Community Practitioner

Job overview

This part-time, permanent post is a great opportunity for a practitioner experienced in memory assessment or wanting to build experience working with people with dementia and older adults, and develop skills working independently in the Lewisham community.

The post is open to registered nurses, occupational therapists and social workers.  Applicants must be able to work on site and carry out home visits throughout the Borough of Lewisham.

Memory Services are responsible for assessing and diagnosing people with suspected dementia, and for initiating treatment and support for people with dementia and their carers. Lewisham Memory Service is staffed by a variety of professional groups including psychiatry, nursing, social work, occupational therapy, and psychology, and operates within a multi-disciplinary framework.

We are committed to get the very best out of our staff and support staff in their career aspirations. We have training opportunities available, where you will be able to develop your skills and build on your experience to progress in your career.

Main duties of the job

This post will have a key role in providing time-limited support and interventions to people with dementia, their carers and relatives in both clinic and home-based settings. The post holder will liaise with colleagues in primary care, community health and social services, voluntary organisations and the wider mental health of older adult service as appropriate.

The post holder will be responsible for carrying out assessments (including standardised cognitive tests); formulating diagnoses and care plans with support of the MDT; communicating with clients and carers about the diagnosis and treatment options; and signposting or referring people to relevant support services.

The post holder will participate in a triage rota, screening new referrals to the service.

The post holder will be skilled in communicating clearly and sensitively, both verbally and in writing. The post holder will be able to balance providing sensitive, person-centred care with meeting targets set by NHS England around the time frame from referral to diagnosis of dementia in memory services.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The memory services are responsible for assessing and diagnosing people with a suspected dementia, and for initiating treatment and support for people with dementia and their carers.  The post holder will carry out high-quality initial assessments, including standardised  cognitive testing; formulate diagnoses and care plans in conjunction with the multi-disciplinary team; feed back diagnoses to service users and carers; and signpost to appropriate post-diagnostic support. The post involves writing assessment reports, diagnosis letters and other clinical letters to GP. The post involves managing a caseload of patients at varying stages of the diagnostic process, and ensuring timely access to diagnosis and care,  in line with the published NHS England ambition to increase the percentage of patients diagnosed with dementia within 18 weeks of GP referral. The post-holder will also support in triaging new referrals to the service. As an assessment and diagnosis service, the memory service does not undertake longer term case management, and as such the role will include liaising with colleagues within primary care, community health and social care services, voluntary organisations and the wider mental health of older adults service as appropriate, to ensure that service users are able to promptly access the care most appropriate to their  needs.