Mental Health Practitioner

Role Summary

The post holder will be based in the OP Community Mental Health Liaison Team and cover the borough of Stockport, working alongside the Urgent Community Response Team to provide specialist mental health nursing advice and a joint assessment service.

You will provide direct care to service users in crisis due to physical health or social status changes impacting mental health and support wider health and social care professionals to model effective care approaches.

This is a full time, seven day service (Week 4 days).

Key Responsibilities

• Represent the OP Community Mental Health Liaison Team and work with the Urgent Community Response Team across Stockport.
• Triage all referrals and allocate clinical priority.
• Carry out thorough assessments of current mental health needs, including risk, psychological, and cognitive functioning.
• Make decisions and critical clinical judgments regarding mental health and community care provision.
• Assess and manage clients with co morbid physical and mental health needs, medication impact and infection risks.
• Model appropriate communication and care delivery to social care staff.

Person Specification Knowledge

• Experience identifying mental health conditions common in older adults.
• Application of mental health assessment tools for older people.
• Understanding of current mental health legislation, the Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, NICE guidance, and safeguarding procedures.
• Knowledge of medications used in this group and impact of physical health disorders on mental health.
• Understanding of confidentiality and data protection issues.

Education / Qualifications

• Registered Mental Health Nurse (RMN).
• Completion of post registration short course and postgraduate diploma level education.
• Registered General Nurse (RGN) with formal teaching qualification (desirable).

Experience

• Significant post registration experience at Band 5 or above.
• Experience working in older adults' mental health inpatient, community or liaison settings.
• Experience managing behavioural and psychomotor symptoms of dementia (BPSD).
• Experience working with individuals in crisis presenting mental health illness.
• Experience in multi disciplinary teams and using safeguarding procedures.
• Experience triaging referrals and working with physical health comorbidity.
• Working knowledge of mental health challenges in those under 65.

Skills and Abilities

• Comprehensive mental health and risk assessment skills.
• Ability to supervise and direct junior staff and develop care and risk management plans.
• Proficiency with evidence based interventions and assessment tools.
• Autonomous working in a community setting.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to design and deliver training packages.
• Strong organisational, prioritisation, and audit/research skills.
• Assertiveness and professional demeanour under pressure.

Work Related Circumstances

• Flexible to work a 7 day service, including bank holidays and out of hours on a rota basis.
• Use of a private vehicle or other transport to travel across the Trust footprint.
• Willingness to comply with Trust equal opportunity policies.
• Enhanced DBS disclosure required for regulated and controlled activities.

Benefits

• Generous annual leave entitlement.
• Flexible working arrangements.
• Access to ongoing professional development.
• Participation in improvement and research activities.
• Health and wellbeing programmes with access to staff wellbeing services.
• Staff discounts across retail, leisure, and travel.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

All individuals regardless of race, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership are encouraged to apply. We also encourage applications from individuals with lived experience of mental illness, either as a carer or otherwise.