Senior Perinatal Mental Health Practitioner

Job description

Job responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

Contribute to the teams engagement with a wide range of stakeholders including women and their families, their partners, carers and other statutory and voluntary sector agencies.Impart complex and sensitive information to :

Communication and Working Relationship Skills

• Contribute to the teams engagement with a wide range of stakeholders including women and their families, their partners, carers and other statutory and voluntary sector agencies.
• Impart complex and sensitive information to :
• Women and their families/carers re: assessment, care planning, treatment and review.
• Primary care teams regarding womens care.
• Multidisciplinary teams within maternity services and DPT to ensure the provision of consistent co-ordinated care
• External agencies also involved in the provision of care and support eg: voluntary and private sector, police, social services, housing, Childrens Centres etc
• Relevant community groups.

• Liaise with a wide range of other professionals and agencies.

• Contribute to the safe and effective day to day operations of the service including the handling of clinical enquires.
• Present information some of which may be contentious to women and their families/carers.
• Ensure equality of access to services for all women paying particular attention to diversity issues and women from hard to reach groups.

Analytical and Judgemental Skills

• Make evidence based clinical decisions with sound judgement.
• Able to analyse information to reach clinical decisions.

Planning and Organisational Skills

• Attend management and professional meetings as directed by their line manager.
• Responsible for planning and co-ordinating own day to day work load in collaboration with the needs of women and their families and the wider needs of the service.
• Plan and organise case conferences liaising with other agencies as required to meet the needs of women and their families
• Ensure that interventions are planned in an integrated and co-ordinated manner particularly where dependent on other external agencies.

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment and Therapy

• Maintain a caseload of appropriate clients.
• Responsible for developing care packages including assessing, planning, intervention and evaluation. Ensuring active involvement of women and their families
• Engage in triaging referrals by reviewing and advising on eligibility criteria.
• Provide specialist advice to referrers/other multi-disciplinary staff in relation to the care of the client.
• Participate in all aspects of safeguarding including safeguarding children training to level 4.
• Practice in a way that actively minimises dependency and promotes recovery.
• Communicate information in a way that makes it relevant and understandable for of women and their families, working to the principles of the functions policy implementation guidelines and practice in line with the standards and values set out in them.
• Contribute to the development of standards for the perinatal mental health service
• Aim to uphold the principles and approach of CPA, whether people are formally in CPA or not.
• Work co-operatively with colleagues including accepting staff recent assessment of the client, if the client is transferred to them, in order to minimise the disruption to the client.
• Ensure a duty of care to your patients and clients, who are entitled to receive safe and competent care.
• Womens wishes, feelings, values and beliefs should be taken into consideration as well as the views of the people close to them.
• Take personal accountability for your own practice. This means that you are answerable for your actions and omissions, regardless of advice or directions from another professional.
• Ensure that you remain professionally competent by participating in your own and others clinical supervision.
• Deliver psychological therapy with relevant training and clinical supervision where relevant to the role.

Responsibility for Policy and Service Development Implementation

• Participate in programmes of audit and research within the team and implement the findings.
• Contribute to professional clinical governance arrangements in order to ensure the quality of the service provided.
• Participate in the development of Perinatal Mental Health Services.

Responsibility for Finance, Equipment and Other Resources

• Responsible for care of own equipment.
• Where appropriate handles or processes cash or patients valuables

Responsibility for Human Resources, e.g. Supervision, Training, HR Advice and Management

• Provide clinical supervision for a number of qualified staff.
• Periodically co-ordinate the activity of the team and facilitate handover meetings.
• Mentor students allocated to the team.

Responsibility for Information Resources and Administrative Duties

• Maintain up to date client records in a timely and accurate manner.

Responsibility for Research and Development

• Contribute to the research developments within the Perinatal Service.

Freedom to Act

• Clinical practice is guided by the Community Perinatal Standard Operating Procedures.
• Participate in the Quality Review of Clinical Records.

Review of this Job Description

This job description is intended as an outline indicator of general areas of activity and will be amended in the light of changing service needs. This job description is to be reviewed in conjunction with the post holder on an annual basis.

General Information

Equality & Diversity

Devon Partnership NHS Trust is committed to recruiting and supporting a diverse workforce and so we welcome applications from all sections of the community regardless of age, disability, sex, race, religion or sexual orientation, maternity/pregnancy, marriage/civil partnership or transgender status. The Trust expects all staff to behave in a way which recognises and respects this diversity in line with the appropriate standards.

Recovery

It is a requirement of all employees to have an understanding of the broad principles of the Recovery Approach and to incorporate them into every aspect of their work in support of the Trusts aim to provide services that support peoples recovery through being holistic and promoting social inclusion, self management, personal autonomy and independence.

Risk Management / Health and Safety

Employees must be aware of the responsibilities placed on them under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, ensure that agreed safety procedures are carried out and maintain a safe environment for employees, patients and visitors.

Records Management

The post holder has responsibility for the timely and accurate creation, maintenance and storage of records in accordance with Trust policy, including email documents and with regard to the Data Protection Act, The Freedom of Information Act and any other relevant statutory requirements.

Clinical Governance, Compliance and Performance

The post holder will be responsible for proving that the Care Quality Commission outcome areas have been met in all registered/related activities for which the post holder is responsible. Where outcomes are not met the post holder is expected to put in place/recommend action to improve. The post holder will proactively seek and engage the support of the governance teams in the Compliance and Corporate Development directorate to gather information as required. The post holder will build an understanding of and adhere to the CQC guidelines as well as the Trusts guidelines on the approach to maintaining CQC registration.

Prevention and Control of healthcare Associated Infection

The post holder is expected to comply with Trust Infection Control Policies and conduct themselves at all times in such a manner as to minimise the risk of healthcare associated infection.

Smoking

The Trust operates a non smoking policy. Employees are not permitted to smoke anywhere within the premises of the Trust or when outside on official business. Staff must also be mindful of public perception and must therefore not smoke whilst travelling in Trust identified vehicles or when can be identified as Devon Partnership Mental Health Trust staff.

Policies & Procedures

Trust employees are expected to follow Trust policies, procedures and guidance as well as professional standards and guidelines. It is your responsibility to read and familiarise yourself with all policies relevant to your job role. These are grouped into two sections, HR and Clinical and can be found on the Trust intranet site or via your line manager. You will also be required to comply with any training needs that arise from reviews or variations of policies and procedures.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is part of everyday practice and all Trust employees are required to work in accordance with policies, procedures and professional codes to safeguard people who use our service, their children, families and carers from abuse. Staff must be aware of any children that live with, or have contact with, the person in their care, promoting the Childs welfare and ensuring their needs have been taken into account as part of the overall assessment and practice process, engaging other agencies as appropriate. All staff should have the knowledge and skills to work in such a way as to reduce the likelihood of abuse, be alert to, and take appropriate action in relation to, safeguarding issues. Where staff are unsure what appropriate action to take, they should always escalate their concerns

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• A professional mental health nursing qualification eg RMN, Nursing Degree or Occupational Therapy qualification or Social Work qualification with relevant mental health experience
• Training to level 3 in Safeguarding children and young people: roles and competencies for Health Care staff or willingness to undertake training
• IT Skills

Desirable

• Post graduate qualification relevant to specialism
• Clinical Supervision qualification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary and multi-agency environment
• Substantial experience of managing a busy caseload of clients with a range of mental health problems.
• Working within a community mental health setting in either the statutory or voluntary sector or equivalent experience.

Desirable

• Providing clinical supervision.

Knowledge

Essential

• Specialist knowledge in perinatal mental health or willingness to undertake training.
• An understanding of the Mental Health Act/ Mental Health Capacity Act requirements.
• Understanding of the Community Mental Health Framework
• Awareness of community structures and social care options and processes.
• Understanding of recovery principles in Mental Health

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Excellent communication skills including the ability to engage with clients experiencing a wide range of mental health problems.
• Able to produce well written reports.
• Ability to communicate with a wide range of professionals
• Able to own problems and get involved in the solutions.
• Ability to manage risk
• Able to plan creatively to maximise effectiveness of care plans.
• Able to work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to manage own time and that of the teams.
• Ability to work flexibly
• Ability to be mobile across a geographical area.
• Computer literacy including analysis of data or willingness

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Devon Partnership NHS Trust

Address

West Pilton Health & Wellbeing Clinic

Youings Drive

Barnstaple

Devon

EX311QL

Employer's website

https://www.dpt.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)