Senior Support Worker

Job summary

The Mental Health Liaison Teams (MHLT) are multi-disciplinary teams providing a specialist, frontline, emergency mental health assessment and/or treatment service for those referred to the team from the acute Trust Emergency Department and medical wards and formulate an appropriate on-going plan for each person assessed. The team will also provide advice, training and consultation to teams referring into the service.

Important Sponsorship Information for this post: We are currently unable to offer a certificate of sponsorship for this post.

The Senior Support Worker will work as a member of the multi-disciplinary team supporting the MHLT clinicians in the team to provide personalised care to service users, undertaking clinical and administrative tasks with supportive supervision as required. The post holder will spend significant amounts of time engaging with people who present to the Emergency Department with mental health needs as well as supporting with administrative tasks.

The post holder should be available to work extended shifts, including nights, covering a 7-day week service and may be expected to support other Oxleas Crisis teams where there is a clear clinical need to do so.

Main duties of the job

1. Work as a member of the multi-disciplinary team to provide the best possible treatment options for people presenting to the Emergency Department / on acute medical wards experiencing Mental Ill health.
2. Provide a wide range of practical support to people with mental Ill health under the direction of qualified staff within the MHLT
3. Assist in the delivery of high standards of care to individual patients
4. Utilise effective communication skills when liaising with the acute Trusts wards and Emergency department, providing and receiving accurate information regarding referrals and updates on patients care.
5. Support the MHLT with taking and opening referrals, data collection, updating of information on the electronic systems, following up referrals to bed management (Oxleas and External) for bed requests, ensuring all documentation is completed for transfer of patients, arranging transport if required
6. Supporting the MHLT with liaising and obtaining information from Community mental health teams, GP, family and other external agencies
7. Supporting the MHLT with referrals to the Recovery House and Home Treatment Team

About us

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes.We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

-We're Kind
-We're Fair
-We Listen
-We Care

Job description

Job responsibilities

1. Support with care plans given to patients in ED by MHLT
2. Support with ongoing monitoring of patients in ED as directed by the MHLT practitioners
3. Meet and greet patients in ED while waiting for assessment by the MHLT practitioners
4. Escalate concerns regarding a patients wellbeing or changes to presentation to a registered nurse or team manager
5. Liaise with other teams regarding transfer of care for patients prior to admission or discharge
6. Attend and contribute to handover meetings and contribute to handover to incoming shift
7. Act on own initiative when delivering care, seeking supervision and guidance as required
8. Provide assistance to family and carers in coping with demands placed on them by the patient
9. Promote patient and (where appropriate) carer involvement in all aspects of care
10. Respond to the needs of people sensitively and in a nonjudgemental way with regard to their age, race, culture, gender, religion, sexuality, and disability
11. Recognise and value patients as individuals, acknowledging the importance of always maintaining the patients respect and dignity and ensure that the care provided respects equality and diversity
12. Demonstrate an empathic understanding of mental health problems and issues.
13. Respond to the needs of people in an honest, non-judgmental, and open manner, which respects the right of individuals and groups.
14. Have a knowledge of risk management and utilise tools in accordance with Trust policy
15. Demonstrate a basic understanding of the causes of aggression, and utilise skills in the prevention, de-escalation and management of violence and aggression.
16. Be aware of and work to the principles of the Mental Health Act (2015) and Mental Capacity Act (2005)
17. Recognise scope of own abilities and responsibilities and practice within them, referring matters to and seeking advice from senior trained team members as appropriate

Please see attached document

Person Specification

Education/Qualifications

Essential
-Health related NVQ Level 3 qualification Or Equivalent relevant clinical experience to vocational qualification level 3

Desirable
-Evidence of continuing professional and personal development

Experience

Essential
-Experience working with people with mental health problems, ideally with experience of working in mental health acute and/or crisis services.

Desirable
-Front line customer service experience

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge

Essential
-Knowledge of mental health issues and relevant legislation

Desirable
-High level communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate sensitively and work in a setting in which the atmosphere may be highly emotive.

Effort and Environment

Essential
-Self-motivated, able to work autonomously and independently with confidence when required.

Desirable
-Able to work flexible shifts and internal rotation