We are looking to recruit a highly motivated and enthusiastic OT/CPN/Care Coordinator to continue the excellent work in our well established team based in Elizabeth Newton Building Springfield Hospital in Tooting , London.

Wandsworth Intervention in Psychosis Service offers intensive support to clients who have experienced a first episode of Psychosis and are between the ages of 18-65 years. Evidence indicates that interventions at this crucial time can have a beneficial impact to the client and family, in many aspects of their lives. Using NICE recommended interventions including CBT approaches, family work and intensive support with an outreach ethos, the service offers a positive and recovery focused approach.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will require past experience of working as a care co-ordinator in the community and have robust skills in all aspects of this role.

This post is to work autonomously with service users and their families, holding a caseload for approximately 18-20 clients (pro rata). The Care co-ordinator is responsible for planning, implementing, recording and reviewing a comprehensive package of care in conjunction with the multi-disciplinary Team. We would particularly welcome applicants who have psychosocial interventions training including family interventions but would want to train up all staff in this intervention.

About us

We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.

We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' - we aspire to be 'outstanding'.

This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services.

We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.

We offer flexible working, career development and a variety ofbenefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.

Come and join our inclusive teams and help our patients on their recovery journey.

Job description

Job responsibilities

• To be accountable for the co-ordination of care plans for people who are in the early stages of psychotic illness between the ages of 17-35.
• To work closely with other members of the multi-disciplinary team.
• To assess health and social care needs and negotiate care plans with service users and their carers, remaining objective when working with diagnostic uncertainty.
• To undertake risk assessments according to Trust policy.
• To ensure delivery of care plans in partnership with multi-disciplinary colleagues and a range of health and social care agencies, within the CPA structure.
• To engage service users and carers assertively and offer care/interventions within the least restrictive setting in normal community environments.
• To provide a service sensitive to age, culture, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and disability.
• To offer a range of evidence based psycho-social interventions and proactive risk management approaches to help the service user and their family to reduce and manage symptoms, high risk behaviour and other disabling effects of psychosis and enable, as far as possible, full and sustained recovery.
• To ensure Wandsworth Child Protection Guidelines and procedures are fully understood by self and others. To ensure the safety needs of children are met at all times and take appropriate action when a child is felt to be at risk or in need.
• To monitor treatment, support concordance and ensure prompt action is taken to alleviate unwanted effects.
• To provide access to and ongoing psycho-education regarding first episode psychosis to service users and families.
• To ensure basic needs are addressed i.e. housing, income, support in accessing education or training etc.
• To recognise the developmental needs of service users, and enable a vocational/educational assessment within a specified time of their contact with the service, and to ensure the service user is supported in progressing plans made for education, training or employment.
• To provide interventions, and work with other disciplines/agencies/teams in the care of service users experiencing co-morbid problems with substance use/misuse.
• To engage the service user and their family in relapse prevention and crisis planning and provide and coordinate interventions that maximise the service users ability to resolve crises, remain at home and avoid the need for hospitalisation.
• To deliver a flexible and responsive service through working practices that are dictated by service user/carer need and contribute to the provision of service continuity outside of normal working hours when necessary.
• If hospitalisation becomes necessary, to provide regular, formal, joint inpatient review to ensure the service user is transferred/discharged to the lowest stigma/least restrictive environment as soon as clinically possible.
• To be actively involved in developing early detection strategies with a range of agencies and in developing public awareness of first episode psychosis.
• To work flexibly between the hours of 8am and 8pm including occasional week-ends, as required.
• To maintain standards of professional conduct at all times and observe the legal requirements of the MHA (1983), its Code of Practice, The Children Act (1989) and other relevant legislation and guidance.

Person Specification

Education and Qualification

Essential

• RMN, OT or Social Worker
• Evidence of post qualification training/education

Desirable

• Formal training in psychosocial interventions or equivalent

Experience

Essential

• Experience of care coordination
• Demonstrable experience of working with people who experience serious ongoing mental health problems
• Experience of assessing and managing crisis in people with severe mental health problems

Desirable

• Experience of working with/interventions for dual diagnosis (serious mental health problems and drug/alcohol misuse)
• Experience of working with people experiencing personality problems
• Experience of using and supervising others in the use of psychosocial interventions

Knowledge & Skills

Essential

• Knowledge of Mental Health Law & NHS and Community Care Act 1990
• Knowledge of our business and how it supports patient care
• Ability to maintain and enhance effective working relationships both internally and externally, with a range of professionals and agencies
• Ability to assist the Manager to recruit, manage, motivate, supervise, appraise and develop staff
• Ability to plan, allocate and evaluate own work and develop self to enhance performance
• Excellent time management skills
• Able to meet the needs of clients creatively
• Can demonstrate an ability /experience/willingness to work in a creative manner that is not constrained by disciplinary boundaries
• Can demonstrate an ability to work with the client and their carers /family (as appropriate) in an educational/therapeutic way

Desirable

• Ability to monitor and control resources
• Basic computer skills in Word, Excel, Email
• Experience of Rio computer system
• Ability to contribute to, monitor and implement changes and improvements to services

Employer details

Employer name

South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust

Address

Springfield University Hospital

15 Springfield Drive

London

SW17 0YF

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

294-COMM-6780739-JB