Advanced Mental Health Practitioner

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Advanced Mental Health Practitioner, Oxford

Client:

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Location:

Oxford, United Kingdom

Job Category:

-

EU work permit required:

Yes

Job Reference:

39a09ddf65e7

Job Views:

76

Posted:

22.02.2025

Job Description:

Job overview

(*Sponsorship is NOT available for this role)

If you believe that a person’s health needs and past experiences can be linked to their criminal offending, and that by identifying and reducing health needs, vulnerable people can be supported to make positive changes and reduce the risk of reoffending, we want to hear from you.

We’re looking for a qualified Mental Health/Learning Disabilities Nurse, Occupational Therapist, Social Worker, Speech & Language Therapist or Health Visitor to join our team.

You’re an enthusiastic, experienced, and registered health/social care professional with an interest in health and justice and a passion for supporting people in police custody or court. Previous experience in criminal justice and offender health is desirable, but not essential.

With a reputation for excellence, our service is committed to improving the health of our clients, identifying care pathways, and reducing reoffending. We’re an award-winning team, including the Howard League for Penal Reform ‘Liaison and Diversion Service of the Year’ and ‘Women’ categories, commendations from Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary, and Berkshire Healthcare ‘Team of the Year’.

If you want to use your skills to help change lives of people in the criminal justice system, we’d love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

• To attend police custody suites and magistrates’ courts providing assessments, advice and identifying robust care pathways for individuals with a potential health vulnerability.
• To provide the police and court with written and verbal information about individuals in a timely fashion to help decision-making.
• To work closely and build links with all referring agencies within the custody suite, court and probation, acting as a single point of contact for health.
• To work autonomously, with the ability to organise and manage own time according to delegated workload.

Work base:
You will work within police custody suites in Oxfordshire, which include Abingdon Custody or Banbury. You may also be required to work from any of our sites in Thames Valley to meet service needs.

Working pattern + Service operating hours

Our service operates in police custody from 7am – 8pm, 7 days a week using a combination of early shifts and late shifts. Our service does not operate at night. Requests for specific working patterns can be considered in line with our flexible working policy.

Working for our organisation

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated ‘outstanding’ by the CQC, we’re committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire.

We value diversity and are proud to be a Stonewall Top 100 Employer. We work hard to create an inclusive environment where you’ll be supported by friendly and professional colleagues to flourish.

Our values at Berkshire Healthcare:

• Caring for and about you is our top priority
• Committed to providing good quality, safe services
• Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

We welcome people who share these values to come and work for us.

Benefits of working for us include:

• Flexible working options to support work-life balance.
• 27 days’ annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
• Excellent learning and career development opportunities
• ‘Cycle to Work’ and car leasing scheme
• Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
• Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
• Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities and armed forces community to support equality
• Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave.
• Free parking across Trust sites

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The “must haves” for this role:

• A professional qualification at degree level or equivalent in either Mental Health Nursing, Learning Disabilities Nursing, Occupational Therapy, or Social Work along with relevant registration.
• At least 18-months post registration experience
• Licence holder with access to your own vehicle who is prepared to travel to multiple sites across Oxfordshire as required.

If you’re someone who shares our passion for excellence and care, join us and let’s be outstanding together.

We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants where required.

Person specification

Education/Qualifications/Training

• A professional qualification at diploma, post graduate & degree level or equivalent in either Mental Health Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Speech & Language Therapist, Social Work, or Health Visitor with the necessary experience
• Hold current registration with pertinent body (RMN, SW, HCPC, SCHN)
• Evidence of post registration training and development
• Practice Assessor / Mentorship qualification or equivalent teaching qualification.

Continuous Professional Development

• Knowledge and experience of modern mental health services; social inclusion, recovery, service user involvement, carer support
• Further evidence of professional development and training
• Take responsibility for your own learning and be willing to continuously learn and grow, reflecting on own practice and encouraging others to develop their practice, actively using research to influence and change practice.
• Assess personal strengths and areas for development, identify own learning goals, identify, access and make use of relevant learning resources and opportunities, plan and achieve your learning goals

Previous Experience

• Significant experience at Band 6 or equivalent in a community setting.
• Experience of undertaking Initial Findings Reports, fact finding exercises and associated report writing
• Experience of analysing and collating complex information from a range of sources and communicating this effectively to multiple partners and stakeholders
• Able to assess and manage risk, formulate mitigation plans taking into account health and criminal justice outcomes
• Ability to work autonomously, with the ability to organise and manage own time according to delegated workload.
• Knowledge of the Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act
• Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to think creatively and problem solve
• Ability to create and facilitate training and learning events
• Experience of operating across Criminal Justice & Health and reconciling both systems when planning onward support for vulnerable individuals
• Ability to work as part of a team, understand dynamics & leadership
• Have knowledge and skills to work with specialist groups of people, including young people, people with dual diagnoses and personality disorder

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• An ability to work under pressure across multiple systems such as Criminal Justice & Health
• Ability to engage challenging and/or acutely distressed patients in potentially hostile and/or antagonistic situations and use de-escalation techniques effectively.
• Ability to plan and organise a range of complex clinical activities which require judgements to be made on competing factors
• Collaborative approach to client care
• Ability to be flexible and adapt to changing situations
• Ability to work effectively with service users and carers in a collaborative manner
• Understanding of the theories underpinning the concept of recovery and the wider determinants of health
• Knowledge of Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 and the PACE Codes of Practice 2004

Additional Requirements

• Responsible for data entry with occasional requirements to generate reports, analyse data and identify trends
• Professional in approach, manner and appearance.
• Demonstrable skills in written and spoken English, adequate to enable the post holder to carry out the role effectively
• Ability to travel efficiently to multiple sites
• In addition to DBS there is additional requirement to secure police vetting for this role.

Berkshire Healthcare helps people manage their health in their local area, through a range of specialist and community services across the county. We promote independence and quality of life through community and mental health services and aim for seamless delivery of the best care in the right place. We get to know communities and the people in them so we can deliver the best services that meet their health needs.

Our team of 4,300 staff provide specialist mental health and community health services to a population of around 900,000 within Berkshire. We provide healthcare to people in their own homes and from different sites across the county.

We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants where required.

Appointment to any position is conditional on the satisfactory completion of the core NHS Employment Checks Standards. Information disclosed in your application will be checked and any offer of appointment may be withdrawn if you knowingly withhold information or provide false or misleading information.

Please ensure your application is submitted with a valid email address for your referees in order to minimise delays in the recruitment process. Short-listed applicants will be contacted by email, therefore applicants are advised to check their email accounts regularly.

Applicants are advised that as a result of the high level of response we receive for some of our vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date.

Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust is committed to improving the health of its staff, patients and the wider community by providing a smoke free environment. A smoke free policy is in operation and smoking is not permitted on any of the Trust’s sites.

NO AGENCIES TO CONTACT BERKSHIRE HEALTHCARE DIRECTLY PLEASE

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