Working Age Adult Key Worker – Community Mental Health Team Job Vacancy in South Tyneside, England, UK

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job title: Community Mental Health Key Worker

Service: Community Mental Health Service – Working Age Adults

Responsible to: Operational Manager

Responsible for: N/A

Salary/Pay Band: £27,055- £32,934 WTE (Salary range is equivalent to Band 5 on NHS Agenda for Change)

Pension: Eligible employees will be auto-enrolled in a defined contribution scheme

Hours and days: Monday Friday 35 hours per week (1.0 WTE)

Holidays: 28 days annual leave per year plus statutory holidays pro-rata and up to 3 discretionary leave days at Christmas

Location: Based in the Community Mental Health Teams in Leeds. you will be aligned with one of the locality hubs (Aire Court South CMHT, St Marys House North East CMHT and St Marys Hospital North West CMHT).

Accountability and reporting: The post holder is ultimately accountable to the Board of Northpoint, through the Director of Northpoint

Start-date: ASAP

Disclosure and Barring Service Certificate: Due to the nature of the work this post will be subject to an enhanced DBS check. Northpoints policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders is available on request – a past criminal conviction will not necessarily be a bar to employment

Purpose of the role:

The aim of this is role is to bring life experience through mental health and complement the multi-professional offer in the CMHT as well as strengthening links between pathways to ensure people receive the right support at the right time. You will work within a multi-disciplinary team. You will work closely with Primary Care Mental Health to manage pathways and referrals. You will become a strong link between the primary care mental health team and secondary care. You will offer guidance to the triage and assessment team.The role combines strong interpersonal abilities to build positive relationships and influence change, including the skills of triage/assessment/coordinating/psychological support and overseeing care of people with complex mental health difficulties.

The post-holder/s will be required to carry out assessment and formulation of mental health and implement the most appropriate care, alongside acknowledging physical health needs and signpost to appropriate support. The role will also involve identifying opportunities to support individuals with their mental health by helping them to access appropriate community support, encourage behavioural and lifestyle changes, enabling and empowering patients to become actively involved in their own wellbeing.

Key to the role will be the ability to utilise psychological formulation (i.e. construct meaning out of mental distress), care planning, managing risk and build trusting relationships whilst motivating individuals to make sustained changes.

Key workers will utilise a range of therapeutic skills, including, but not limited to:

Assessment of need/triage + onward referral/signposting

Active listening and reflective discussion

Psychoeducation

CBT-based and counselling techniques

Motivational interviewing

Understanding / challenging unhelpful patterns of behaviour

Main duties:

The duties and responsibilities of the post will include:

Referrals, triage & assessment:

• Complete a comprehensive and holistic assessment within an agreed timeframe, in order to determine the most appropriate help and support.

• Identify and manage cases where complexity and/or severity are present, including triaging referrals and signposting to appropriate mental health and crisis support.

• Use therapeutic skills where appropriate to help patients to contain and manage acute emotional distress which does not pose a risk.

• Offer consultation, advice, and decision support to primary care colleagues as required.

Caseload management & interventions:

• Manage a full caseload and reach agreed activity levels set within the service.

• Respond to unpredictable situations of risk and manage these in a safe, professional and holistic manner, utilising appropriate risk assessment, relapse prevention interventions and risk management plans.

• Facilitate patients to use/develop their own resources and support networks (family/friends), provide extra support for patients to access the wide range of existing psycho-educational, peer support and wellbeing groups within Leeds.

• Build knowledge of relevant local community networks and support individuals to access these, where appropriate (LMWS-PCMH, social prescribing service, local voluntary sector mental health provision).

• Encourage patients to actively manage their own mental health/wellbeing.

• Educate and involve family members and others in treatment as necessary, conveying clinical formulations with sensitivity in easily understood language.

• Keep records of all clinical activity in line with service protocols using Care Director and any paper-based systems as appropriate.

• Monitor patient experience using a qualitative evaluation questionnaire.

• Work closely with the Locality Hubs and other members of the CMHT ensuring appropriate timely communication.

Training:

• Attend and fulfil all mandatory trainings.

• Use Care Director to input and retrieve information appropriate to the care of individuals on caseload.

Professional practice:

• Ensure the maintenance of standards of practice according to the employer and any regulating, professional and accrediting bodies (e.g. BACP, UKCP, BPS), and keep up to date on new recommendations/guidelines set by the Department of Health (e.g. NHS plan, National Service Framework, National Institute for Clinical Excellence).

• Ensure that patient confidentiality is protected at all times, in line with Northpoint and LYPFT policies.

• Attend clinical and line management supervision on a regular basis as agreed with the Service Manager.

• Undertake annual appraisal in line with Northpoint policies

• Ensure clear professional objectives are identified, discussed and reviewed with the Service Manager, on a regular basis as part of continuing professional development.

• Keep up to date all records in relation to CPD and ensure your personal development plan maintains up-to-date specialist knowledge of latest theoretical and service delivery models/developments.

• Attend relevant conferences/workshops in line with identified professional objectives.

• Attend team and CMHT wide meetings as directed.

General:

• All employees must be familiar with and adhere to Northpoints and LYPFT operational policies, service protocols, and practice guidelines as required, taking account of any relevant partner protocols and procedures.

• All employees have a responsibility and a legal obligation to ensure that information processed for both patients and staff is kept accurate, confidential, secure and in line with the Data Protection Act (2018) and Security and Confidentiality Policies

• All employees have a duty and responsibility for their own health and safety and the health of safety of colleagues, patients and the general public

• All employees will undertake statutory and mandatory training as deemed appropriate and have a willingness and commitment to professional development

• Northpoint Wellbeing is committed to ensuring that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, marital status, gender reassignment or pregnancy/maternity. We fully support the right of all staff to equal opportunities and are committed to the development of a diverse workforce. All employees are expected to be familiar with and adhere to Northpoints Equal Opportunities Policy

• All employees will adhere to Northpoint Wellbeing and LYPFT safeguarding procedures

• Northpoint will provide regular employer line-management

• LYPFT Clinical Team Managers will provide caseload management

• All employees have responsibility for identifying appropriate clinical supervision (within work time) needed.

• It is the responsibility of all staff that they do not abuse their professional position for personal gain, to seek advantage of further private business, or for other interests, in the course of their official duties.

• This job description does not provide an exhaustive list of duties and may be reviewed in conjunction with the post holder in light of service development.

Person Specification

Skills and Competencies

Essential

• Able to build and maintain relationships with others both internal and external to the organisation whilst maintaining appropriate professional boundaries
• Ability to plan and organise workload in line with targets
• Ability to employ psychological formulation
• Can demonstrate sensitivity to the needs of disadvantaged groups in the planning and delivery of interventions and services.
• Able to work according to organisational policies and procedures
• Actively committed to personal & professional development
• IT skills i.e. able to use Microsoft Office packages including Word and Outlook and video conferencing such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including communicating clearly and concisely at all levels (both orally and in writing)

Desirable

• Ability to deliver support in community languages

Training, Experience & Qualifications

Essential

• Appropriate statutory professional body registration (RMN, OT Certificate, Professional Mental Health/Psychology qualification or a relevant qualification at NVQ Level 3 (e.g. NVQ Level 3 in Mental Health & Social Care) or equivalent (Psychology graduate), and/or significant experience in mental health support work.
• Experience of undertaking specialist holistic mental health assessment, risk assessment and formulation and can demonstrate that these skills are maintained.
• At least two years experience of working in a mental health setting with clients presenting with multipleandcomplex issues
• Experience of delivering appropriate therapeutic, risk management and relapse prevention interventions in a time-limited manner, to clients with common mental health problems, in line with professional standards and service protocols.
• Relevant experience in Primary or Secondary Care mental health services

Desirable

• Experience of working within a third sector organisation
• Experience of working in a service with agreed targets for outputs and clinical outcomes
• Experience of Care Director, SystmOne, EMIS or similar IT systems for outcome and case management recording
• Experience of working with diverse communities and within a multi cultural setting

Knowledge & understanding

Essential

• Working understanding of Trauma informed care
• Working understanding of safeguarding issues
• Working understanding of confidentiality issues
• Knowledge of common mental health conditions which may be encountered in area of work
• Knowledge of relevant current issues in health and social care
• Knowledge of Standards of Conduct
• Demonstrates awareness of limits to knowledge base
• Basic understanding of clinical governance and quality measures

Desirable

• Knowledge of existing services within the area

Qualities and Values

Essential

• An understanding and sensitivity towards mental health issues
• Evidence of a positive and proactive attitude, motivated and solution-focused
• Demonstrate a commitment to enabling and empowering clients to become actively involved in their own wellbeing
• Commitment to the principles of inclusivity, equality and diversity, demonstrated in practice
• Demonstrates values consistent with those of the Northpoints

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.