line with Trust policies and training guidelines.

Understanding and working within the boundaries of the Lone Working Policy and awareness of Personal Safety in a community setting, including clear and updated communication with colleagues.

Responding to urgent situations, emergencies or crises using protocols specific to the local community setting.

Person Specification

Education/Qualifications

Essential

• Professional registration with the appropriate regulatory body (e.g., NMC)
• Evidence of post qualification clinical training

Desirable

• Mentorship training

Experience

Essential

• Minimum 2 years post-registration clinical experience in mental health services
• Experience of carrying out full mental health assessment
• Experience of working with service users with drug and alcohol problem
• Experience of working in a multi professional team
• Experience working with other agencies

Desirable

• Experience in supervising or mentoring junior staff or students

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge

Essential

• Ability to manage severely challenging behaviour/ crisis intervention.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to convey complex clinical information
• Ability to manage own caseload independently and make informed decisions within professional guidelines
• Ability to work effectively with other agencies including the voluntary sector.

Effort & Environement

Essential

• Ability to work travel between sleep sites to meet service users.
• Ability to work unsocial hours as may be required
• Car owner

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Erith Centre

Park Crescent

Erith

DA8 3EE

United Kingdom

Employer's website

http://oxleas.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

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