Overview
We want to hear from you! We recommend that before you make an application, please contact Demi Angouras, Practice Lead via email for an informal chat and clear overview of the role demi.angouras@nhs.net
Exciting opportunity to join the Mental Health Assessment & Intervention Service (MAIS). The service was set to provide high quality care for people experiencing mental health problems in Plymouth and has proved a success across the city. The service offers evidence-based treatment pathways for individuals that do not meet Community Mental Health Team criteria and require more intervention than is available in the community.
We are seeking to recruit a flexible Mental Health Support Worker to join the team. This post will offer a challenging and exciting opportunity to gain experience of working across Livewell's Community Mental Health Service, developing relationships with Primary Care, partner agencies and secondary mental health services. You will co-facilitate evidence-based recovery-focused interventions within groups and 1-1 settings.
All Livewell Southwest staff are expected to be able and willing to work across a 7 day service.
Please note that this role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route; please refer to the Direct Gov website for more information regarding eligibility.
Main duties of the job
Working within a multidisciplinary service of Consultants, Psychologists, Nurses, OTs, Social workers, Support workers, Peer Support Workers, Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioners, the post provides outstanding specialist mental health assessment and evidence-based intervention for people with severe and enduring mental health difficulties and complex emotional needs. The role aims to deliver high quality care, achieve the service's key performance indicators, create a positive learning environment for all and maintain a culture of psychological safety.
Responsibilities
Delivering interventions 1-1 and within group settings that are evidence-based and recovery-focused.
Ability to communicate clearly and effectively over the telephone and face-to-face within the boundaries of confidentiality.
Verbal and written information sharing within the Team or the wider Multi-Disciplinary Team.
Maintain accurate, timely paper and electronic records, kept safely in accordance with Livewell Southwest policies, including the Data Protection Act (1998).
The post holder demonstrates a positive attitude to mental health, attending to patients with respect and courtesy.
The post holder will ensure that professional boundaries are always adhered to.
Please note that Livewell may close the job advertisement early if a high number of applications are submitted. Therefore, we recommend you submit your application at the earliest opportunity.
About us
Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning social enterprise delivering integrated health and social care services across Plymouth, South Hams, and West Devon, with specialist services in parts of Devon and Cornwall. Our teams work in community hospitals, GP practices, sports centres, and health hubs.
As an organisation with a strong social conscience we are guided by our values: kindness, respect, inclusivity, ambition, responsibility, and collaboration. We focus on transforming services to ensure sustainability, while empowering staff and those we serve.
We involve the people we care for, along with their families and carers, in shaping the care they receive, striving to deliver the right care at the right time and place. Centering our work on individual needs helps people lead healthy, independent lives.
We prioritise employees' development, offering protected CPD time, training pathways, leadership programs, and funding for qualifications like the Care Certificate and Nurse Training Scholarships. Our induction and preceptorship programs ensure a smooth transition into our organisation.
Livewell Southwest values diversity and encourages applications from all sections of the community, including those with armed forces experience, lived experience of mental health, neuro-diverse conditions and learning disabilities. If you need assistance or reasonable adjustments during the application process, contact the Recruiting Manager listed in the job advert.
Job responsibilities
SCOPE AND RANGE
You will be part of an exciting, passionate, friendly, hardworking team offering a range of city-wide community-based interventions with people experiencing mental health problems.
You will support registered and non-registered members of the team in delivering biopsychosocial interventions in line with the personalised care framework.
The role is diverse, and no one day is the same.
You will support in the development of groups and work 1:1 with individuals with identified needs and interests.
MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
Communication and Relationship skills:
Verbal and written information sharing within the Team or the wider Multi-Disciplinary Team, which may include other community based mental health teams and inpatient services.
Ability to communicate clearly and effectively over the telephone within the boundaries of confidentiality.
Maintain accurate, timely paper and electronic records. Ensure they are kept safely in accordance with Livewell policies, including the Data Protection Act (1998) and the Confidentiality Policy.
The post holder demonstrates a positive attitude to mental health, attending to patients with respect and courtesy.
The post holder will ensure that professional boundaries are always adhered to.
Collaborating in completion of personalised care framework documentation under supervision of a qualified staff, ensuring all entries are countersigned in accordance with the Record Keeping Policy.
Has confidence to communicate with people who are experiencing mental health difficulties when English is not their first language.
Liaise with MDT members and other agencies at the request of qualified staff. Attend meetings and be confident to discuss patient care with other professionals.
Assisting patients in various social and therapeutic activities delegated by the qualified staff as care planned in agreement with the key worker.
Collaboratively plan, assess, contribute to the development and delivery of group programmes. Co-facilitate recovery-focused groups with peer navigators, volunteers and other professionals. Knowledge, Training and Experience:
The post holder will participate in updating their practice; knowledge and skills within their sphere of practice, under the guidance of qualified staff, including mandatory training and Mental Health essential training e.g. Mental Health Act and PCF.
Experience dealing with a variety of mental health problems in various settings both in the community and in hospital with support and supervision from qualified staff.
To be aware of and adhere to policy and legislation relating to Mental Health and able to access the information both in writing and electronically.
An awareness of Mental Health service delivery. Adhere to the lone worker policy.
Be aware of standards required by mandatory bodies such as CQC.
Analytical and Judgmental Skills:
Able to plan the safest most cost-effective route for community visits.
When working out in the community, have the ability to weigh up situations and seek support and guidance over the telephone where necessary.
Must have the ability to make rapid risk assessments on each visit to promote the safety of the patient, staff, carers and general public, e.g. Risk assessment tools vs experience and acting safely to protect all.
Planning and Organisational Skills:
Liaise with other services to arrange appointments that both meet patient needs and service demands.
Able to plan own workload including completing White Board (lone worker policy), Implementing a variety of packages of care as outlined in the individual patient's care plan. Reporting back to qualified staff. Recording information of visits electronically. Planning further interventions as indicated within the care plan.
Utilise the online diary system for managing visits. Complete and submit e-expenses as per policy.
Physical Skills:
Confidence to navigate in an urban and rural environment.
Competent keyboard skills to enable information to be inputted into electronic clinical database and PCF. Must be able to keep electronic diary up to date and confidence to take on more IT skills as clinical technology improves.
With appropriate training and support ability to take accurate physical observations i.e. blood pressure, pulse and temperature and record in notes advising qualified staff if there were any problems.
Home visits to multi-occupied buildings, many without lifts.
Escorting patients out of their home environment providing programmes of care and ongoing assessment of need (e.g. Anxiety Management Programmes).
Carry out frequent home visits throughout the city.
Due to patients living conditions it may be necessary to stand/crouch for periods of time.
Responsibilities:
Awareness of independent responsibilities in the implementation of Lone worker policy.
Assist in formulation and planning of care alongside qualified member of staff. Implement plans of care for patients on the team caseload.
Observe, report and record progress on patients visited in the community and to pass on to the person with overall responsibility. Responsibility to ask qualified staff to countersign written and electronic communication.
Assist qualified staff on assessments or reviews.
Report to qualified staff any perceived risks to patients and staff. Contribute to clinical case discussions.
Observe for any evidence of side effects of medication and report to qualified staff.
Promote RECOVERY.
Escort patients to appointments where appropriate.
Work with qualified staff to ensure patient care delivered to high standard.
Assist in smooth running of Team base and conducting various administration tasks. Support new staff when they join the Team.
Be aware of and adhere to all infection control procedures and precautions in line with COVID-19 guidance.
Responsibilities for Policy and Service Development:
Involvement in development of the Team in a named locality of Plymouth.
Adhere to all appropriate National, and the Livewell protocols. Adhere to Code of Conduct for Healthcare Support workers (Skills for Health DM 2013).
Responsibilities for Human Resources:
May be involved in interview panels.
The post holder will behave in a manner that does not bring the Team or Livewell Southwest into disrepute.
Responsibility for information resources:
Responsible for electronic contacts. Maintain accurate, timely paper and electronic records. Ensure they are kept safely in accordance with the Livewell Southwest policy.
Responsibility for Research and Development:
Have an awareness of and participate in clinical audit in the Locality Team.
Freedom to Act:
The post holder will actively participate in line management supervision with a senior member of the Team and in supervision in accordance with the current Livewell Southwest policy.
The post holder will work independently in the community with support and will seek guidance from qualified staff over the telephone, for example if at a home visit the clinical picture has changed and package of care needs adapting.
The post holder will actively participate in the appraisal system and carry out other duties commensurate with the position as required.
Mental Effort:
Accurate record keeping whilst coping with interruptions and distraction in the workplace, e.g. telephone calls and questions from colleagues.
Concentration whilst navigating to visits at busy times of day and for varying durations depending on the clinical environment.
Must be able to extract information from people with communication difficulties and handle complex clinical and service decisions.
5. COMMUNICATIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS
One of the main aspects of this role is to liaise and build positive working relationships with a variety of stakeholders such as clinical staff, general practices, service users and other appropriate bodies.
Physical Demands
PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THE JOB
Physical Effort
Home visits to multi-occupied buildings, many without lifts.
Escorting patients out of their home environment providing programmes of care and ongoing assessment of need (e.g. Anxiety Management Programmes, recovery group programmes).
Carry out frequent home visits throughout the city.
Due to patients living conditions it may be necessary to stand/crouch for periods of time. Moving and handling in line with Livewell Southwest policy.
Emotional Effort
Ability to deal with people who are in mental health crisis on a daily basis, including people who self-harm, are in high states of emotional stress or crisis.
Working Conditions
Ability to cope with visiting people living in challenging accommodation conditions and to assess risks to self and others during visits.
Person Specification
Knowledge
* Ability to frequently travel independently and in a timely manner between Livewell Southwest sites and community locations including areas not served by public transport.
* Practical life skills
* Able to follow instruction from qualified practitioners
* Excellent communication skills; confident talking to a variety of people; clear accurate record keeping; keyboard skills
* Self-management skills, e.g., prioritisation, organization of own workload
* Self-aware
* Ability to manage own stress; good telephone manner
* Positive attitude to Mental Health
* Belief in Recovery
* Enthusiastic and motivated
* Aware of own boundaries and limitations
* Able to work flexibly
* The post holder will need to travel and attend to service users based across Plymouth and other geographical areas.
* Full and valid driving licence and access to a car for work purposes is required.
* Reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act will be taken into account for the successful applicant.
* Microsoft Outlook
* Familiar with computer-based recording systems
* Clinical Risk Assessment Skills
* Able to support service users/carers to access resources that are provided by numerous agencies.
* Supporting the change process
* Desire to develop self and services
* Use own initiative
Experience
* Experience of working and supporting people with mental health problems
* Experience of teamwork
* Experience of mental health work within either inpatient or community services
* Multi-disciplinary team working
* Experience of helping people in mental health crisis
* Experience of lone working; group work experience
Qualifications
* NVQ III or equivalent in Mental Health and/or able to demonstrate the skills, knowledge and ability to work to this level
* Maths & English GCSE Grades 4 and above or equivalent
* Commitment to further education
* Breakaway and/or conflict resolution
* Knowledge of Care Programme or PCF
* Understanding Mental Health Law
* Child and adult protection issues
* Certificate in Mental Health level 3
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.
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