Job overview
We are seeking to recruit enthusiastic, energetic and clinically confident Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Worker to join our Croydon Community Perinatal Team. You will have experience of general adult inpatient, Mother and Baby inpatient unit, community mental health services or Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). You will also have experience of working with women who suffer from moderate to severe mental illness in the perinatal period.
You will be familiar with Perinatal community standards, governance and performance structures and confident in partnership work with other agencies such as Children and Family Social Services, Midwifery and Obstetric teams, CMHTs, Health Visitors and the Voluntary sector.
You will display excellent clinical knowledge and skilled practice in women with mental health disorders in the perinatal period. You will provide consistently skilled judgments in clinical work. You need to have experience of working in a richly diverse Borough and have the understanding of the opportunities challenges that this brings.
Working closely with your colleagues in PMHT’s, you will receive support and be part of the on-going Perinatal workforce training within SLaM and London wide. In addition, you will be part of the Pan London Community Perinatal Nurses network. This is a great opportunity to supervise junior staff, student nurses as well as implementing new ways of working using best practice and NICE guidelines.
Main duties of the job
1. Service and Team responsibilities
2. Clinical – Individual
3. To undertake all duties in line with the professional Codes of Professional Conduct, and maintain professional registration requirements for the post according to discipline/profession.
4. You will manage your own caseload and work within a team but will have freedom to act within the service framework and Trust operational policies.
5. To participate and lead in joint complex assessments with other disciplines and other agencies and provide reports for referrers, families and other agencies as required.
Working for our organisation
The Croydon Perinatal Service provides a Monday to Friday, 9-5 service to service users residing within the Borough of Croydon offering assessment, intervention and treatment to women who suffer from moderate to severe mental health disorders in the perinatal period.
You will be based at Larkbarrow House, Bethlem Royal Hospital.
Our Trust headquarters is located at Denmark Hill less than 5 minutes from the train station (zone 2). We also provide services and operate across other locations, such as London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark; and substance misuse services for residents of Bexley, Lambeth, Greenwich and Wandsworth.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
1. Service and Team responsibilities
Participate as a multi-disciplinary team member in the setting and reviewing of therapeutic aims, objectives, standards and strategies to provide a high standard of care to clients and their families. To ensure that all recording and reporting of client contact is timely, accurate, up to date and of good quality and within Perinatal services & professional standards of record keeping. To work with the team and clients to maintain a safe therapeutic environment. To assure the quality of care through achieving high operational standards in clinical systems. To maintain and ensure good professional standards and attitudes towards the care and treatment of mothers, infants and their families. To link with other statutory and voluntary agencies and professionals as well as other Generic Psychiatric Teams in terms of referrals and joint work. Maintain good relationships and clear lines of communication within the boundaries of confidentiality, with other professional agencies and departments, providing specialist advice and support where appropriate.
2. Clinical – Individual
To assume responsibility for own case list and case management of mothers (within the range of 15-30), infants and families who are determined to be at low/medium/high risk. To make a clinical formulation from a standard Perinatal assessment, including risk assessment, on which to recommend a treatment intervention. To assess safeguarding issues for own cases, discuss with senior colleagues where necessary and refer appropriately to Child & Families Social Services. To deliver interventions for mother and infants and their families at home or in other satellite or statutory agency areas as required. To use evidence-based interventions that will be required with this group of clients. The treatment interventions provided will normally be based on NICE guidelines and evidence based practice. To use individual and multidisciplinary team advice to planning packages of care to mother and their infants.
3. To participate and lead in joint complex assessments with other disciplines and other agencies and provide reports for referrers, families and other agencies as required. Design, write and share a copy of the care plan with clients, families and other agencies involved in her care. Carry out the planned intervention with minimal supervision. To maintain good relationships and clear lines of communication with other professional agencies and departments, providing specialist advice and support where appropriate.
4. To contribute to the effective functioning of the team and service through attendance at relevant meetings, taking responsibilities within the service as appropriate and negotiated with the line manager. Supervise junior members of the team from any discipline.
Person specification
Education/Qualification
Essential criteria
6. First level nursing qualification/registration RMN with current NMC (A). Degree or/and Master level in mental health studies
7. Evidence of ongoing professional development ENB 998 or equivalent
Desirable criteria
8. Evidence of continuing professional development e.g. relevant training
Experience
Essential criteria
9. Relevant experience in psychiatric assessment, intervention and treatment service, liaison service or home treatment team
10. Experience of working with people with complex needs and mental health problems in pregnancy and the post natal period
11. Demonstrable experience of working with women with depression, anxiety, psychosis and personality difficulties using evidence based interventions and NICE guidelines
12. Experience of using clinical and managerial supervision to effectively provide safe, evidence based psychological interventions
Knowledge/Skills
Essential criteria
13. Demonstrates an understanding of how mood, anxiety, psychosis and personality difficulties manifest itself and the impact on mental well being
14. Transferable psychological skills and knowledge relevant to work with working age adults with severe and enduring mental health
15. Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment
16. Ability to work as an autonomous practitioner with an appropriate level of clinical and managerial supervision
17. Partnership worker – supports and challenges people to work together to develop pathways that enhance service quality, care continuity and economy which may go across traditional boundaries
Desirable criteria
18. Knowledge of QI and evidence based models of care for acute and community services