Job summary
Mersey Care NHS Trust is the health provider for the delivery of an innovative prison-based assessment and treatment service for residents with personality related needs.
This service is based within HMP Garth which is a category B men's adult prison based in Leyland, Lancashire. The service is part of the National Offender Personality Disorder Strategy and is delivered as a partnership between HMP Garth and Mersey Care NHS Trust.
We believe that this post provides a unique opportunity to be part of a psychologically led service with formulation and integrated team working at its core. The service provides 1:1 and group based interventions based on Professor John Livesley's framework and model of interventions for individuals with personality related needs.
These structured interventions are provided as part of a therapeutic milieu which involves a focus on attachment, trauma and systemic approaches, alongside comprehensive risk assessment and management. Core aims of the service are consistent with those of the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway in improving psychological wellbeing, reducing risk, improving staff skills and competencies and pathway focussed intervention.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be joining a dedicated team of clinical and prison officer staff from a range of backgrounds and experience. Team members have high levels of skill, passion and enthusiasm (and humour!) and are committed to ensuring the on-going successful development of the service and the opportunities it provides for our population.
The post holder will contribute to the systematic provision of specialised therapeutic services to residents within the Beacon. Applicants will be a registered mental health nurse with additional training in a psychological therapy e.g. CAT, DBT, MBT, EMDR, Schema Therapy. You should have some experience of working with individuals with complex clinical and risk presentations including within institutional settings and as part of a multi-disciplinary team. This should include work with clients whose needs may meet criteria for a diagnosis of personality disorder and who may find it difficult to engage with services. Experience of working in complex service and organisational settings is required alongside an ability to constructively manage the personal, professional and ethical opportunities and challenges such work can involve.
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.
At the Beacon service, we prioritise the development of our staff team and have proven that we value and nurture diverse clinical interests. Members of our team have been trained in MBT, CAT, EMDR, Schema Therapy, leadership, psychoanalytic/ psychodynamic models and systemic ways of working. We are committed to creating an empowered staff team. We strive to be reflective and support of each other which is vital given the challenges this work can entail.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Full details of the main responsibilities of the post can be found in the job description and person specification.
We welcome visits to the service so please get in contact if you would like to arrange this or discuss this post further.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Full details of the main responsibilities of the post can be found in the job description and person specification.
We welcome visits to the service so please get in contact if you would like to arrange this or discuss this post further.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Mental Health Nurse.
- Degree or equivalent further level of accredited qualification in one or more of the following psychological therapies as relevant to the needs of the service population (CAT, MBT, DBT, EMDR, CBT).
- It is anticipated that the post-holder will also work towards achieving a qualification at MSc level or higher levels in a particular therapeutic modality or skills-based intervention or an area relevant to the service provision, eg MSc in PD KUF Programme or can demonstrate equivalent competencies at this level.
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Two years working within secure forensic setting or with individuals with complex clinical and risk presentations.
- Experience of working within complex multidisciplinary and agency services including complex institutional settings.
- Occupied position of influence/lead clinical role within a clinical setting.
- Worked with service users/carers within a recognised therapeutic model.
- Present as psychologically-minded and with the ability to establish and maintain appropriate boundaries in relation to clinical, professional and service provision.
Clinical Skills
Essential
- Ability to manage therapeutic input and sessions with individuals utilising an identified structured intervention model.
- Knowledge of risk assessment process and experience in risk assessment and its formulation into management strategies.
- Knowledge of key psychological principles and practice in relation to personality disorder service provision and a commitment to the implementation of such as routine care within the service.
- Ability to demonstrate a consistent commitment and ability to engage in reflective practice.
- Ability to effectively contain and manage high levels of emotion and stress for both self and others, including in complex high risk settings and situations.
Desirable
- Effective skills in the management of aggression and violence and self-harm.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Mental Health Nurse.
- Degree or equivalent further level of accredited qualification in one or more of the following psychological therapies as relevant to the needs of the service population (CAT, MBT, DBT, EMDR, CBT).
- It is anticipated that the post-holder will also work towards achieving a qualification at MSc level or higher levels in a particular therapeutic modality or skills-based intervention or an area relevant to the service provision, eg MSc in PD KUF Programme or can demonstrate equivalent competencies at this level.
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Two years working within secure forensic setting or with individuals with complex clinical and risk presentations.
- Experience of working within complex multidisciplinary and agency services including complex institutional settings.
- Occupied position of influence/lead clinical role within a clinical setting.
- Worked with service users/carers within a recognised therapeutic model.
- Present as psychologically-minded and with the ability to establish and maintain appropriate boundaries in relation to clinical, professional and service provision.
Clinical Skills
Essential
- Ability to manage therapeutic input and sessions with individuals utilising an identified structured intervention model.
- Knowledge of risk assessment process and experience in risk assessment and its formulation into management strategies.
- Knowledge of key psychological principles and practice in relation to personality disorder service provision and a commitment to the implementation of such as routine care within the service.
- Ability to demonstrate a consistent commitment and ability to engage in reflective practice.
- Ability to effectively contain and manage high levels of emotion and stress for both self and others, including in complex high risk settings and situations.
Desirable
- Effective skills in the management of aggression and violence and self-harm.
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).
