Mental Health Practitioner

Our Vision is to provide the best mental health, learning disability, autism and community based services for the populations we serve.

As an integrated mental health, learning disability and community Trust, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including:

1. Primary and secondary mental health care for children and adults including specialist inpatient child and adolescent mental health provision, perinatal mental health, forensic services including low and medium secure care.
2. Specialist community support for children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, including intensive support.
3. Community physical health and well-being services for children and adults.

The Trust was first established in 2002 and employs approximately 7,000 staff who provide care from more than 400 sites. The organisation offers opportunities for medics, mental health and general nurses, allied health professionals, psychology, administration and clerical staff, apprentices and volunteers.

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust supports flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, home/remote working, and flexi-time.

Job overview

This is an exciting and new opportunity for a Registered Mental Health Practitioner to join the Home Based Treatment Team within the Fylde coast locality on a developmental post. The successful candidate will start as a band 5 and work towards achieving a competency framework to allow progression to band 6.

The Home Based Treatment Team (HBTT) offers 24 hour support to service users, and their families/carers, who are suffering from mental health concerns that would otherwise require admission to an acute inpatient environment. There is a strong focus on the recovery model, providing therapeutic interventions and risk management skills to allow care to be provided within a community setting.

The Home Based Treatment Team (HBTT) are always striving towards excellence in service delivery, ensuring quality is at the forefront of all we do.

Successful applicants will be provided with a full induction to the team and will have regular clinical supervision sessions and an opportunity to complete their appraisal focusing on their personal and career development. Furthermore, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to be supported by a mentor within the team to support meeting competency frameworks set to become a band 6 practitioner within the HBTT.

Main duties of the job

You will be a mental health (MH) practitioner working within a multidisciplinary team and carry out a diverse range of duties. You will be expected to work across a 7 day service which includes both day and night shifts.

The successful applicant will be dynamic and forward thinking with the ability to work as part of a Team and in partnership with local services. There will be an expectation that the successful applicant will undertake night duty and uphold the Trust values at all times.

As a Band 5 MH practitioner within the team, you will be regularly supported and supervised by a nominated Band 6 Nurse and you will be encouraged to take personal responsibility for clinical supervision and your continued professional development plan.

You will actively promote teamwork, respect, integrity, accountability, excellence and compassion within the clinical team in accordance with the Trust values and Code of Conduct.

You will provide support to the nurse leadership within the multidisciplinary team and ensure the effective assessment, formulation, planning and monitoring of care given to service users.

You will exercise professional accountability and responsibility using skills, knowledge and expertise in changing environments, across clinical boundaries and in unfamiliar situations as outlined within the NMC Code of Professional Conduct.

You will be required to offer clinical and managerial leadership to non-registered staff and nursing associates.

Working for our organisation

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health and forensic services including low and medium secure care.

The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area.

Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust encourages flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, flexi-time and career breaks. We encourage applicants to state clearly on their application forms this request and discuss these options at interview.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached the job description and person specification for more information about this role.

Person specification Qualifications / Education

• Registered Mental Health Nurse

Experience

• Demonstrate understanding of Mental Health difficulties.
• Demonstrate understanding of Health & Safety policies, procedures and effects on practice.
• Experience of assessing planning implementing and reviewing care needs.
• Has experience of acting as a mentor/assessor of student nursing staff.
• Some experience of supervising others.

Skills & Knowledge

• Knowledge and experience of CPA.
• Demonstrate understanding of how research has influenced their practice.
• Can demonstrate the ability to manage change.
• Able to demonstrate and understand the concept of community care and the need to develop good networks.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Please be aware, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when submitting an application is monitored and if you have used AI to generate an application, you are required to declare this on your application form. Failure to do so may result in your application being withdrawn.

We want to highlight the importance of integrity and authenticity in your application form, and ask you to use AI tools responsibly to ensure your application form is a true reflection of your skills, knowledge and experiences.

Please consider that AI-generated content may lack specificity and fail to address key criteria outlined in the job description providing impersonal and inaccurate information.

Please ensure that you read the person specification attached below as your application will be measured against this document.

Applications from job share partners are welcome and other forms of flexible working will be considered for all posts.

For all posts which require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check please be aware of the Disclosure and Barring Service Code of Practice, a copy of which is available by logging on to the DBS website. If the post is subject to DBS disclosure, a charge will be made to the successful candidate(s).

You are advised to consider applying for LSCft vacancies as soon as possible as in some instances vacancies are closed as soon as a sufficient number of applications have been received. If you are not invited to interview within three weeks of the closing date then please assume that on this occasion you have been unsuccessful, as it is not possible to contact all unsuccessful candidates.

LSCft is committed to celebrating difference as an asset and we know that recruiting talent from diverse backgrounds helps to create a more flexible, creative and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from people regardless of age, disability (particularly those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion or belief or sexual orientation. Our goal is for the Trust to be truly representative of the communities we serve so we are particularly keen to receive applications from people in under-represented groups. If there is anything you'd like to discuss in relation to your application then please ask.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

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.