Mental Health Specialist Practitioner

The Mental Health Specialist Practitioner will provide specialist enhanced clinical assessment and support specifically to patients who have called the London Ambulance Service for Mental Health issues, or suspected Mental Health issues.

The post-holder will follow a rolling rota that will see them complete shifts within our Emergency Operations Center undertaking telephone assessments on patients experiencing a mental health crisis and providing over the phone support to ambulance crews across the city with regards to mental health queries.

You will also have the opportunity to work alongside a paramedic on our Mental Health Joint Response Car.

Working as an autonomous practitioner, the post holder is expected to provide advanced assessment, clinical decisions and co-ordinated complex and challenging situations in regards to the management and treatment of this patient group. The Mental Health Specialist Practitioner will conduct telephone assessments and provide remote advice to crews on-scene with mental health patients as well as be deployed to as both a primary and an additional resource to mental health patients.

Main duties of the job

London Ambulance Service NHS Trust is the biggest and busiest emergency ambulance service in the UK with over 5,500 staff who work across a wide range of roles. Our service operates over an area of approximately 620 square miles across London based in 70 ambulance stations.

As an integral part of the NHS in London, we work closely with hospitals and other healthcare professionals, as well as with other emergency services.

Post location: Ilford Ambulance Station for Mental Health Car shifts. Waterloo or Dockside (EOC) for Control Room Shifts.

Job responsibilities

Provide specialist mental health input as part of pre-hospital mental health care within the London Ambulance Service by:

• Working in our Emergency Operations Centre conducting telephone-based assessments, remote support to ambulance crews, and maintaining an overview of clinical safety for patients calling 999 with regards to mental health presentation.
• Face-to-face assessments as part of the Mental Health Joint Response Car.
• Ensuring that there is a parity of esteem for patients using the LAS for a Mental Health crisis.
• Maintaining consistently high CPI scores for clinical care as per audit procedure.
• Regular delivery of training sessions to LAS staff.
• Developing strong local links with relevant Mental Health providers.
• Supporting the Consultant Nurse and Paramedic Mental Health in the development of services.
• Being a visible leader and champion of evidence-based mental health care.
• Establish and maintain collaborative working relationships across all sectors/services in the organization, and external partners.
• Demonstrate expertise in acute mental health care in the pre-hospital setting.
• Operate as an autonomous practitioner responding at times as a sole resource.
• Demonstrate clinical leadership and coordination to the management of patients in a Mental Health Crisis.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• BSc in relevant degree or equivalent experience
• Significant post-registration experience with current NMC/HCPC registration
• Mentorship Qualification and experience of mentoring students
• Commitment to CPD
• Willingness to undertake the Advanced Practice Course
• Master's degree in healthcare related subject or equivalent experience

Experience

• Advanced bio psychosocial mental health assessment skills, including formulation and differential diagnosis and experience of autonomous decision making
• Significant post-registration experience in acute mental health care
• Current understanding of research and application of evidence-based practice
• Significant experience of working within a positive risk-taking framework
• Ability to work in high pressured environments
• Ability to make sound clinical decisions which are evidence-based
• Management of agitated and hostile patients
• Able to implement brief interventions to help alleviate distress to patients
• Sound awareness of current mental health services and their functions
• In-depth knowledge of the Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act
• Excellent negotiation and conflict resolution skills
• Good understanding of the effects of alcohol and street drugs on a patient's presentation
• Experience managing first episodes of suspected mental illness
• Able to manage and coordinate other staff members who may not be from a Mental Health background
• Ability to provide clinical advice and guidance to other colleagues
• Experience of coordinating staff

Knowledge & Skills

• Well-developed leadership and influencing skills
• Experience of working autonomously as a practitioner with patients experiencing a mental health crisis
• Contributing to the development of policy, protocols, and procedures
• Proven ability to analyse complex problems and develop practical solutions
• Ability to collaborate constructively with internal and external partners
• Autonomous working, managing a clinical caseload
• Experience of clinical leadership
• Effective time management; able to manage own workload
• Timely completion of tasks and accurate record keeping
• Experience of undertaking telephone-based assessments
• Experience of practicing Mental health nursing in non-traditional settings

Personal Abilities

• Ability to remain calm in a busy environment
• Ability to deal confidentially with personal and sensitive information
• Flexible approach to work with good organizational skills
• Ability to work using own initiative and as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Excellent inter-personal and communication skills
• Strong sense of commitment to openness, honesty, and integrity in undertaking the role.
• Prolonged VDU use

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

London Ambulance Service - Ilford Ambulance Station

£51,883 to £58,544 a year pro rata per annum inc (Outer London) HCAS

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

308-SPECPARA-5649

Job locations

London Ambulance Service - Ilford Ambulance Station