Mental Health Practitioner

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has a risen for a Band 6, MH Practitioner (part time) within the MH Urgent Care Department.

The Mental Health Urgent Care Department, is a facility where adults, aged 18 years and above, who are experiencing a mental health crisis can receive an urgent biopsychosocial assessment with immediate care planning. It is a new, purpose built department based at the Basildon Mental Health Unit on the Basildon university Hospital site.

The post holder will work as a Band 6 Senior Practitioner with the urgent care team providing high quality, evidence-based, holistic assessments to patients attending the service. Assessments must be completed in line with your professional code and Trust policies and clinical guidelines.

Main duties of the job

• Provide comprehensive assessment, care and safety planning for patients attending the Urgent Care Department ensuring their care pathway is purposeful and promotes recovery.
• Ensure accurate and timely clinical documentation in line with your professional Code and Trust policy.
• Develop and maintain specialist clinical skills and expertise in the assessment and treatment of people with mental health needs.
• Receive, triage and assess patients attending the Urgent Care Department,  ensuring nursing triage, assessment, care and support of each person is appropriate to their individual needs
• Offer advice on management of patients with mental health issues other health care professionals, advocating for best practice in line with Trust and national guidance.
• Assess, investigate, treat and discharge or refer patients attending the department with a diverse range of minor injuries/illnesses, within the parameters of the Urgent Care Department guidelines and scope of practice.
• Feedback outcomes of assessments to the department clinical leaders and agree and implement the management plan

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Support the Clinical Lead in ensuring the effective provision of care, service developments of the urgent Care Team
• In the absence of the Clinical Lead ensure that referral, assessment and workload allocation happens in a timely, flexible and responsive manger, taking into account the wishes of the patients and their carers.
• On a daily basis, support and manage the patients within the urgent care department, providing appropriate prioritisation of the workload within agreed timeframes depending on the nature of the presenting needs and patient safety risks.
• Participate in team meetings, initiating and discussing new methods/models of care using QI methodology and contribute in the introduction of research or trials within the area.

Please see full Job Description and Person Specification attached