Job summary
To carry out comprehensive physical health assessments for service users in Bristol with a diagnosed severe mental illness, identify and signpost to relevant interventions as needed, such smoking cessation, exercise groups, diet advice, and alcohol advice, as per NICE guideline standards.
The assessments will take place in a range of locations dependent on needs; this could be in the service users home or at a trust site.
The role will require independent and lone working at times. To develop and deliver educational groups regarding good physical health regimes.
This role will require staff to cover a large geographical area with limited public transport while carrying equipment to undertake physical health assessments.
Main duties of the job
To identify the SMI cohort open to case holding teams in Bristol, review the clinical record to ensure a physical health check and record appropriately if so, offer physical health checks to those that need them at NHS base or home address according to service user needs, write to GP's and other involved professionals about the outcome of the checks. Support with groups and projects in the realm of physical health and SMI including the allotment project which is currently running.
About us
We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust): a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.
We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.
Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.
At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To carry out comprehensive physical health assessments at the point of when service users are accepted into the Bristol community mental health services or at the point the service user agrees to a physical health check and if there are any changes or concerns. This will include sexual health, healthy teeth, eye care, exercise regime, smoking, alcohol intake, substance use, blood pressure, weight, height, blood glucose, blood collection for testing blood results to include cholesterol levels.
To interpret and act upon information obtained from the physical health assessment, seeking advice if necessary.
To provide information, advice, signposting or delivery of interventions to support physical health and wellbeing
To assess, plan, deliver and evaluate effective plans of care for physical health and wellbeing.
To support the ongoing delivery of the NICE quality standard 5 service users have received a comprehensive physical health check, which include the following measure, smoking status, alcohol intake, substance misuse, BMI or waist circumference, blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol.
To support the ongoing delivery of the NICE quality standard 6 service users are offered relevant interventions for their physical health including, smoking cessation, harmful alcohol use, substance misuse, weight gain or obesity, hypertension, diabetes/high risk of diabetes, dyslipidaemia.
The most challenging part of this role will be to encourage service users to value their physical health and to engage them in health assessments and interventions.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To carry out comprehensive physical health assessments at the point of when service users are accepted into the Bristol community mental health services or at the point the service user agrees to a physical health check and if there are any changes or concerns. This will include sexual health, healthy teeth, eye care, exercise regime, smoking, alcohol intake, substance use, blood pressure, weight, height, blood glucose, blood collection for testing blood results to include cholesterol levels.
To interpret and act upon information obtained from the physical health assessment, seeking advice if necessary.
To provide information, advice, signposting or delivery of interventions to support physical health and wellbeing
To assess, plan, deliver and evaluate effective plans of care for physical health and wellbeing.
To support the ongoing delivery of the NICE quality standard 5 service users have received a comprehensive physical health check, which include the following measure, smoking status, alcohol intake, substance misuse, BMI or waist circumference, blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol.
To support the ongoing delivery of the NICE quality standard 6 service users are offered relevant interventions for their physical health including, smoking cessation, harmful alcohol use, substance misuse, weight gain or obesity, hypertension, diabetes/high risk of diabetes, dyslipidaemia.
The most challenging part of this role will be to encourage service users to value their physical health and to engage them in health assessments and interventions.
Person Specification
Education and Qualification
Essential
- Trained in phlebotomy or willingness to undertake this training
- All unregistered practitioners must have completed NVQ/QCF in Health and Social Care
- Certificate in Community Mental Health
- Associate Practitioner Training Within the last ten years if not then the care certificate will need to be completed within the workplace.
- Trained to carry out ECG's or willingness to undertake this training
Desirable
- Training in physical health assessments, such as an eLearning package and/or certified blood glucose monitoring training.
- Training in health improvement techniques for those with mental health problems such as active life certified training or similar.
Experience and Knowledge
Essential
- Experience and/or training in smoking cessation
- Experience of carrying out physical health checks including taking blood pressure, measuring and recording BMI's, taking blood glucose and the ability to interpret and act upon the results, planning, signposting or delivering appropriate interventions of care.
- Experience, training in the development and delivery of educational groups for healthy living.
- Experience, training or keen interest in physical activity groups.
- Experience of using computers for inputting data such as using an electronic healthcare record or similar.
- Some experience in mental health gained through working with an NHS trust, non-statutory service or through volunteer work
Desirable
- Experience of dual diagnosis
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- The ability to form trusting, therapeutic relationships with service users
- The ability to discuss very personal health information in a sensitive and caring manner
- Ability to work independently
- Ability in writing letters regarding service users to other professional to include G.P's. and those involved in the physical health care of our service users.
- Good communication skills to impart knowledge and understanding of the importance of physical health assessments. This would involve verbal skills to help service users understand the purpose of the assessments as well as good written skills to write up the outcomes on the trusts electronic healthcare records which will also include care plans.
Other Requirements
Essential
- Empathy for individuals who have experienced mental health problems and ability to cope with behaviour which may be challenging at times.
- The ability to move quickly across a geographically dispersed area with limited access to public transport.
Person Specification
Education and Qualification
Essential
- Trained in phlebotomy or willingness to undertake this training
- All unregistered practitioners must have completed NVQ/QCF in Health and Social Care
- Certificate in Community Mental Health
- Associate Practitioner Training Within the last ten years if not then the care certificate will need to be completed within the workplace.
- Trained to carry out ECG's or willingness to undertake this training
Desirable
- Training in physical health assessments, such as an eLearning package and/or certified blood glucose monitoring training.
- Training in health improvement techniques for those with mental health problems such as active life certified training or similar.
Experience and Knowledge
Essential
- Experience and/or training in smoking cessation
- Experience of carrying out physical health checks including taking blood pressure, measuring and recording BMI's, taking blood glucose and the ability to interpret and act upon the results, planning, signposting or delivering appropriate interventions of care.
- Experience, training in the development and delivery of educational groups for healthy living.
- Experience, training or keen interest in physical activity groups.
- Experience of using computers for inputting data such as using an electronic healthcare record or similar.
- Some experience in mental health gained through working with an NHS trust, non-statutory service or through volunteer work
Desirable
- Experience of dual diagnosis
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- The ability to form trusting, therapeutic relationships with service users
- The ability to discuss very personal health information in a sensitive and caring manner
- Ability to work independently
- Ability in writing letters regarding service users to other professional to include G.P's. and those involved in the physical health care of our service users.
- Good communication skills to impart knowledge and understanding of the importance of physical health assessments. This would involve verbal skills to help service users understand the purpose of the assessments as well as good written skills to write up the outcomes on the trusts electronic healthcare records which will also include care plans.
Other Requirements
Essential
- Empathy for individuals who have experienced mental health problems and ability to cope with behaviour which may be challenging at times.
- The ability to move quickly across a geographically dispersed area with limited access to public transport.
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.
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