Mental Health Practitioner

Job overview

Service/Ward/Department Summary:

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a suitably qualified and motivated person to join the Older Peoples Mental Health Liaison Team as a Mental Health Practitioner.

This award-winning team is based at The Meadows within the borough of Stockport.  The service provides a resource into a variety of settings to support a range of disciplines from health, social care and the third sector to meet the mental health needs of our service users.

Role Summary:

The post holder will be based in the OP Community Mental Health Liaison Team and covers the borough of Stockport. You will work alongside the Urgent Community Response Team to provide specialist mental health nursing advice and a joint assessment service.

You will provide direct care to service users to support individuals who are in crisis because of physical health or social status changes which is directly, or indirectly, impacting on the individual’s mental health.

The role also includes communicating and supporting wider health and social care professional groups to model effective approaches of care when supporting individuals with mental health needs.

This post is full time and a seven day service.

Main duties of the job

Key Responsibilities of the Post:

To represent the OP Community Mental Health Liaison Team whilst working across the Stockport borough and to work in conjunction with the Urgent Community Response Team.

Triage all referrals that are made to the service and allocate clinical priority.

To carry out a thorough assessment of the service users’ current mental health needs, including risk assessment, psychological needs and cognitive functioning.

To demonstrate the ability to make decisions in relation to the clinical management of individual patients and make critical clinical judgements in relation to mental health and care provision within the community setting.

To be able to assess and manage clients presenting with co-morbidities of physical and mental health needs including the impact of medication and infection.

To model appropriate methods of communication and care delivery to social care staff.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key Responsibilities of the Post:

To represent the OP Community Mental Health Liaison Team whilst working across the Stockport borough and to work in conjunction with the Urgent Community Response Team.

Triage all referrals that are made to the service and allocate clinical priority.

To carry out a thorough assessment of the service users’ current mental health needs, including risk assessment, psychological needs and cognitive functioning.

To demonstrate the ability to make decisions in relation to the clinical management of individual patients and make critical clinical judgements in relation to mental health and care provision within the community setting.

To be able to assess and manage clients presenting with co-morbidities of physical and mental health needs including the impact of medication and infection.

To model appropriate methods of communication and care delivery to social care staff.

Key Requirements of the Person Specification:

Registered Mental Health Nurse.

Evidence of continuing professional development to post graduate diploma level.

Experience of working within older peoples’ mental health inpatient, community or Liaison settings.

Knowledge of medication used in this service user group.

Good working knowledge of physical health problems in the older person and assessment skills in this area.

Awareness of the adult safeguarding process.

This job description is not exhaustive, but is intended to give an overall picture of the role.  Other duties within the general scope of the post may be required from time to time.  The duties of the post and job description can be reviewed through the agreed process.