Specialist Mental Health Practitioner

Are you ready for a role that genuinely stretches yourclinical expertise while giving you the space to shape how community mentalhealth services evolve? Were looking for an experienced, forward thinkingpractitioner to join us. Working across three of our specialist teams: theSpecialist Outreach Recovery Team (SORT), Insight (First Episode Psychosis),and Community Mental Health Services. You will work with people with complex mentalhealth needs; you will need excellent clinical skills. Assertively supportingdischarges, transition across teams, and working with a caseload. You will workclosely with family and carers, providing both direct support and working withstaff to ensure safe and effective care. You will have excellent clinicalleadership skills, not only in terms of managing a caseload, but overseeingother caseloads and driving forward best practice within the services.

This is an opportunity to step into a position where yourclinical leadership, creativity and professional judgement will directlyinfluence the quality of care we deliver across the city.

Main duties of the job You will be part of a senior leadership team that drives high quality,recovery focused mental health care. Your work will span direct clinicalpractice, staff development, service improvement and the implementation ofevidence based approaches.

You will also play a key role in embedding the CommunityMentalHealth Framework, supporting teams to meet CQC standards, and ensuringthat our services remain safe, effective and responsive.

This role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route; please refer to the Direct Gov website for more information with regards to eligibility.

Please note that Livewell may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline if a high number of applications are submitted. Therefore, we recommend you submit your application at the earliest opportunity.

All Livewell staff are expected to be able and willing to work across a 7 day service.

About us Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning socialenterprise delivering integrated health and social care services acrossPlymouth, South Hams, and West Devon, with specialist services in parts ofDevon and Cornwall. Our teams work in community hospitals, GP practices, sportscentres, and health hubs.

As an organisation with a strong social conscience we are guided by our values,kindness, respect, inclusivity, ambition, responsibility, andcollaboration. We focus on transforming services to ensure sustainability, whileempowering staff and those we serve.

We involve the people we care for, along with their families and carers, inshaping the care they receive, striving to deliver the right care at the righttime and place. Centering our work on individual needs helps people leadhealthy, independent lives.

We prioritise employees' development, offering protected CPD time, trainingpathways, leadership programs, and funding for qualifications like the CareCertificate and Nurse Training Scholarships. Our induction and preceptorshipprograms ensure a smooth transition into our organisation.

Livewell Southwest values diversity and encourages applications from allsections of the community, including those with armed forces experience, lived experience of mentalhealth, neuro-diverse conditions and learning disabilities. If you need assistance or reasonable adjustments during theapplication process, contact the Recruiting Manager listed in the job advert.

Job responsibilities The role works across multi-disciplinary teams whoproactivelyprovidea range ofevidencebasedinterventions,includingtherapies and recovery orientatedsupport for those with a diagnosis of a complex psychosis withthecommunity. Therole hasbeen developed as part of the evolving provision of the Community Mental HealthFramework.

This role links directly into three services: Specialist OutreachRecovery Team, Insight (first presentation psychosis)and Community MentalHealth Services.

The three services are made of up various mental healthprofessionalswho work with people to support recovery.Offeringvarious therapeutic interventions to support individuals.

This role exists to make sure people receive the right support at theright time by coordinating care, strengthening communication between teams, andkeeping a clear focus on safety and continuity. The postholder will workclosely with partner agencies, families, andother professionalstoensure plans arejoined upand responsiveto changingneeds.

Dimensions and Context ofRole

The roleworks across multi-disciplinary teams who proactively provide a range ofevidence based interventions, including therapies and recovery orientatedsupport for those with a diagnosis of a complex psychosis with the community.The role has been developed as part of the evolving provision of the Community Mental Health Framework.

The roleis designed to complement the clinical teams and contributes to decision makingforums across the service to enhance the quality of assertive outreachprovision. Therole has a particular focus on team/staff development in relation to outcomesfor patients.

The postholder is responsible for:

• Supporting the teams to meet CQC standards, usingthe KLOE guidance to collate evidence and lead on the development andimplementation of action plans to both maintain and improve standards of care.
• Supporting the pathway to achieve their performancetargets. The post holder will be able to analyse and interpret data to ensureearly identification of any potential performance issues and develop actionplans to address these.
• Contributing to the senior leadershipmeetings promoting positive inter-disciplinary relationships and supporting theculture of psychological safety and positive continuous learning/developmentopportunities across Livewell.
• Ensuring that clinicians work within LivewellSouthwest policies, and ensure that practice standards are high and the teamadhere to professional registration requirements.
• Providing clinical leadership and advice to staffensuring the flow of service users through the system and promotingimplementation of evidence based practice in line with NICE guidelines. Thiswill involve both direct and indirect clinical work with staff and serviceusers, including consultation, coaching, live supervision and caseloadsupervision.
• The post holder will manage a complex clinicalcaseload and support other staff to manage their own caseload.
• Implementation of new assertive outreach initiatives across the service,leading the change management process, with consideration to the effectivemanagement and allocation of resources. This will include workforce planning,development of workforce competencies and training packages to support this asrequired.
• Implementing the service audit plan: leading onaudits and the development of action plans to ensure adherence to targets, tomaintain effective safe practice and high quality care across the service.
• Leadingon investigations including complaints, SIRIS after action learningreviews and HR investigations.
• Representing the teams and organisation in multiagency forums and meetings as required.
• Deputising for the Senior Clinical Lead &Operational Manager when required
• There may be a requirement in the future to act aspart of the out of hours on-call rota for mental health

Person Specification Qualifications

• Registered Nurse, Social Worker or Occupational Therapist with significant relevant experience in secondary mental Health
• Post graduate diploma / degree level study related to health/social care or equivalent worked experience relevant to the role
• Teaching/Assessing course such as mentorship module or equivalent.

Experience

• Significant and relevant experience in a senior clinical role with experience of managing a team of staff
• Multi-disciplinary team working
• Evidence of transferable clinical, risk management and managerial skills at a senior level
• Extensive Clinical experience in mental health care, crisis management and positive risk taking
• Knowledge of recovery principles
• Knowledge and experience of trauma informed practice.
• Experience of managing a high level of risk
• Experience of performance management
• Experience of implementing competencies and essential training for a team
• To have experience at senior level of both acute and inpatient and community teams
• To have worked within an acute inpatient setting
• Previous deputy team manager experience

Knowledge

• Extensive professional knowledge acquired through clinical practice in a community mental health or other relevant mental health team. This needs to be underpinned by training at degree level/diploma level specialist training or equivalent experience
• Knowledge of the impact of crisis on mental health difficulties
• Knowledge of the personalised models of care
• Evidence based practice
• Mental Health Act 1983
• Good knowledge of current NHS and Social Care Policy
• Evidence of CPD
• Understanding of the Community Mental Health Framework
• Understand the Principles of Governance, particularly in relation to their Service area.
• Understanding of CQC requirements for a community mental health service.
• To be fully aware of and cascade current changes relating to Government Legislation (i.e. Transforming Community Services).
• The ability to deliver coaching and supervision for staff to an excellent level.

Specific skills

• Leadership and Operational Management skills
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