Community Practitioner

Job overview

This post is open to Band 5 Registered Mental Health Nurses who wish to broaden their experience and further develop their assessment and care planning skills in a community setting. There will be an expectation for the post holder to have completed, be in the process of completing, or be willing to attend the Trust Preceptorship.

Focussed Support service offer medium to longer term mental health care to residents in the Borough of Lambeth aged 18 and over regardless of diagnosis using the Care Programme Approach. We are a part of the Lambeth Alliance, and we have a close interface with a variety of SLaM services, other statutory organisations (inc. social care) and voluntary sector.

The Lambeth Living Well Network (LWN) Alliance brings together Certitude, Lambeth Clinical Commissioning Group, Lambeth Council, South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Thames Reach organisations to deliver an innovative way of providing mental health support for those who need it in the Lambeth Borough; a fully integrated and coordinated mental health system which focuses on people’s strengths and supports their whole health and wellbeing.

As part of our journey, to realising a fully integrated system, we have set up 3 Living Well Centres in Lambeth.

We are looking for dynamic and enthusiastic candidates with a commitment to delivering high standards of care and ongoing learning.

Main duties of the job

As a B5 Community Practitioner working in a community setting you will work under the supervision of a Community Practitioner to promote and deliver evidence-based care for service users with mental health conditions in their own homes and within a variety of accommodation settings.

The post holder will deliver, or advise on the delivery of, high quality safe care, ensuring consistently high standards of practice and clinical excellence which comply with their registered professional body and code of professional conduct.

The role includes leading the delivery of comprehensive service user assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of person-centred care in a collaborative way. The post holder will co-ordinate a first-class service that includes assessment and monitoring of physical health, maintaining service users’ rights, supervising junior staff and students, working collaboratively with the Multi-Disciplinary Team and maintaining a safe and therapeutic working environment and accurate records.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

As a practitioner working in a community setting you will promote and deliver evidence-based care for service users with mental health conditions in their own homes and within a variety of accommodation settings.

Working autonomously within the parameters of the role leading and supporting junior staff and wider care team to implement the delivery of quality care, contributing to the physical, psychological, social, recreational and spiritual care in a recovery-focused way through therapeutic engagement and activities, and taking steps to address any issues that arise.

Demonstrating an enhanced understanding of Mental Health signs and symptoms and an understanding of how these may present in practice including recognition of impact on patient presentation and behavior including risk factors. Supporting and teaching junior staff to develop understanding of mental health signs and symptoms and develop appropriate responses to these in practice.

Please see job description attached.

Applicant requirements

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.