Senior Community Support and Time Recovery Worker (STR worker)

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South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.

We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good'.

We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone's potential as change makers.

The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.

Our Values

We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I'm going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you'll be part of something special.

As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.

Job overview

Lambeth Home Treatment Team is a crisis service that provides assessment and intensive treatment to clients in their own home as an alternative to psychiatric admission. It provides 24hr, 7 day a week, crisis assessment and intensive home treatment to patients with the aim of preventing in-patient admission where possible or if admission is required facilitating earlier discharge.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will provide community/home environment-based support to service users with mental health needs who are in crisis, to promote their recovery. It will also involve supporting the carers of service users receiving home treatment. The role will involve working with clients who have a wide range of mental health problems in a culturally diverse borough. The postholder will work within the multi-professional team in implementing, evaluating, and delivering high quality care and treatment to service users and carers.

Communications and Working Relationships:
• Multi-disciplinary Team - daily
• Service Users and Carers - daily
• Management Team - as required
• Head of Profession - as required
• Inpatient, Liaison and Community Teams - regularly
• GP (General Practitioners) - regularly
• Children and Families Services - as required
• Other agencies - as required

Working for our organisation

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provide the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK as well as substance misuse services for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. We work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London and are part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. There are very few organisations in the world that have such wide-ranging capabilities working with mental illness. Our scope is unique because it is built on three major foundations: care and treatment, science and research, and training.

SLaM employ around 5000 staff and serve a local population of 1.1 million people. We have more than 230 services including inpatient wards, outpatient and community services. Currently, provide inpatient care for approximately 5,300 people each year and treat more than 45,000 patients in the community in Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark; as well as substance misuse services for residents of Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. To work as part of the multi-professional team supporting the planning, implementation, and evaluation of service user care needs in collaboration with the service users, carers and families, and other community/inpatient services.

2. To support personalised care planning within the multi-professional team, working closely with service users and their carers; to assist service users in their recovery goals which may include supporting them with practical/daily living tasks and engagement in social inclusion activities; working to a high standard and ensuring that as needs change care plans are updated.

3. To demonstrate risk awareness with respect to risk assessment and ongoing risk management, practising safely and according to individual service user needs and risk management plans. Working alongside qualified staff to anticipate the individual needs of service users, showing risk awareness, and communicating to relevant parties as required

4. To provide relevant support to carers and families in relation to their rights as carers and their involvement in the care of the service user when they are under the care of the team.

5. To assist in the issuing of medication and report any concerns to a qualified nurse; to report any concerns (mental/physical health or risks) to a qualified nurse.

6. To work in close partnership and maintain effective communication links with other Borough mental health services and community agencies to ensure the continuity of quality clinical care for service users.

7. To ensure maintenance of clinical records in accordance with good practice, professional codes, and organisational standards. To maintain confidentiality by ensuring information is shared in accordance with Trust standards and guidelines. To take responsibility for keeping the team mental health resources up to date. To record and report untoward incidents, taking appropriate action and ensuring relevant staff are informed.

8. To work within a 7-day rota system or within the working hours of the Home Treatment Team, 365 days a year, ensuring a comprehensive service.

9. Take part in regular supervision and appraisal and contribute to the well-being of the team by supporting other team members and treating all colleagues with dignity and respect.

10. To undertake all mandatory training requirements of the role.

11. To contribute towards work with service development initiatives involving service users and carers where appropriate.

12. To participate in audit, service evaluation and research undertaken by the team.

13. To be physically capable of fulfilling the role- undertaking a minimum of 4 visits per shift including accessing high-rise buildings and being able to respond rapidly to crises if required.

14. To be able to work with distressing and emotionally salient issues remaining caring, courteous, and compassionate in line with Slam's 5 Trust Values.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• NVQ 3 Plus short courses to Diploma Level or Equivalent experience or NVQ Level 4 in appropriate field

Desirable criteria

• Psychology degree or equivalent experience, or evidence of continued academic development
• Training in other specific interventions e.g., Cognitive Behaviour

Experience

Essential criteria

• Extensive experience within mental health care settings
• Substantial experience dealing with acute psychiatric /crisis care

Desirable criteria

• Previous home treatment team experience

Knowledge/Skills

Essential criteria

• Able to work with a wide variety of professionals and agencies
• Commitment to working across service boundaries and facilitating continuity of care across community services
• Commitment to developing user-focused services
• Knowledge of mental health policy development

Desirable criteria

• Psychology degree or equivalent experience, or evidence of continued academic development
• Training in other specific interventions e.g., Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Schema Therapy, Dialectic Behaviour Therapy

The Trust is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and that promote equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applicants from all sections of the community and people of all protected characteristics. We provide reasonable adjustments for candidates with a disability and are committed to treating people fairly with compassion, respect and dignity and in promoting equality and human rights. We aim to put this commitment into practice by:

• Embedding our commitment to tackling inequality, eliminating discrimination and harassment; promoting equality of opportunity and fostering good relations in our everyday practice
• Ensuring that all our services and all staff understand and support our commitment
• We believe that people who use our services, their carers and our staff, should be treated with compassion, respect and dignity

Please note:

• That all applications for this post will need to be made online
• That you read and understand the Job Description and Personal Specification attached to the role. Your Statement in Support should reflect the requirements specified as your application will be judged against these criteria
• That the closing date listed is a guide only and that the vacancy may close earlier should sufficient number of applicants have been received. We advise that you submit your application as early as possible
• That once you have submitted your application you agree to your application being transferred to a 3rd party e-recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs
• That should you not have heard from us within three weeks from the closing date your application has not successful
• That priority consideration for applications may be given to at-risk NHS employees
• That should you be successful and appointed, you authorise South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust to confirm your previous NHS service via an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process
• That we are a smoke-free Trust

SLaM is a Stonewall Diversity Champion , Stonewall is the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans (LGBT) rights charity in Europe'

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

• LHTT B4 JD (PDF, 166.2KB)
• SLaM Staff Benefits (PDF, 1.1MB)
• Happy to Talk Flexible Working (PDF, 680.1KB)