Job summary
The Southwark Home Treatment Teams provides 24hr, 7 day a week, crisis assessment and intensive home treatment to patients with the aim of preventing in- patient admission where possible or if admission is required facilitating earlier discharge.
Home Treatment Practitioners are expected to work either the early or late shift which operates between the hours of 8am to 10pm, 7 days a week, 365days a year. There is also an option of working long days.
The Southwark Home Treatment team provides assessment and intensive treatment to clients in their own home as an alternative to a psychiatric admission.
The post holder will assess the needs of service users, plan and evaluate care using a collaborative approach with service users and their carers.
They will work alongside other members of the multi-disciplinary team to ensure effective care delivery, including the use of evidenced based interventions, risk assessment and management and safe discharge processes.
The post holder will liaise effectively with other professionals and services to ensure good communication is maintained and care is transferred seamlessly. The post holder will ensure the physical health care needs of service users are appropriately addressed and monitored.
Main duties of the job
A Registered Mental Health or Learning Disability Nurse with an established clinical background who has successfully completed a period of academic education and clinical supervision to be competent against the relevant competency requirements for a Home Treatment Team Practitioner. The post holder may be required to work across different Trust sites according to the needs of the Home Treatment Service Line.
The post holder will work as a mental health or learning disability nurse, who acting within their own professional boundaries will provide care for presenting service users from initial history taking, clinical assessment, diagnosis, treatment and evaluation of care
About us
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provide the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK as well as substance misuse services for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. We work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London and are part of King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. There are very few organisations in the world that have such wide-ranging capabilities working with mental illness. Our scope is unique because it is built on three major foundations: care and treatment, science and research, and training.
SLaM employ around 5000 staff and serve a local population of million people. We have more than 230 services including inpatient wards, outpatient and community services. Currently, provide inpatient care for approximately 5,300 people each year and treat more than 45,000 patients in the community in Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark; as well as substance misuse services for residents of Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To contribute to the ongoing assessment process, including risk, of service users in line with policy standards
- To assess capacity and provide safe treatment and care to those who may lack capacity.
- Report on the patients changing condition and response to therapeutic interventions and contribute to care plan changes as appropriate.
- To operate within the legal requirements of the Mental Health Act and all relevant policy and legislation.
- Escalate the needs of service users presenting with complex long term conditions diabetes, asthma,)
- Maintain relevant clinical and pharmaceutical knowledge, critically appraise and apply information in practice
- Promote and deliver evidence based care for service users with mental health conditions in their own homes.
- To carry out physical observations in accordance with Trust and local policy, liaising with medical and senior nursing staff as appropriate.
- To administer medication with knowledge of its purpose, contraindications and side effects, relating that information to service users in a way they will understand.
- Support service users to adopt recovery strategies that promote their wellbeing, healthy lifestyle, independence and self-care.
- Actively promote health education that may include providing alternative materials to support service users and carers in making decisions regarding their care and treatment
- To provide relevant support to carers and families in relation to their rights as carers and their involvement in the care of the service user when they are under the care of the team.
- Apply infection control measures within practice according to local and national policies.
- To adhere to lone working practices
- Effectively co-ordinate a shift.
Communication
- Communicates the patients health status using appropriate terminology, format, and technology
- Use good communication skills to provide accurate information to service users and their families and carers in a sensitive and professional manner which respects equality and diversity.
- Use and demonstrate sensitive communication strategies to ensure that service users are fully informed and consent to care/ treatment.
- Act as an advocate for service users.
- Maintain accurate and contemporaneous records of health assessment, implementation and evaluation of management and therapeutic interventions.
- Effective liaison with all parts of the service including daily communication with those responsible for gatekeeping, bed management and accurate data collection.
Service development
- To participate in service evaluations, benchmarking, research and audit activities, and to contribute to implementation of service modernisation and improvement projects.
Legal, professional and Educational
- Maintain a safe environment for all staff and visitors, taking reasonable care to avoid injury. Co-operate with the Trust to meet statutory requirements.
- Provide statements regarding untoward incidents, as requested by line manager.
- To work in accordance with the professional Code of Conduct and Trust policy and ensure that standards of practice are upheld
- To receive regular clinical supervision
- Maintain and develop own professional knowledge and competence by keeping informed of advances and research pertaining to mental health care.
- To provide clinical supervision of junior team colleagues and to develop supervision and mentorship skills.
- To participate in clinical governance initiatives as agreed by the directorate clinical governance committee
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To contribute to the ongoing assessment process, including risk, of service users in line with policy standards
- To assess capacity and provide safe treatment and care to those who may lack capacity.
- Report on the patients changing condition and response to therapeutic interventions and contribute to care plan changes as appropriate.
- To operate within the legal requirements of the Mental Health Act and all relevant policy and legislation.
- Escalate the needs of service users presenting with complex long term conditions diabetes, asthma,)
- Maintain relevant clinical and pharmaceutical knowledge, critically appraise and apply information in practice
- Promote and deliver evidence based care for service users with mental health conditions in their own homes.
- To carry out physical observations in accordance with Trust and local policy, liaising with medical and senior nursing staff as appropriate.
- To administer medication with knowledge of its purpose, contraindications and side effects, relating that information to service users in a way they will understand.
- Support service users to adopt recovery strategies that promote their wellbeing, healthy lifestyle, independence and self-care.
- Actively promote health education that may include providing alternative materials to support service users and carers in making decisions regarding their care and treatment
- To provide relevant support to carers and families in relation to their rights as carers and their involvement in the care of the service user when they are under the care of the team.
- Apply infection control measures within practice according to local and national policies.
- To adhere to lone working practices
- Effectively co-ordinate a shift.
Communication
- Communicates the patients health status using appropriate terminology, format, and technology
- Use good communication skills to provide accurate information to service users and their families and carers in a sensitive and professional manner which respects equality and diversity.
- Use and demonstrate sensitive communication strategies to ensure that service users are fully informed and consent to care/ treatment.
- Act as an advocate for service users.
- Maintain accurate and contemporaneous records of health assessment, implementation and evaluation of management and therapeutic interventions.
- Effective liaison with all parts of the service including daily communication with those responsible for gatekeeping, bed management and accurate data collection.
Service development
- To participate in service evaluations, benchmarking, research and audit activities, and to contribute to implementation of service modernisation and improvement projects.
Legal, professional and Educational
- Maintain a safe environment for all staff and visitors, taking reasonable care to avoid injury. Co-operate with the Trust to meet statutory requirements.
- Provide statements regarding untoward incidents, as requested by line manager.
- To work in accordance with the professional Code of Conduct and Trust policy and ensure that standards of practice are upheld
- To receive regular clinical supervision
- Maintain and develop own professional knowledge and competence by keeping informed of advances and research pertaining to mental health care.
- To provide clinical supervision of junior team colleagues and to develop supervision and mentorship skills.
- To participate in clinical governance initiatives as agreed by the directorate clinical governance committee
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Mental Health Nurse Or LD Nurse
- Evidence of post registration experience in acute or crisis setting
Desirable
- Evidence of ongoing professional development
- Training in specialised areas such as dual diagnosis or family work
Skills
Essential
- Good risk assessment and management skills
- Effective communication and negotiation skills
- Ability to work with carers and relatives
Desirable
- Commitment to obtaining service user feedback and involving service users in the development of services
Experience
Essential
- Acute psychiatry experience
- Experience of delivering evidence based care to address service users mental and physical health needs
- Understanding of safe and effective alternatives to hospital care
- Evidence of a good knowledge of medication and medication management with clients, including clozapine
- Working knowledge of mental health policy and legislation
Desirable
- Experience of supervising and teaching students
- A range of post registration experience within mental health settings
- Experience of working with service users who are in crisis in the community
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Mental Health Nurse Or LD Nurse
- Evidence of post registration experience in acute or crisis setting
Desirable
- Evidence of ongoing professional development
- Training in specialised areas such as dual diagnosis or family work
Skills
Essential
- Good risk assessment and management skills
- Effective communication and negotiation skills
- Ability to work with carers and relatives
Desirable
- Commitment to obtaining service user feedback and involving service users in the development of services
Experience
Essential
- Acute psychiatry experience
- Experience of delivering evidence based care to address service users mental and physical health needs
- Understanding of safe and effective alternatives to hospital care
- Evidence of a good knowledge of medication and medication management with clients, including clozapine
- Working knowledge of mental health policy and legislation
Desirable
- Experience of supervising and teaching students
- A range of post registration experience within mental health settings
- Experience of working with service users who are in crisis in the community
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab) .
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab) .
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab) .
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab) .
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
