Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen to work in our mental health Single Point of Access Service. We are looking for experienced mental health practitioners from a Nursing, Social Work, Psychotherapy, Psychology or Occupational Therapy background to join our dynamic multi-disciplinary. This service is the single point of access into secondary adult mental health services in the North West London boroughs of Brent, Harrow, Hillingdon, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster.
Based in a convenient central London location in Victoria; the SPA provides a telephone triage, signposting, advice and support 24-hours a day, seven days per week, 365 days a year for patients, carers, GPs and other referrers
Successful candidates will be expected to work a flexible shift pattern to meet the needs of this 24 hour service, though this can be negotiated on an individual basis.
All staff will receive supervision, support and training and potentially have the opportunity to rotate into other services within the Jameson Urgent Care service.
Main duties of the job
The SPA Practitioner will be expected to work as part of the SPA multi-disciplinary team managing crisis calls and carrying out urgent triages. A strong desire for supporting people in mental health crisis with a calm compassionate nature are the most important qualities we are looking for.
The SPA Practitioner will work closely with the people who use our services, families, friends and carers and play an important contribution in how people experience our services. The SPA Practitioner is expected to be kind and responsive, but professional and informative and to contribute to the quality of the services we provide by:
- keeping the people who using our services as safe as possible through the use of sound clinical skills and effective risk assessments
- ensuring the best possible clinical outcomes by using up-to-date skills and adhering to evidence based policies and procedures
- ensuring the people using our services have a good experience by respecting, empowering and working in partnership with people throughout the care planning process
We believe that the best health care is delivered by multi-disciplinary teams working well together and in partnership with other teams and services to provide seamless care. SPA Practitioners will work as part of a team and contribute to the success of the team by being an effective role model and supervising more junior members of the team to ensure they are working to the standards which the people using our services deserve.
About us
The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.
Central and North West London NHS Trust expects all SPA Practitioners to act in a way which shows they understand our core values and are willing to put them into practice with patients, their friends family and carers and also other staff members.
As an SPA Practitioner we expect you to show COMPASSION, contribute to a caring and kind environment and recognise that what you do and say helps can make the lives of others better.
We expect you to RESPECT everyone and acknowledge and welcome people's differences rather than ignore them or see them as problematic.
We expect you to EMPOWER others and continually try to provide information, resources and support to help others make their own decisions and meet their own needs.
We expect you to work in PARTNERSHIP and behave in a way that shows that you recognise thatcommissioners and users of our services are the people who generate and pay for our work.
As an SPA Practitioner we expect you to role model these values and contribute to ensuring that they are embedded in the practice of the team
Job description
Job responsibilities
Central and North West London NHS Trust is committed to providing safe, effective services and providing patients and families with a positive experience. The SPA Practitioner will:
- Answer all calls to the SPA in a patient and courteous manner, and to screen and prioritise these appropriately.
- Undertake clinical triaging of all calls to the SPA, deciding on the correct care pathway for that call.
- Refer callers onto secondary adult MH services where appropriate, booking appointments and liaising with teams.
- Signpost callers on as necessary into non-statutory, third sector services.
- Undertake initial social care triage, where necessary, signposting and referring on patients as appropriate
- Respond to calls within time limits set out in the SPA Operational Protocols, ensuring that where they cannot speak to a caller immediately, they are called back in timely manner.
- Take details of all callers, and to record details of all calls onto the relevant patient information system.
- Be fully conversant with statutory and non-statutory services across Brent, Harrow, Hillingdon, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster, and the provision of CNWL services in each borough.
- Ensure safe and effective delivery of care / advice to patients and their carers, utilising own knowledge and skills.
- Provide support, information and education to family members, carers and other professionals who may access the SPA.
- Build and maintain excellent working relationships with key stakeholders, such as GPs, the Police and LAS, taking and triaging referrals as appropriate.
- Maintain a good public image of the SPA by dealing with all calls in a professional manner.
- Be aware of appropriate escalation procedures in relation to difficult calls, ie. A suicidal patient, etc.
- Demonstrate good risk assessment and management skills, ensuring that decisions made regarding calls are in the interests of the individual patients needs and their safety.
- Ensure that there is effective liaison / communication pathways with other services.
- Participate in both clinical and managerial supervision in relation to role.
- Participate in ongoing training / teaching / reflective practice sessions as required.
- Participate in the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the SPA Service, ensuring that all required data is collected.
- Monitor standards of clinical practice of the SPA, recommending changes where necessary.
- Ensure that all professional and Trust-wide clinical policies and procedures are adhered to.
- Be responsible for the maintenance of accurate patient records on relevant patient information system.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Central and North West London NHS Trust is committed to providing safe, effective services and providing patients and families with a positive experience. The SPA Practitioner will:
- Answer all calls to the SPA in a patient and courteous manner, and to screen and prioritise these appropriately.
- Undertake clinical triaging of all calls to the SPA, deciding on the correct care pathway for that call.
- Refer callers onto secondary adult MH services where appropriate, booking appointments and liaising with teams.
- Signpost callers on as necessary into non-statutory, third sector services.
- Undertake initial social care triage, where necessary, signposting and referring on patients as appropriate
- Respond to calls within time limits set out in the SPA Operational Protocols, ensuring that where they cannot speak to a caller immediately, they are called back in timely manner.
- Take details of all callers, and to record details of all calls onto the relevant patient information system.
- Be fully conversant with statutory and non-statutory services across Brent, Harrow, Hillingdon, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster, and the provision of CNWL services in each borough.
- Ensure safe and effective delivery of care / advice to patients and their carers, utilising own knowledge and skills.
- Provide support, information and education to family members, carers and other professionals who may access the SPA.
- Build and maintain excellent working relationships with key stakeholders, such as GPs, the Police and LAS, taking and triaging referrals as appropriate.
- Maintain a good public image of the SPA by dealing with all calls in a professional manner.
- Be aware of appropriate escalation procedures in relation to difficult calls, ie. A suicidal patient, etc.
- Demonstrate good risk assessment and management skills, ensuring that decisions made regarding calls are in the interests of the individual patients needs and their safety.
- Ensure that there is effective liaison / communication pathways with other services.
- Participate in both clinical and managerial supervision in relation to role.
- Participate in ongoing training / teaching / reflective practice sessions as required.
- Participate in the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the SPA Service, ensuring that all required data is collected.
- Monitor standards of clinical practice of the SPA, recommending changes where necessary.
- Ensure that all professional and Trust-wide clinical policies and procedures are adhered to.
- Be responsible for the maintenance of accurate patient records on relevant patient information system.
Person Specification
Education and Qualification
Essential
- Current Professional Registration - RMN / OT / Social Work/BPC UKCP
- Evidence of post registration training and / or development
Desirable
Previous Experience
Essential
- Previous experience as a clinician in an acute or community mental health setting.
Skills and Knowledge
Essential
- Ability to communicate in writing, and skills in writing letters and reports.
- Ability to communicate, triage and assess clinical information over the telephone.
- You are expected to have the skills required to act as a professional, registered clinician and to adhere to your professional Code of Conduct: The ability to assess patients, develop, implement and evaluate a care plan; o Empowering and working in partnership; Safeguarding and advocacy; Understanding how the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards impacts on your work and the people you are working with; Understanding how the Mental Health Act impacts on your work and the people you are working with; Understanding the concept of quality and your role in improving safety, clinical outcomes and the patient experience; Medicines management.
Person Specification
Education and Qualification
Essential
- Current Professional Registration - RMN / OT / Social Work/BPC UKCP
- Evidence of post registration training and / or development
Desirable
Previous Experience
Essential
- Previous experience as a clinician in an acute or community mental health setting.
Skills and Knowledge
Essential
- Ability to communicate in writing, and skills in writing letters and reports.
- Ability to communicate, triage and assess clinical information over the telephone.
- You are expected to have the skills required to act as a professional, registered clinician and to adhere to your professional Code of Conduct: The ability to assess patients, develop, implement and evaluate a care plan; o Empowering and working in partnership; Safeguarding and advocacy; Understanding how the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards impacts on your work and the people you are working with; Understanding how the Mental Health Act impacts on your work and the people you are working with; Understanding the concept of quality and your role in improving safety, clinical outcomes and the patient experience; Medicines management.
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
