Approved Mental Health Professional - Harrogate

Job responsibilities

Job Context

NYC works jointly with NHS Mental Health Foundation Trusts to deliver Community Mental Health Services to working age adults. The services we provide are delivered through Community Mental Health Teams and also other clinical teams. These include statutory Mental Capacity Act assessments by Approved Mental Health Professionals, statutory Care Act assessments and care planning, recovery support, carers assessments, and assistance with employment. These services work together to deliver a joint, resilient, and responsive Adult Community Mental Health Service across North Yorkshire which is supportive of the North Yorkshire Health & Wellbeing Board Mental Health 2015-2020 strategy Hope, Control & Choice vision:

We will work together to ensure the people of North Yorkshire have the resilience to enjoy the best possible mental health, and to live their lives to their full potential, whatever their age and background, supported by effective, integrated and accessible services across all sectors, designed in genuine partnership with the people who need to make use of them and those who care for them.

Registration with the Health Care Professionals Council (HCPC) is required. This role involves spoken communications, so a confident use of English language is required. The service will operate a 7-day service, operationally this is to be confirmed. There will be an expectation of flexible working to meet the needs of the service.

The scientific and clinical evidence demonstrates that vaccines provide significant protection against severe disease, hospitalisation, and death from COVID-19. Research also suggests that those who are vaccinated are less likely to develop long COVID. The post-holder will support our North Yorkshire residents who are most at risk of serious illness from COVID-19 and therefore has a professional responsibility to preserve safety and to take all reasonable precautions necessary to avoid any potential health risks to themselves or others. Whilst not a legislative requirement, it is highly desirable for successful candidates to have completed (or be willing to complete) a full course of COVID vaccination.

Job Specifics

Participate in the AMHP rota to include acting as triage, first and second responder AMHP, and undertake Mental Health Act duties appropriate to role as requested by the Directorate. Subject to service requirements, you may be required to respond to Countywide requests coordinate the process of a Mental Health Act assessment under Part 2 of the Mental Health Act and where appropriate make an application for compulsory admission/guardianship. NYC may require post holders to undertake Best Interest Assessor training dependent on the needs of the service. AMHPs will also carry out the duties of a Social Worker/Social Care Assessor Mental Health.

Job Purpose

To undertake the responsibilities of the AMHP as determined by the Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended by the Mental Health Act 2007) and associated legislation, codes of practice and guidance and undertaken required continuous professional development to maintain AMHP registration. Work with colleagues in both Health and North Yorkshire Council (NYC) as part of a partnership providing assessment and care planning for adults with mental health conditions. Undertake a range of asset and strength-based assessments and interventions to ensure that adults with care and support needs and carers achieve their desired outcomes and wellbeing. To determine eligibility for adult social care service set against the national standard. To work with adults with care and support needs and carers to develop personalised care and support plans that represent ensure that adults with care and support needs and carers are safe from harm. Where harm or abuse is identified ensuring the safety of the person and undertake the relevant safeguarding enquiries.

Operational Management

• Undertaking an asset-based approach to assessments of need with adults and carers as allocated by the line manager and where requested.
• Working in partnership with health colleagues, other disciplines, users, and carers, as appropriate.
• Provide professional support in terms of therapeutic interventions with individuals, families, and groups.
• Following assessments, identifying whether or not the adult and/or carers fall within the national eligibility criteria, and communicating this to the adult or carer.
• Where the adult or carer falls within eligibility criteria, working creatively and innovatively with the adult with care and support needs and or carers to develop an agreed care and support plan to achieve the identified outcomes ensuring that the Directorates policies on charging for services are followed.
• Providing professional support and information, advice, and guidance to adults with care and support needs and carers on how their needs could be partly or wholly met by access to universal and other non-care services.
• Explore opportunities to meet desired outcomes through alternative funding streams for example the voluntary sector or Continuing Health Care funding.
• Directly commission packages of support for adults with care and support needs or carers to achieve identified outcomes.
• Supporting the uptake of direct payments to meet the adults or carers outcomes, or Commission, or direct to, services to meet the adults or carers outcomes.
• Assist in proactively working towards the increased uptake of direct payments and other service development initiatives including (but not limited to) reablement, personalisation, individual budgets, self-assessment, and self-directed care.
• Ensuring value for money and maximise opportunities to generate income for adults with care and support needs and carers.
• Undertaking re-assessments and reviews of care pathways as required by your line manager.
• To complete recovery focused support plans to enable referrals to other mental health service colleaguesParticipating in the duty system as required by the Team Manager.
• Prepare reports and represent the Directorate in court proceedings and tribunals as required.
• Attend Section 117 meetings as a representative of the Authority, as required.
• Act as an Appropriate Adult under PACE legislation, where appropriate.
• Authorise fees and other associated fees related to the legislative role.
• Support a persons journey through the MHA process including aftercare/guidance referring to relevant services.
• Act as a Social Supervisor under Part 3 of the MHA

Resource Management

• Provide day-to-day advice and support to less experienced and non-qualified colleagues.
• Be a Practice Educator for trainee Social Workers/AMHPs who are placed in or visiting the team as agreed with line manager.

Partnerships

• Participate in training, developmental and project activity including multi-disciplinary and multi-agency activity as agreed with your line manager.
• Work in partnership with members of the multi-disciplinary team e.g., medical staff, occupational therapists, psychologist, social care staff, nursing care staff and students on placement.

Communications

• Work with the line manager to contribute to the development of the local community to enable the empowerment of adults with care and support needs and carers.
• Liaising with local, universal, and other services to promote access to them by adults with care and support needs and carers.

Systems and Information

• Utilise the current business processes to support the Adult Social Care function in relation to case recording, financial monitoring, IT.
• To assist in the collection of client data and make appropriate use of IT systems.
• Maintain up to date and accurate database records to meet NYC requirements.
• Contribute to the ongoing improvement and development of Adult Social Care processes and systems in conjunction with your line manager.

Qualifications

Essential

• An Approved Mental Health Professional qualification.
• A professional social work qualification e.g., Social Work, DipSW, CQSW with current registration with the HCPC.

Desirable

• Practice Educator or a commitment to undertake the Practice Educator post graduate programme.
• Best Interest Assessor qualified.

Occupational Skills

Essential

• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• The ability to converse at ease with customers and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post.
• Ability to use persuasion, influencing and/or negotiation techniques.
• Resilience skills. Works productively in a pressurised environment and supports others to do so. Ability to act calmly during difficult circumstances and recovers quickly from setbacks.
• Effective time management and planning skills, meets deadlines.
• Effective written communication skills communicates effectively in writing to produce documents in a range of formats and styles to suit a range of audiences. Excellent case recording and report writing skills.
• Decision making skills can make decisions within own area of responsibility which may involve considering risks.
• Ability to monitor quality and service standards.
• Good IT skills including use of email, intranet, internet, word, excel and inputting data.
• Flexibility and adaptability.
• Problem solving skills uses creativity and innovation to generate solutions to problems.
• Ability to work on own initiative in an autonomous role as well as being part of a team.

Experience

Essential

• Excellent working knowledge, understanding and application of the Care Act and regulations.
• Knowledge and understanding of relevant legislation for adult mental health.
• Knowledge and understanding of social care policy developments and good practice at a local and national level.
• Critical understanding of the social perspectives of mental disorder
• Knowledge of statutory requirements, including requirements in respect of carers, equality, and anti-discrimination legislation, maintaining a safe working environment, data protection and confidentiality.
• Knowledge and understanding of how Equality & Diversity, Dignity & Respect and Human Rights will apply to this role.
• Experience of undertaking mental health act assessments
• Experience of direct work with people with Mental Health problems.
• Experience of inter-agency collaboration practice.
• Demonstrable experience of undertaking complex assessment of health or social care needs in a community setting.
• Demonstrable experience of acting as Safeguarding Inquiry Officer to the safeguarding of vulnerable adults.
• Demonstrable experience of initiating the appropriate statutory and other actions required to undertake safeguarding investigations.
• Experience of working positively in a changing environment.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the range of equipment available to support people maintaining their independence.
• Experience of applying asset and strength-based approaches into practice.
• Experience of acting as a Social Supervisor under Part 3 of the MHA.

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).