Location: Dawlish, EX7 0NR
Salary: £47810.00 to £54710.00
Date posted: 17th July 2025
Closing date: 17th August 2025
Are you someone looking to start a career in one of the UK's most respected mental health trusts?
Would you like to do a job that makes a difference every day?
We are looking for a Specialist Practitioner to join the Forensic PersonalityDisorder Service (FPDS). The FPDS is anexperienced multidisciplinary team working with people with a diagnosis ofpersonality disorder and high risk of harm to others.
Theoverarching aim of FPDS is to reduce Length of Stay for Secure Care Patientswith a primary or significant co-morbid diagnosis of Personality Disorder. FPDSprovides closer integration between secure in-patient and community personalitydisorder treatment by inputting to ward teams to support this patientgroup.
TheFPD Service is responsible for gatekeeping assessments of service users with a diagnosisof personality disorder who are referred for a secure in-patient admission. Italso monitors moves between levels of security and oversees service users whoare placed out of their home area. FPDS provides specialist clinical advice andrecommendations about the most appropriate care pathway and sequencing oftreatment for an individual service user.
Weare looking for a Registered Practitioner to join our team. The post is aimedat candidates with a significant interest and experience working withpersonality disorder along with an active enthusiasm for working in the contextof secure forensic settings.
Main duties of the job
Asa Specialist Practitioner in FPDS you will work as part of a multi-disciplinaryteam who provide psychologically informed support to people with complex needswho have a diagnosis of personality disorder.
The role involves working directly with service users but also indirectly supporting the teams around the person. You will be able to apply your knowledge and experience of mental health and forensic settings across assessment, formulation and intervention to support service users through their care pathway. The role involves providing systemic support to teams including consultation, reflective practice, supervision, teaching and training.
You will be enthusiastic, forward thinking and emotionally resilient with a commitment to supporting people with complex mental health needs. You will be provided with opportunities for training, joint working and supervision.
We are looking for someone with good time management and organisational skills who works well autonomously and as part of a team. The role involves good communication, so we expect you to have excellent verbal and written skills.
The post holder will work closely with colleagues in the wider Community Forensic Services and Secure Directorate.
The post involves visiting a number of sites and services within the region and nationally and so a certain amount of travel is involved.
To learn more about the post please contact Dr Jane Byrne (Principal Clinical Psychologist) - 07850 517986 / janebyrne1@nhs.net.
About us
We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.
We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do
Our values
We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.
We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.
Job responsibilities
Pleaserefer to the full Job Description and Person specification attached to thisadvert.
Communication and Working Relationship Skills:
* Work collaboratively and offer advice to a variety of statutory and non-statutory agencies to support and facilitate care pathways for individuals under FPDS.
* Relay complex, sensitive information to people with a diagnosis of personality disorder and their carers with empathy and in a way that they can understand.
* Represent your professional discipline or FPDS at relevant meetings as required.
* Demonstrate effective communication skills within the team as well as within partner agencies, communicating complex and sensitive information.
* Build and maintain local, regional and national links and networks to promote the advancement of specialist clinical practice.
* Keep up to date and accurate written and electronic records according to Trust police.
* Provide professional advice and consultancy to the multidisciplinary team members, carers and other services.
* Work with senior leadership of Devon Partnership NHS Trust to promote consistent service delivery and development.
Analytical and Judgement Skills:
* Ability to reflect and critically appraise own and others perfomance
* Complete detailed complex assessments and make clinical decisions regarding risk and treatment.
* Ensure the continuous re-evaluation of individuals' needs and clinical risk situations and use clinical judgement to formulate the most appropriate clinical plan.
Planning and Organisational Skills:
* Plan, prioritise and organise own workload as well as the team workload, monitoring and adjusting activities and programmes as necessary. This includes timely completion of reports and checking / amending of minutes.
* Participate in the planning, leading and organisation of service development projects.
* Ensure representation of your professional discipline at a strategic level in Devon Partnership NHS Trust, as appropriate and agreed with Line Manager.
Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment and Therapy:
* Assess. develop, implement, monitor and evaluate specialist therapeutic interventions as part of an overall care plan.
* Apply specialist knowledge and skills to meet the needs of those with challenging behaviour and complex needs.
* Contribute to / lead relevant service user planning and review meetings.
* Ensure interventions are implemented within the boundaries of best practice in risk management.
* Ensure all treatment records are completed according to Trust policy and partnership protocols.
* To be responsible for, both individually and within the team, the development, delivery and review of comprehensive and complex treatment programmes and/or care pathway plans using appropriate frameworks in line with evidence-based practice, including strategies to manage risk.
* To be responsible for the protection of individuals from abuse and harm in line with local safeguarding policies and procedures, ensuring the appropriate sharing of information.
* Practice according to the standards set out by your professionals governing body - e.g. the Health and Care Professions' Council (HCPC), Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC).
Responsibility for Policy and Service Development Implementation:
* Contribute toservice improvement and development in the Forensic Personality Disorder Service, extending knowledge and skills of ownpractice.
* Ensure owncontinuing professional development relevant to the post. Ensure that any professional development isrecorded according to professional and local protocols.
* Contribute toresearch and audit activity as a means of advancing practice knowledge.
* Contributeto the planning, organisation and leadership of professional networks andinterest groups where applicable.
* Workcooperatively with other professionals to ensure coordinated and consistentpractice across the service.
* Keepup to date on relevant government and local policy and guidance in relation tobest practice for personality disorder and forensic services.
Responsibility for Human Resources:
* Participate insupervision of own practice completing any agreed actions.
* Providesupervision and support to designated staff.
* Act as afieldwork supervisor / mentor, planning, overseeing and assessing students.
* Ensureefficient and effective management of time and resources.
* Participate intraining of self and others as relevant to post.
Any Other Specific Tasks Required:
Working with service-users with extremely challenging andrisky behaviour who have typically been excluded from other services and whoare difficult to engage. An emotionallydemanding job that requires excellent personal and professional boundaries anda high level of reflective capacity. Toengage in sometimes intensive interventions with service-users who may presentsignificant risks to themselves and/or others.To engage with high levels of expressed emotions in professional groupsworking day-to-day with a challenging group of service-users.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Occupational Therapist, Registered Mental Health Nurse (RMN), Social Worker or Psychology professional qualification (e.g. Clinical/Forensic Psychologist, Psychotherapist)
* Current relevant registration with professional governing body (e.g. NMC or HCPC)
* Evidence of continued training and development in the theory and practice of own professional area
* Training in Violence Risk Assessment (e.g. HCR-20)
* Further Postgraduate training in a relevant field
* Further training in a therapeutic model (e.g. CAT, DBT, MBT)
Experience
* Experience of working with people with personality disorder
* Experience in managing a diverse workload
* Experience of providing supervision
* Experience of completing thorough assessment and risk assessment of individuals with complex needs
* Experience of delivering psychologically informed interventions using models such as DBT, CAT or MBT
* Working in collaboration with other agencies and professionals in planning and implementing care programmes
* Experience of delivering teaching sessions / training to other professionals
* Previous forensic experience
* Experience of providing clinical supervision to colleagues at independent practitioner level
* Experience facilitating / delivering reflective practice sessions for health professionals
Knowledge
* Clear understanding of the role of own profession within a multidisciplinary team
* Good understanding of forensic mental health issues
* Knowledge of theories and methods of practice specific to people with a diagnosis of personality disorder
* Sound knowledge and application of own professional models and practice (e.g. nursing, OT, psychology)
* An understanding of government policy / strategies with regard to services for people with personality disorder
* Good understanding of safeguarding adults and children
* Good understanding of the Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act and the CPA process
Skills and Abilities
* Ability to build effective working relationships in stressful and demanding situations
* High level communication skills both written and verbal
* High level of IT skills
* High standard of literacy and numeracy
* Ability to reflect and critically appraise own and others performance
* Ability to work autonomously, seeking guidance as necessary
* Excellent time management skills and ability to prioritise when working under pressure
* Appropriate level of physical fitness required to work within a range of forensic settings
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.
#J-18808-Ljbffr