Job summary
Are you looking for a new challenge? Single Point of Access (SPA) is looking to recruit a band 4 mental health advisor to join our busy and exciting multi-disciplinary team.
The WLT Single Point of Access (SPA) provides 24/7/365 access to secondary care mental health by telephone and email. The service is for people experiencing a mental health crisis and incorporates a 24/7 telephone support line for service users, carers and professionals.
The position of Mental Health Advisor (telephone support) is an exciting and challenging opportunity for the right candidate. You will be able to demonstrate excellent customer service skills while providing first line advice, support, and information to a wide range of callers as well as provide support responding to email and future text message (SMS) enquiries. The post holder will provide support when someone, both known to services and unknown, contacts the service as they, or someone they care for, feel unsafe, at risk or unable to cope without professional advice or help. Along with the providing care and advice to callers to the SPA the post holder will support clinical staff in the processing and triaging of referrals to the trust. The post holder will be given clinical and managerial supervision.
Main duties of the job
The SPA team is highly motivated, diverse, energetic and has a ready to help attitude. Our professional and multi-disciplinary staff group whose ability to intercede on behalf of patients across all levels of healthcare is nurtured and respected. We believe in embracing the expertise of our nurses, allied health professionals and mental health advisors, and making a difference to the lives of our service users. Working in this service places you on the frontline of community mental health care and will equip you with the skills you need to respond to a variety of clinical needs at short notice and provide you with potential future career development.
This post will demand that you are highly motivated, can be flexible in an ever changing environment and can communicate effectively across a multi-professional team.
The post holder will work within a 24-hour rota system (including night shifts) - ensuring that a comprehensive service is provided to patients 365 days a year.
About us
West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse providers of mental health, community and social care in the UK.
Our 3,982 staff care for people in hospital and in the community, helping them to recover and go on to lead full and productive lives. We aim to be the best organisation of our kind in the country.
We provide care and treatment for more than 800,000 people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow, delivering services in the community (at home, in GP surgeries and care homes), hospital, specialist clinics and forensic (secure) units.
We are rated good overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Together, we're committed to promoting hope and wellbeing, working with patients, service users, carers, families and partners across the communities we serve.
West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse providers of physical health, community, social care, and mental health care in the UK.
We are keen to ensure that our workforce reflects the community it serves, particularly in terms of ethnicity, gender, disability, LGBTQ+ and experience of mental illness.
Covid-19 vaccination is a condition of employment for this role, unless an exemption applies. The successful applicant may have contact with vulnerable service users and we will therefore seek proof of being fully vaccinated during the recruitment process.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The section below provides details of the key tasks / responsibilities to be undertaken by this role.
- To develop and maintain communication with individuals or groups of patients, carers, and staff about difficult or complex matters, overcoming any problems in communication in a difficult situation.
- To communicate with people in a manner which:
- is consistent with their level of understanding, culture, background and preferred ways of communicating
- acknowledges the purpose of the communication
- is appropriate to the context
- encourages their participation
- responds to communication of any kind from them.
- To improve communication through:
- changing the methods of communicating
- modifying the content and structure of communication
- reflection on the barriers to effective communication.
- To confirm that you have accurately interpreted communications.
- To provide feedback to other staff on their communication at appropriate times.
- To maintain accurate patient records consistent with legislation and, policies and procedures.
- To maintain confidentiality during communication consistent with Trust policy and legislation; gaining any necessary authorisation for releasing information prior to doing so.
- To identify the range of people likely to be involved in the communication, any potential communication difference and relevant contextual factors.
- To actively seek support and supervision when having dealt with highly distressing situations.
- To develop own knowledge and skills and contribute to the development of others.
- To take responsibility for ones own continuing development and performance and maintain a record of training accomplished.
- To identify ones own development needs in relation to current practice and future plans; setting personal development objectives in the context of the Trusts personal development review process.
- To attend relevant courses and in-house learning opportunities.
- To reflect on application of knowledge and skills by seeking/providing informal and formal feedback through:
- Clinical Supervision
- Reflective practice groups.
- To contribute to developing the workplace as a learning environment.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The section below provides details of the key tasks / responsibilities to be undertaken by this role.
- To develop and maintain communication with individuals or groups of patients, carers, and staff about difficult or complex matters, overcoming any problems in communication in a difficult situation.
- To communicate with people in a manner which:
- is consistent with their level of understanding, culture, background and preferred ways of communicating
- acknowledges the purpose of the communication
- is appropriate to the context
- encourages their participation
- responds to communication of any kind from them.
- To improve communication through:
- changing the methods of communicating
- modifying the content and structure of communication
- reflection on the barriers to effective communication.
- To confirm that you have accurately interpreted communications.
- To provide feedback to other staff on their communication at appropriate times.
- To maintain accurate patient records consistent with legislation and, policies and procedures.
- To maintain confidentiality during communication consistent with Trust policy and legislation; gaining any necessary authorisation for releasing information prior to doing so.
- To identify the range of people likely to be involved in the communication, any potential communication difference and relevant contextual factors.
- To actively seek support and supervision when having dealt with highly distressing situations.
- To develop own knowledge and skills and contribute to the development of others.
- To take responsibility for ones own continuing development and performance and maintain a record of training accomplished.
- To identify ones own development needs in relation to current practice and future plans; setting personal development objectives in the context of the Trusts personal development review process.
- To attend relevant courses and in-house learning opportunities.
- To reflect on application of knowledge and skills by seeking/providing informal and formal feedback through:
- Clinical Supervision
- Reflective practice groups.
- To contribute to developing the workplace as a learning environment.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Minimum of 5 GCSEs (one of which must be English Language and one Maths) or equivalent.
- NVQ level 3 in Health & Social Care or equivalent
Desirable
- A-Levels / Diploma / Degree.
- Degree in Health Related subject.
- Evidence of accredited courses in mental health practice or related career pathway.
Experience
Essential
- Understanding of mental health presentations, causes and treatments.
- Previous experience of working in a mental health setting.
- Experience of working with the public over the phone.
- Working as part of a team
- Mandatory Training up-to-date (internal).
- IT literate - specifically in the MS office suite of programmes.
Desirable
- Working within a Mental Health Trust as HCA / Community Support worker.
- Working within a NHS organisation.
- Lived experience of mental health.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Minimum of 5 GCSEs (one of which must be English Language and one Maths) or equivalent.
- NVQ level 3 in Health & Social Care or equivalent
Desirable
- A-Levels / Diploma / Degree.
- Degree in Health Related subject.
- Evidence of accredited courses in mental health practice or related career pathway.
Experience
Essential
- Understanding of mental health presentations, causes and treatments.
- Previous experience of working in a mental health setting.
- Experience of working with the public over the phone.
- Working as part of a team
- Mandatory Training up-to-date (internal).
- IT literate - specifically in the MS office suite of programmes.
Desirable
- Working within a Mental Health Trust as HCA / Community Support worker.
- Working within a NHS organisation.
- Lived experience of mental health.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
