Main area Talking Therapies Service Grade NHS AfC: Band 3 Contract 12 months (12 month fixed term contract) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 334-NUR-7429087-LF-A
Employer South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Lewisham Town Hall Town London Salary £30,546 - £32,207 per annum inclusive of HCAS Salary period Yearly Closing 17/10/2025 23:59
Talking Therapies Clinical Support Worker
NHS AfC: Band 3
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.
We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’.
We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone’s potential as change makers.
The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role.We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.
Our Values
We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I’m going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you’ll be part of something special.
As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.
Job overview
We are looking for an enthusiastic and adaptable Clinical Support Worker (CSW) to work in a Talking Therapies service. The role is a combined clinical and administrative role. Duties will include: screening incoming referrals; conducting telephone assessments to gather clinical information and progress referrals; proactively helping service users access talking therapies treatment by making contact and responding to queries; managing waiting lists for a specific care pathway; assisting with administration, data entry and clerical tasks, as well as being the first point of contact for service users and professionals by phone, email and other mediums.
The post holder will work within the overall framework of the team and adhere to the team policies and procedures. They will be supported by regular supervision with a qualified clinician. This opening is ideal for people that are planning a career in psychological therapies and are keen to develop experience in working with adults presenting with common mental health problems. The CSW role is often a route into the Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP) postgraduate training course or apprenticeship scheme. We are looking for candidates who demonstrate commitment to this area of work, who would like to progress from the CSW role to the PWP training roles. The post-holder will be office based, 5 days a week in various sites across the Borough of Lewisham.
Main duties of the job
1.1. Screening incoming referrals to consider suitability for the service based on established criteria
1.2. Proactively engaging service users to help them access treatment by initiating contact and responding to queries
1.3. Conducting telephone assessment calls to gather clinical information and progress referrals
1.4. Managing waiting lists for a specific care pathway, booking appointments, ensuring co-ordination with clinicians and team leads
1.5. Acting as the first point of contact for service users and professionals by phone, email and other medium.
2. ADMINISTRATIVE
2.1. To be responsible for workshop admin tasks, including contacting clients who have not attended, reviewing clients post-workshop and following the service procedures
2.2. To collect and analyse data such as performance figures or service user feedback
2.3. To assist in the design and management of electronic spreadsheets and databases as required
2.4. To deal professionally with telephone/email enquiries, using initiative to take follow up actions when appropriate and help to reassure patients, who may be distressed and confused, in a tactful manner
4. PROFESSIONAL
4.1 The post-holder will work with people with different cultural backgrounds and ages, using interpreters when necessary and should be committed to equal opportunities.
4.2. Ensure that client confidentiality is protected at all times.
4.3. Attend supervision on a regular basis as agreed with Manager.
Working for our organisation
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provide the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK.
SLaM employ around 5000 staff and serve a local population of 1.1 million people. We have more than 230 services including inpatient wards, outpatient and community services. Currently, provide inpatient care for approximately 5,300 people each year and treat more than 45,000 patients in the community.
By coming to work at SLaM, you will gain experience of being part of an organisation with a rich history and international reputation in mental health care. You will have access to professional development and learning opportunities, and have the chance to work alongside people who are world leaders in their field.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. For both overviews please view the Job Description attachment with the job advert.
Person specification
Qualifications
* Undergraduate Degree in a related field - Psychology, Mental health, information sciences, or other health or social sciences
* Post graduate Training relevant to mental health (A)
* Further training in therapies (A)
Experience
* Experience working with a mental health population – voluntary or paid (A&I)
* Demonstrated experience in a fast-paced role that required advanced organisation and communication skills and use of initiative to autonomously troubleshoot and resolve varied problems (A&I)
* Experience of working with service users (either in person, phone or email) to de-escalate feelings of anxiety, confusion, or frustration (A&I)
* Paid work in a psychological therapies service (A&I)
* Experience completing advanced administration tasks in a work or learning setting, such as producing written reports or synthesising data (A&I)
Knowledge and Skills
* Theoretical knowledge of the problems experienced by and needs of primary care patients with common mental health problems (A&I)
* Theoretical knowledge of methods of assessment and treatment of primary care patients with common mental health problems (A&I)
* Awareness of diversity issues (A&I)
* Well-developed verbal skills including telephone skills. Written communication skills that enable communicating complex or sensitive information to clients, families and colleagues (A&I)
* Ability to organise a variety of tasks and prioritise workload to carry out responsibilities efficiently and effectively (A/I)
* Ability to manage emotionally stressful situations such as working with victims of abuse or trauma, or with people who engage in self-harming behaviour (A&I)
* Ability to manage verbal aggression and hostility directed at self (A&I)
* A flexible approach and willingness to adapt to a changing timetable (A&I)
* Understanding of NHS Talking Therapies/IAPT stepped care services (A&I)
* Theoretical knowledge of the problems experienced by, and needs of patients with more complex mental health problems such as bipolar disorder, personality disorder and psychosis (A&I)
The Trust is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and that promote equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applicants from all sections of the community and people of all protected characteristics. We provide reasonable adjustments for candidates with a disability and are committed to treating people fairly with compassion, respect and dignity and in promoting equality and human rights. We aim to put this commitment into practice by:
* Embedding our commitment to tackling inequality, eliminating discrimination and harassment; promoting equality of opportunity and fostering good relations in our everyday practice
* Ensuring that all our services and all staff understand and support our commitment
* We believe that people who use our services, their carers and our staff, should be treated with compassion, respect and dignity
Please note:
* That all applications for this post will need to be made online
* That you read and understand the Job Description and Person Specification attached to the role. Your Statement in Support should reflect the requirements specified as your application will be judged against these criteria
* That the closing date listed is a guide only and that the vacancy may close earlier should sufficient number of applicants have been received. We advise that you submit your application as early as possible
* That once you have submitted your application you agree to your application being transferred to a 3rd party e-recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs
* That should you not have heard from us within three weeks from the closing date your application has not been successful
* That priority consideration for applications may be given to at-risk NHS employees
* That should you be successful and appointed, you authorise South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust to confirm your previous NHS service via an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process
* That we are a smoke-free Trust
SLaM is a Stonewall Diversity Champion, Stonewall is the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans (LGBT) rights charity in Europe’
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This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
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