Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Acute Social Work Team for a skilled and experienced Band 7 Social Worker to take a leading role in Patient Flow across our inpatient mental health services. This is a pivotal position focused on ensuring safe, timely, and coordinated discharges for individuals with complex needs, while contributing to the delivery of a new mental health business model agreed in partnership with the Trust, Integrated Care Board (ICB), and Local Authorities.
The post holder will play a key leadership role in supporting the design, delivery and evaluation of a newly developed service model, working in collaboration with stakeholders across the three London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, and Hounslow, and beyond.
Main duties of the job
The post holders must be able to manage a range of competing demands effectively whilst demonstrating the highest levels of care and service delivery and the Trust’s values. This role involves extensive collaboration with stakeholders, including, social care, changes managements, internal/ external stakeholders, for mapping services, identifying improvement opportunities, and developing detailed plans for patient flow. The overarching vision is to elevate the quality of mental health and well-being for people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow. Ensure delivering excellence services within inpatient to ensure successful discharges. Collaboration with local partners in the NHS, ICB and external agencies, with an emphasis on team management, discharges and working collaboratively as a unified partnership system, placing patients and residents at the core of decision-making. Working in collaboration with the team Lead, the post holder will be responsible for leading, monitoring and evaluating the clinical practice of the team driving towards clinical excellence. The post holder will provide and oversee clinical supervision and support the multi-disciplinary team to ensure the delivery of high quality and safe patient centred care and provide senior clinical leadership within the service
Working for our organisation
West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.
Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ over 5,000 staff, of whom 59% are BME. Our turnover for 2024-25 is over £500m.
The Trust is rated as ‘Good’ overall by the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as ‘Outstanding’.
The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached
The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.
Person specification
Qualifications and Training
Essential criteria
1. Educated to bachelor’s level in Mental
2. Health or other relevant health / care
3. Profession, namely, Social Work and Nursing
4. Membership of professional body. Evidence of continued professional development.
Desirable criteria
5. Educated to masters level or equivalent experience.
6. Leadership or management qualification
Experience
Essential criteria
7. Experience of managing projects or leading defined pieces of work
8. Extensive clinical/ professional experience in mental health
9. Experience of working collaboratively with other organisations
10. Experience of audit / research and clinical governance procedures and their application in practice
11. Leadership experience
12. Experience of liaising with a variety of stakeholders
13. Experience of supervising junior staff and students
14. Experience of working with people with mental health condition
Desirable criteria
15. Experience of developing business cases.
16. Research and audit experience.
Knowledge
Essential criteria
17. Ability to work autonomously and use own initiative
18. Able to deal with uncertainty and grasp new opportunities for own role development
19. An advanced understanding of mental health problems and treatment options/models that can be used to assist recovery
20. Ability to confidently articulate clinical opinions in formal and informal meetings or exchanges
21. An advanced knowledge and expertise in the application of professionally relevant theoretical models, assessment methods, interventions and approaches
22. Keeps clinical records up to date in a timely fashion
23. Able to identify, assess and manage clinical risk Manage conflict through mediation, negotiation and influencing skills
24. Can empower others to recognise opportunities for positive risk taking
25. Knowledge and experience of working with a person centred, recovery orientated approach so as to assist service users to feel empowered and able to develop and implement their own solutions
26. Knowledge and experience of working with a person centred, recovery orientated approach so as to assist service users to feel empowered and able to develop and implement their own solutions
27. Ability to respond efficiently to complex information within tight deadlines and prioritise accordingly
28. Ability to maintain a high degree of professionalism at all times, especially in complex/challenging situations
29. Advanced supervisory and appraisal skills Ability to analyse and resolve professional and ethical issues
30. Understanding of the relevant Professional codes of Ethics and Conduct, Professional Standards and core skills and how these are applied to clinical practice
31. Advanced communication skills using a variety of mediums; being able to adapt methods/style/approach as appropriate
32. Ability to apply principles of clinical governance and contribute to this agenda
33. Training, presentation and facilitation skills Planning and decision- making skills Can demonstrate leadership skills, motivate staff and inspire confidence
34. Knowledge of relevant legislation, joint working practice and Government initiatives, policies relating to mental health
Desirable criteria
35. Knowledge of Quality Improvement Programme
36. Ability to monitor and control Resources.
37. Knowledge of performance management procedures.
Skills
Essential criteria
38. Communicate complex and sensitive information effectively to patients, cares/ families and all members of the multidisciplinary team
39. Work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team and undertake lead professional responsibilities
40. Provide effective clinical supervision, teaching, training and assessing in clinical practice
41. Write reports, chair meetings and record minutes
42. Use multimedia materials for presentations in professional settings
43. Use approved breakaway techniques MS Office skill
Other Requirements
Essential criteria
44. Ability to work without supervision, providing specialist advice to the organisation, working to tight and often changing timescales Interpreting national policy for implementation.
45. Understand the need for and actively participates in own supervision and constructive use of feedback.
46. Ability to work in challenging timescales.
47. High levels of initiative, innovation and self-motivation.
48. Commitment to client-centred, non-discriminatory practice.
Desirable criteria
49. Able to demonstrate a strong professional identity.
50. Ability to work flexibly and in a changing environment and resilient in dealing with conflict
51. Creative problem solver with a learning mind-set i.e. able to join the dots, see the big picture and contribute to the development of strategy .