Job summary
We have an exciting opportunity for an Assistant Practitioner for both Knowsley/St Helens and Halton/Warrington Mental Health Inpatient Services. The role gives the successful applicant the opportunity to work with a number of teams that provide care within our adult and older adult mental health acute inpatients services.
Main duties of the job
The postholder will have responsibility for actively participating as a key member of the mental health team (and multi-disciplinary team, where appropriate) within the clinical department and/or ward.
The post holder will work closely with the Ward Manager, Modern Matron and Clinical Service Manager to ensure ward compliance with all aspects of performance.
To develop effective administration processes to monitor compliance against key performance indicators.
To support the ward Managers to ensure that staff attendance processes are followed using databases to monitor compliance to ensure policies are adhered to
To support the ward teams by being available to train new staff in the undertaking of physical health observations and admission checks to ensure compliance around physical health KPI's. To ensure compliance by regular monitoring of appropriate IT systems and reports.
The post holder will maintain, develop and evidence their clinical knowledge, skills and competencies at all opportunities.
About us
Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 11 million people.
We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.
At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical
To provide a high standard of clinical care for service users, under the supervision of the registered practitioner, acting within the standards, protocols and guidelines of the mental health service.
This will include:
- Accepting clinical responsibility for a manageable caseload
- Being accountable for own clinical practice
- Ensuring that those aspects of service, delivered as part of remit, meet local quality standards
- Ensuring that the dignity and respect of service users is maintained
- Being proactive in maximising health, well being and social inclusion
- Participating in relevant health promotion aspects of the service
- Manage the daily care needs of a group of patients
- The potential for delivery of care in a variety of settings (eg home, community, acute sector)
- Obtaining informed consent prior to undertaking any procedure
- Undertaking appropriate care tasks to allow the patient condition to be assessed and monitored
- Participating in the assessment of any risk associated with delivering the service. This includes taking appropriate action to minimise the risk ensuring this is consistent with protection procedures e.g. applying appropriate control and restraint techniques, applying child or adult protection procedures
- Recognise and respond appropriately to aggressive behaviour
- Recognising when problems occur during an episode of treatment and alerting the appropriate professional staff
Assessment, Planning & Therapeutic Interventions
To define the assistant practitioners defined sphere of practice utilising the agreed framework/ role remit form.
To assess, plan, deliver and evaluate the needs of service users within the assistant practitioners defined sphere of practice.
This will include:
- Support the assessment and management of patient care needs through initial data collection, monitoring of patients progress, feedback discussion reports and in care reviews with the clinical team
- Undertake regular review of the patients health and social care needs as required against the care plan, take the appropriate action to achieve the planned aims
- Participating in individual/group activities as required
- Identifying the need for and initiating referrals to internal/external partners, within agreed parameters ensuring that clients are referred to the relevant professionals for specific treatments/advice/support
- Co-ordinate patient/client discharge or transfer, ensuring both health and social care needs are fully assessed
- Preparing agreed assessment reports/treatment plans accurately in the accepted format
Communication & Interpersonal Skills
To maintain effective communication between individuals, relatives, carers and the multi-disciplinary team, enabling planned activities to provide effective outcomes
This will include:
- Communicating and recording information accurately, sensitively and appropriately
- Adopting strategies to identify and combat barriers to understanding
- Promoting effective communication with people who are troubled or distressed
- Supporting people to improve their communication skills
- Working collaboratively across teams, agencies and organisational boundaries to ensure the delivery of an integrated service through effective communication
- Discussing with patients issues relevant to their health and social care needs based on health promotion and social care practice
- Maintaining excellent communication with patients on their health and social care plan and inform relatives on progress as appropriate
- Providing information and advice to individuals and their carers on a range of services provided locally by health, social care and voluntary agencies as required
- Contributing to MDT meetings
Education and development
- To undertake a relevant foundation degree
- To undertake all relevant mandatory training
- To develop and maintain own knowledge and skills through the use of competency frameworks and continuous professional development (CPD)
- To participate in staff meetings, clinical supervision (group and individual) and any identified training
- To participate in the induction of staff and students into the work area, with particular reference to and understanding of the assistant practitioner role
- To participate in the support, education and training of less experienced workers in the field
- Provide evidence to support development around the Trust Appraisal system which may include the KSF or other competency profiles.
- Participate in regular supervision, engage in reflective practice and be committed to continued development.
- Develop own skills and knowledge and contribute to the development of others.
Administration & IT
To maintain comprehensive and accurate records in line with Trust requirements
This will include:
- Proficiency in basic IT skills and keyboard use
- Maintaining timely and accurate records and statistics, ensuring that legal requirements and protocols (including Data Protection Act & information governance protocols) are complied with
- Using information technology to support the care process for the benefit of the service users and their families, through the accurate recording of relevant data
- Recording patient activity and interventions in a contemporaneous manner, whilst acting on this information as necessary
- Utilising a variety of systems required for delivering the service eg supplies, laundry, stationery, catering and environmental and estates issues
Clinical Governance
- To evidence a basic understanding of the principles of clinical governance
- To work within agreed Trust policies and guidelines
- To ensure that client confidentiality is maintained at all times
- To actively contribute to providing a safe environment for staff & service users and their families, assessing and minimising risk where possible
- Undertake assessment of risks and recognise consequences & report in a timely fashion
- To report adverse incidents in the appropriate manner
- To participate in clinical audit
- Provide comments on proposed change, where relevant
Research and audit
- Undertake and participate in appropriate audit, quality assurance programmes and research as directed.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical
To provide a high standard of clinical care for service users, under the supervision of the registered practitioner, acting within the standards, protocols and guidelines of the mental health service.
This will include:
- Accepting clinical responsibility for a manageable caseload
- Being accountable for own clinical practice
- Ensuring that those aspects of service, delivered as part of remit, meet local quality standards
- Ensuring that the dignity and respect of service users is maintained
- Being proactive in maximising health, well being and social inclusion
- Participating in relevant health promotion aspects of the service
- Manage the daily care needs of a group of patients
- The potential for delivery of care in a variety of settings (eg home, community, acute sector)
- Obtaining informed consent prior to undertaking any procedure
- Undertaking appropriate care tasks to allow the patient condition to be assessed and monitored
- Participating in the assessment of any risk associated with delivering the service. This includes taking appropriate action to minimise the risk ensuring this is consistent with protection procedures e.g. applying appropriate control and restraint techniques, applying child or adult protection procedures
- Recognise and respond appropriately to aggressive behaviour
- Recognising when problems occur during an episode of treatment and alerting the appropriate professional staff
Assessment, Planning & Therapeutic Interventions
To define the assistant practitioners defined sphere of practice utilising the agreed framework/ role remit form.
To assess, plan, deliver and evaluate the needs of service users within the assistant practitioners defined sphere of practice.
This will include:
- Support the assessment and management of patient care needs through initial data collection, monitoring of patients progress, feedback discussion reports and in care reviews with the clinical team
- Undertake regular review of the patients health and social care needs as required against the care plan, take the appropriate action to achieve the planned aims
- Participating in individual/group activities as required
- Identifying the need for and initiating referrals to internal/external partners, within agreed parameters ensuring that clients are referred to the relevant professionals for specific treatments/advice/support
- Co-ordinate patient/client discharge or transfer, ensuring both health and social care needs are fully assessed
- Preparing agreed assessment reports/treatment plans accurately in the accepted format
Communication & Interpersonal Skills
To maintain effective communication between individuals, relatives, carers and the multi-disciplinary team, enabling planned activities to provide effective outcomes
This will include:
- Communicating and recording information accurately, sensitively and appropriately
- Adopting strategies to identify and combat barriers to understanding
- Promoting effective communication with people who are troubled or distressed
- Supporting people to improve their communication skills
- Working collaboratively across teams, agencies and organisational boundaries to ensure the delivery of an integrated service through effective communication
- Discussing with patients issues relevant to their health and social care needs based on health promotion and social care practice
- Maintaining excellent communication with patients on their health and social care plan and inform relatives on progress as appropriate
- Providing information and advice to individuals and their carers on a range of services provided locally by health, social care and voluntary agencies as required
- Contributing to MDT meetings
Education and development
- To undertake a relevant foundation degree
- To undertake all relevant mandatory training
- To develop and maintain own knowledge and skills through the use of competency frameworks and continuous professional development (CPD)
- To participate in staff meetings, clinical supervision (group and individual) and any identified training
- To participate in the induction of staff and students into the work area, with particular reference to and understanding of the assistant practitioner role
- To participate in the support, education and training of less experienced workers in the field
- Provide evidence to support development around the Trust Appraisal system which may include the KSF or other competency profiles.
- Participate in regular supervision, engage in reflective practice and be committed to continued development.
- Develop own skills and knowledge and contribute to the development of others.
Administration & IT
To maintain comprehensive and accurate records in line with Trust requirements
This will include:
- Proficiency in basic IT skills and keyboard use
- Maintaining timely and accurate records and statistics, ensuring that legal requirements and protocols (including Data Protection Act & information governance protocols) are complied with
- Using information technology to support the care process for the benefit of the service users and their families, through the accurate recording of relevant data
- Recording patient activity and interventions in a contemporaneous manner, whilst acting on this information as necessary
- Utilising a variety of systems required for delivering the service eg supplies, laundry, stationery, catering and environmental and estates issues
Clinical Governance
- To evidence a basic understanding of the principles of clinical governance
- To work within agreed Trust policies and guidelines
- To ensure that client confidentiality is maintained at all times
- To actively contribute to providing a safe environment for staff & service users and their families, assessing and minimising risk where possible
- Undertake assessment of risks and recognise consequences & report in a timely fashion
- To report adverse incidents in the appropriate manner
- To participate in clinical audit
- Provide comments on proposed change, where relevant
Research and audit
- Undertake and participate in appropriate audit, quality assurance programmes and research as directed.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Foundation Degree
- Assisting Professional practice in mental health
Knowledge/Experience
Essential
- Demonstrable experience working within health & social care
- Demonstrate IT Literacy
- Ability to communicate at all levels across all boundaries
Values
Essential
- Continuous Improvement
- Accountability
- Respectfulness
- Enthusiasm
- Support
- High professional standards
- Responsive to service users
- Engaging leadership style
- Strong customer service belief
- Transparency and honesty
- Discreet
- Change oriented
Skills
Essential
- Understanding of quality and change in the clinical setting
- Ability to communicate in a variety of settings with patients of varying levels of understanding
- Able to present factual information and refer questions to others where appropriate
- Able to deal with sensitive issues with tact and diplomacy
- An understanding of organisation of nursing care
- Basic IT skills
- Basic understanding of NHS issues
- Ability to develop effective interpersonal relationships with colleagues in the health care setting
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Foundation Degree
- Assisting Professional practice in mental health
Knowledge/Experience
Essential
- Demonstrable experience working within health & social care
- Demonstrate IT Literacy
- Ability to communicate at all levels across all boundaries
Values
Essential
- Continuous Improvement
- Accountability
- Respectfulness
- Enthusiasm
- Support
- High professional standards
- Responsive to service users
- Engaging leadership style
- Strong customer service belief
- Transparency and honesty
- Discreet
- Change oriented
Skills
Essential
- Understanding of quality and change in the clinical setting
- Ability to communicate in a variety of settings with patients of varying levels of understanding
- Able to present factual information and refer questions to others where appropriate
- Able to deal with sensitive issues with tact and diplomacy
- An understanding of organisation of nursing care
- Basic IT skills
- Basic understanding of NHS issues
- Ability to develop effective interpersonal relationships with colleagues in the health care setting
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.
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
