Mental Health Legislation Officer

Job overview

The Mental Health Legislation Team are seeking to appoint a motivated, experienced person for a 6 months fixed term/secondment contract, to the post of MHL Officer based within the MHL Department at Roseberry Park Hospital. The post holder will have responsibility for administration of the MHA for a number of patients in the Teesside area.

The successful candidate will be a member of a team of MHL Officers based at various Trust hospital sites with responsibility for ensuring the lawful administration and implementation of the Mental Health Act for detained or Community Treatment Order patients. The role carries a level of responsibility and requires the ability to work autonomously and as a team player with good prioritisation and excellent communication skills. NVQ level 3 Administration or equivalent experience is essential, and knowledge of the Mental Health Act is required and ideally experience of working within a mental health and/or learning disabilities setting.

You must have the Right to Work in the UK in order to be successfully appointed to this role. Please note, this role does not meet the required eligibility criteria for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa and therefore the Trust is unable to offer sponsorship for this particular role.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will be expected to hold a caseload of patients subject to the MHA and ensure that all aspects of the MHA are administered lawfully and effectively. In addition, they must be able to use Microsoft applications and Paris ECR, including MHA module and Cito on a daily basis. Use of Datix and IIC.

You will be expected to arrange and attend Hospital Managers hearings ensuring that the process is adhered to and the rights of the patients are upheld. In additional, you will arrange Mental Health Tribunals, working within strict deadlines and complying with tribunal rules and processes.

The post holder may be required to work in locations other than those specified in the job description as required by service need.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will act on behalf of the Hospital Managers (the Trust Board) in relation to the implementation of Mental Health Legislation.

They will ensure that the provisions in relation to all Mental Health Legislation (i.e. Mental Health Act 1983, Mental Capacity Act 2005), are implemented in accordance with the legislative requirements, Codes of Practice requirements and National and Government Guidance across the Trust.

They will be required to demonstrate a high level of specialist knowledge and provide expert administrative support and guidance in relation to Mental Health Legislation to staff of all disciplines and from all agencies and specialties across the Trust.

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further detailed information to ensure that you meet the role criteria before applying.

This job advert may close early if a high volume of applications have been received. If interested, please apply for this post as soon as possible.

Applicant requirements

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.