Job overview
We have the exciting opportunity to recruit a senior STR worker to join an experienced and supportive multidisciplinary team at Croydon Older Adult CMHT. The CMHT has a key role in promoting metal wellbeing and engaging service users and carers to meet their mental health needs; avoiding the need for more restrictive treatment options such as inpatient care.
The team is well regarded by service users and carers with 100% of respondents on recent patient and carer experience questionnaires rating their experience of the service as ‘very good’. The team reflects the diversity of the local community and team members are passionate in their desire to support each other to provide high quality patient care.
The STR worker role will enhance the psychosocial interventions on offer within the teams and ensure that service users and carers are able to access the full range of services available in their local communities. They will have a key role in helping service users transition from secondary care level mental health services to sustaining mental wellbeing with the support of primary care and voluntary sector agencies.
We are committed to get the very best out of our staff and support staff in their career aspirations. This post offers the opportunity to really connect with and learn about local communities and make a difference on an individual level and may lead to you deciding to train in a variety of healthcare roles.
Main duties of the job
The STR worker will work as part of the multi-professional team supporting the planning, implementation and evaluation of patient care needs in collaboration with patients, carers and families, and other community services.
You will work with a small caseload of CMHT patients, visiting them in their own home and supporting them with practical tasks, social needs, engagement in social inclusion activities, helping to implement care plan goals and overcoming barriers to community engagement. Accompanying service users to local community settings or appointments may also form part of this. Liaison with other agencies in order to promote continuity of care is also a key feature of the role.
You will have a genuine enthusiasm for working with older people, appreciating the richness of their life experiences and valuing each of your service users as an individual. You will be skilled in communicating with a wide range of individuals and able to take a person-centred, strengths-based approach to each individual service user. You will need to be able to think flexibly and creatively, and offer a dynamic, enthusiastic, understanding and supportive presence. An ability to build strong relationships with service users, carers, external agencies and professionals is key.
Working for our organisation
The team is made up of a number of experienced clinicians with a team manager, clinical nurse specialist and clinical specialist occupational therapist all on hand to offer supervision in your role. The team also includes three consultant psychiatrists, a number of care coordinators (community psychiatric nurses and occupational therapists), trainee CBT therapists, a mental health and wellbeing practitioner, and team administrators.
You will be based at Heavers Resource Centre which is located at 122 Selhurst Road, SE25 6LL; within walking distance of both Selhurst and Norwood Junction stations. As well as local public transport links, there is on-road parking nearby and access to a shared team pool car for carrying out patient visits. Heavers Resource Centre is a spacious team location, with office space for both the older adult CMHT and Croydon Memory Service, as well as council-run day services and a residential home for older people. Crystal Palace Football Ground and Croydon Town Centre shops are both within a few minutes’ drive.
We would welcome informal conversations and visits to the team base from prospective applicants – please use the contact details below to arrange this.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
MDT and inter-agency working
1. To work as part of the multi-professional team supporting the planning, implementation and evaluation of patient care needs in collaboration with the patients, carers and families, and other community/inpatient services.
2. To support personalised care planning within the MDT, working closely with patients and their carers; to assist patients in their recovery goals which may include supporting them with practical/daily living tasks and engagement in social inclusion activities; working to a high standard and ensuring that as needs change care plans are updated
3. To work in close partnership and maintain effective communication links with other mental health services and community agencies in order to ensure the continuity of quality clinical care for patients.
4. to support patients to access local community resources; to develop a good knowledge of local community resources and wider directorate resources and maintain up to date information on resources for patients.
5. To support patients in self referring or completing referrals on behalf of patients to community services including but not restricted to Age UK, London Fire Brigade and social clubs. Supporting patients in their initial engagement with these services if required
6. To escort patients to appointments if there is reason to believe their mental health challenges may inhibit their engagement
7. to attend team meetings and patient reviews on a regular basis to feedback on and contribute to the patient’s care plans and support the patient to contribute to care planning;
8. to support multi-disciplinary team colleagues to work with patients and to provide STR input on joint visits with colleagues; to participate in the sharing of information and skills with other staff when deemed appropriate; to work with home carers and social services colleagues to encourage and promote recovery
9. to support timely discharge from the CMHT for patients who no longer require input from secondary level mental health services by identifying other community support services which can meet the stated need, and facilitating access to these.
Clinical skills
10. To demonstrate risk awareness with respect to risk assessment and ongoing risk management, practising safely and according to individual patient needs and risk management plans. Working alongside qualified staff to anticipate the individual needs of patients, showing risk awareness and communicating to relevant parties as required
11. To provide relevant support to carers and families in relation to their rights as carers and their involvement in the care of the patient when they are under the care of the team.
12. to identify patients’ interests and key relationships which are helpful to their recovery; to actively support patients to maintain key relationships; to support patients to understand choices available to them and to support patients to make choices in their own best interest
13. To ensure maintenance of clinical records in accordance with good practice and the Code of Conduct for Non-Regulated Clinical Workers. To maintain confidentiality by ensuring information is shared in accordance with Trust standards and guidelines. To take responsibility for keeping the team mental health resources up to date. To record and report untoward incidents, taking appropriate action and ensuring relevant staff are informed.
14. to monitor relapse signs in review of their crisis plan and support patients to manage their mental health as independently as possible
15. to maintain accurate and up-to-date electronic records of patients, keeping the multi-disciplinary team informed of any changes or events; to maintain all necessary computerised documentation in line with Trust, Directorate and team policy, maintaining confidentiality at all times and ensuring information is communicated to the relevant people
16. To work alongside clinicians within a recovery framework and assist patients in achieving their recovery goals.
Personal development:
17. to review and reflect on your own practice and performance through regular participation in clinical / professional and managerial supervision and appraisal, in line with Trust guidelines
18. to contribute to the well-being of the team by supporting other team members, and treating all colleagues with dignity and respect.
19. to undertake all mandatory training requirements of the role.
20. to contribute towards work with service development initiatives involving patients and carers where appropriate. To participate in audit, service evaluation, quality improvement projects and research undertaken by the team.
Personal skills:
21. To be able to work with distressing and emotional issues whilst remaining caring, courteous and compassionate in line with SLaM’s 5 Commitments
22. To utilize formal and informal systems to access support and debriefing where required.
23. to develop positive relationships with all patients on caseload and to respect the boundaries of own relationship with patients and their carers; to promote a person-centred approach by communicating with patients and carers in a way that meets their needs and respects their views and autonomy
24. to independently organise, prioritise, and manage own workload effectively;
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
25. Level 3 certificate in Health and Social Care or equivalent
Desirable criteria
26. Psychology degree or equivalent experience, or Evidence of continued academic development
27. •Training in other specific interventions e.g. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Schema Therapy, Dialectic Behaviour Therapy. (A/I)
Experience and Knowledge
Essential criteria
28. Knowledge of mental health policy development (A/I)
29. Knowledge of the principles of equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practise in assessment of the provision of services
30. Understanding of recovery and SMART goal setting
31. Extensive experience within a mental care setting (A) (I)
Desirable criteria
32. Some knowledge of psycho- pharmacology intervention
33. Some understanding of the needs of people with mental illness and personality disorder
34. experience dealing with health acute psychiatric /crises care (A/I)
35. •experience in working with older people, and those with cognitive impairment and dementia (A/I)
Abilities
Essential criteria
36. Ability to demonstrate clinical competence
37. Ability to work with a wide variety of professionals and agencies
38. Commitment to working across service boundaries and facilitating continuity of care across community services
39. Ability to work with carers and families and commitment to developing user focused services
40. Good written and verbal communication and IT skills
41. Ability to travel extensively within the community
42. Ability to participate in the assessment and implementation of risk assessment and risk management
43. Ability to work under times of change and pressure of work
44. Ability to motivate clients who are difficult to engage and co-ordinate the support with fellow staff members
Desirable criteria
45. Self-motivated and able to use supervision sessions effectively
46. Ability to reflect positively on practice
47. Ability to treat people with warmth, kindness, dignity and respect
48. Motivated to participate in required training and development
49. Physically capable of fulfilling the role
50. Willingness to work flexibly and adapt to changing priorities
51. Ability to prioritise workload and carry out work efficiently and effectively. (A/I)