Mental Health Practitioner - Mental Health Urgent Care Department

Base - Basildon Hospital
Hours - 37.5hrs Full Time (Full Internal Rotation)
The Mental Health Urgent Care Department, is a facility where adults, aged 18 years and above, who are experiencing a mental health crisis can receive an urgent biopsychosocial assessment with immediate care planning. It is a new, purpose built department based at the Basildon Mental Health Unit on the Basildon university Hospital site.
The post holder will work as a Band 6 Senior Practitioner with the urgent care team providing high quality, evidence-based, holistic assessments to patients attending the service. Assessments must be completed in line with your professional code and Trust policies and clinical guidelines
The service offers full emergency mental health assessments and onward care planning with a diverse and highly skilled mental health workforce incorporating support workers, peer coaches, social worker, nurses and doctors.
The role will require the post holder to work collaboratively to support every aspect of emergency mental health care planning from GP referrals, ambulance conveyance to Mental Health Act Assessments, whilst providing 24/7 access for 'walk in's.', You will assess, plan, implement and evaluate care based upon individual service user needs, under the guidance of the Clinical lead as per NICE guidance.
Provide delegated accountability for Band 3 Health Care Assistants ensuring clinical competence and understanding, with effective support and guidance during the shift.
As required by your manager, you will have deputise when required for the day to day co-ordination of the shift within the Urgent Care Department, for example to cover breaks and the clinical lead's attendance to urgent clinical matters as they arise.
You will work collaboratively with key partner organisations, service users, carers, clinicians and other practitioners within the multi-disciplinary team in delivering services; providing a 7-day a week, 24-hours a day service for 365 days a year working shifts where appropriate and operationally required.
Please note that this role outline serves to provide an illustrative example of the duties and responsibilities you may be expected to undertake during the course of your normal duties. It is not an exhaustive list and you will therefore be required to undertake other responsibilities and duties that are considered to be commensurate with the band., + Provide comprehensive assessment, care and safety planning for patients attending the Urgent Care Department ensuring their care pathway is purposeful and promotes recovery.
+ Ensure accurate and timely clinical documentation in line with your professional Code and Trust policy.
+ Develop and maintain specialist clinical skills and expertise in the assessment and treatment of people with mental health needs.
+ Receive, triage and assess patients attending the Urgent Care Department, ensuring nursing triage, assessment, care and support of each person is appropriate to their individual needs
+ Offer advice on management of patients with mental health issues other health care professionals, advocating for best practice in line with Trust and national guidance.
+ Assess, investigate, treat and discharge or refer patients attending the department with a diverse range of minor injuries/illnesses, within the parameters of the Urgent Care Department guidelines and scope of practice.
+ Feedback outcomes of assessments to the department clinical leaders and agree and implement the management plan
+ Ensure that patients requiring further assessment and help are referred on appropriately.
+ Implement effective joint care planning for people who repeatedly attend throughout the urgent care pathway
+ Arrange admission to the mental health services in conjunction with the Urgent Care Department psychiatrist
+ Support and participate in the introduction and delivery of short-term psychological interventions for a specific cohort of individuals.
+ Liaise effectively with staff in local systems and maintain accurate patient records that provide assessment reports to GP's and other allied agencies.
+ To provide advice and monitor the use and provision of the Mental Health/Capacity Act (1983/2005) and other relevant legislation.
+ To provide clinical advice/expertise health education, consultation and staff support to other health professionals
+ Have knowledge of how to access appropriate services and develop effective networks and channels of communication
+ To actively participate in the achievement of clinical outcome measures and accreditations for the servic
Managerial:
+ Support the Clinical Lead in ensuring the effective provision of care, service developments of the urgent Care Team
+ In the absence of the Clinical Lead ensure that referral, assessment and workload allocation happens in a timely, flexible and responsive manger, taking into account the wishes of the patients and their carers.
+ On a daily basis, support and manage the patients within the urgent care department, providing appropriate prioritisation of the workload within agreed timeframes depending on the nature of the presenting needs and patient safety risks.
+ Participate in team meetings, initiating and discussing new methods/models of care using QI methodology and contribute in the introduction of research or trials within the area.
+ Participate in the multi-disciplinary and multi-agency decision-making process through team meetings and team building.
+ Undertake duties as assigned by senior staff to ensure that all agreed patient quality, safety and operational performance outcomes are delivered within the area of responsibility
+ To promote the understanding of urgent mental health care through formal and informal teaching
+ To support the induction of new staff to the team as required
+ To supervise students as part of their training, either on placement or providing information/teaching sessions
+ Act as role model at all times, able to demonstrate leadership skills
+ Provide specialist advice, support and consultation to staff within the team, outside teams and other agencies.
+ Undertake professional, clinical and managerial supervision in line with Trust policies and procedures, discussing the overall nature of the workload, work methods and techniques whilst evaluating clinical practice.
+ The post holder will support the introduction of outcome measures to measure patient experience.
+ Contribute towards team education and development providing opportunities for exchange of ideas, experience, techniques and interventions.
+ Ensure that all junior staff are fully conversant with the physical health needs agenda of all patients. A holistic approach to care is required that encompasses physical health, mental health and social care.
+ Take part in service development and review.
Communication and Working Relationship:
+ Establish and maintain professional and effective working relationships with allied professionals
+ Develop and ensure effective communication and relatives and carers and all appropriate agencies, especially when patients are admitted or being prepared for discharge from hospital, allowing continuity of care and effective care planning
+ Ensuring effective and confidential communication between medical, nursing, social care and health care agencies
+ Ensure proficient communication and documentation of risk to maintain the safety of others
+ Positively support the concept of change within the team by contributing ideas for improvement of patient care.
+ Participate in the maintenance of a constructive learning environment, encouraging enquiry and teaching and able to demonstrate physical and mental health clinical skills.
Responsibility for Patient/Client Care:
+ Work flexibly to meet the needs of patients
+ Develop and maintain effective individualised care by ensuring the following areas are proactively undertaken at all times:
o Triage and assessment of client mental, physical and social care needs
o Planning, implementation and evaluation of clinical interventions
o Clear, accurate and concise documentation of individualised patient care and reflect the changing needs of the patient
o Ensure risk assessment and management is an integral part of everyday practice
+ The post holder will be approachable and develop good working relationships with the patients and carers providing them with adequate information on services
+ Contribute to department patient review procedures to ensure timely clinical decisions and departmental flow are maintained
+ Use research findings when designing care programmes and develop and awareness of the significance of nursing research that underpins evidence based practice.
Please note - staff who are formally at risk within the organisation will be given priority in securing alternative employment. Should it come to light that a post being advertised by the Trust is considered 'suitable alternative employment' to an individual who is at risk, the recruiting manager will be advised and the post will be withdrawn from NHS Jobs.
Important Professional References
Make sure that as a part of your application you have professional references with business contract information covering your last three year employment history. We are unable to accept personal or character references.
As a newly appointed employee you are responsible for incurring the cost of your initial DBS check relevant to your post, the amount will be deducted from your first salary with the Trust.
Applications for Job Share are positively welcomed.

EPUT provides community health, mental health and learning disability services to support more than 3.2 million people living across Bedfordshire, Essex and Suffolk. Also:
+ We are among the largest employers in the in the East of England region, with more than 10,000 staff working across more than 200 sites.
+ We run the COVID-19 vaccination programme across mid and south Essex and Suffolk and north east Essex.
EPUT was formed on 1 April 2017 following the merger of North Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (NEP) and South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (SEPT). A new leadership team was established at the Trust in 2020.

Our vision and values
Our Vision
"To be the leading health and wellbeing service in the provision of mental health and community care".
Our Purpose
"We care for people every day. What we do together, matters".
Our Values
+ We Care
+ We Learn
+ We Empower
Our strategic objectives
+ We will deliver safe, high quality integrated care services.
+ We will enable each other to be the best that we can.
+ We will work together with our partners to make our services better.
+ We will help our communities to thrive.
Our services
+ Mental Health Services
+ Community Health Services
+ Learning Disabilities Services
+ Social Care
Find out more about the services we offer in our service directory., The Trust has the right to expire vacancies prior to the closing date if they so wish. The Trust makes every attempt to contact all applicants and we strongly advise that you check the email account which is registered with NHS Jobs regularly, we would advise however due to the high number of applications we receive that if you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expect all staff to undertake this commitment. Applicants will be subject to robust safer recruitment processes.
Covid Vaccination
Although Covid vaccinations are no longer a mandatory requirement within the NHS we continue to encourage and support the vaccination uptake as this remains the best line of defence against Covid19. The safety of our staff and patients is a top priority for us at EPUT.
If you would like to book a Covid vaccination or would like more information please contact us by emailing [email protected].

EPUT are looking for motivated staff who shares our Trust values of Care, Learn and Empower. In return, EPUT can offer you a range of benefits and development including;
+ Season Ticket Loans
+ NHS discounts for staff
+ Excellent Training facilities and opportunities
+ Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
+ The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
+ Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
+ Day One Flexible Employer
The Trust supports and actively encourages flexible working for all employees. We offer many options and you are encouraged to ask the recruiting manager what is possible for this role. If appointed, you will have the opportunity to apply for a flexible working request from the first day of your employment
Join our Staff bank
What is Staff Bank?
Our EPUT NHS staff bank is an entity managed by the trust that hires clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals to take on shifts at our trust hospitals and community settings. Here at EPUT we maintain our own bank of specialist staff to ensure that we are able offer safe and effective care at all times.
All our permanent staff are automatically enrolled onto the staff bank however this does not mean you have to work any additional shifts, but the option is there for you if you wish.
If you are joining our Trust in a fixed term role, please indicate on your New Starter Paperwork that you wish to join our staff bank.