We are looking for a Band 6 Senior Mental Health Practitioner to join the Community Eating Disorder Service (CEDS) covering the Mid/North Devon locality. This is an exciting new post delivering the FREED pathway (First Episode Rapid Interventions for Eating disorders) across Devon for our young people who have developed an Eating Disorder within the last 3 years.

The post holder will be working alongside a mini FREED team including an assistant psychologist and dietitian to offer engagement calls, assessments and evidence based interventions to young people under 25 and providing support and signposting for their family/carers. You will also be the point of contact for the Core Teams and Multi Agency Hubs and will provide advice and consultation for clinicians working with individuals who do not meet the FREED criteria, signposting them into the main CEDS team or other local resources. The post sits within the CEDS team but is focused primarily on the FREED pathway.

Experience working in eating disorders will be an advantage for this post although we will provide a range of training opportunities to develop the skills needed. If you have a keen interest and experience in wider mental health problems we would also encourage you to apply for this post.

Every person's treatment is individualised and we aim to deliver specialist client-centred care, which inspires hope & recovery for our patient group and their family and carers.

Main duties of the job

CEDS is a fully integrated multi-disciplinary team which includes psychological and physical care for people with eating disorders. We have a wide range of skills and experience in the wider team, which include a Consultant Psychiatrist, Specialist Doctors, Clinical Psychologist, Dietitians, Nurses, Psychological therapists, Occupational Therapists, Social Workers, Assistant Practitioners and Peer Support Workers, along with Admin support.

The successful candidate needs to be self-motivated, compassionate and emotionally resilient and provide care to patients with a range of eating disorders. You will need to demonstrate safe and competent clinical decision-making and assessment skills plus be able to work collaboratively with the team to meet the needs of patients.

Given that these are new roles you will need to be able to adapt and change as the service model develops over time and have the ability to evaluate both your input and that of the service model/treatment pathways.

You will need to be clear and confident with communication abilities both written and verbal, capable of interacting and working creatively with people who use our services, their families & carers, plus staff and colleagues from other services, including medical teams. You will also need to be confident working without supervision, with the knowledge to devise individual recovery plans.

The main CEDS team is based in Exeter, this post will primarily be covering North Devon

About us

About Devon Partnership Trust

We provide mental health & learning disability services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.

Our values

We not only recruit employees based on their qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess and demonstrate the behaviours which underpin the core values of our organisation. These values include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health & learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Employer.

Job description Job responsibilities

Please refer to the full Job Description and Person specification attached to this advert which will provide further information on this role.

Person Specification Experience Essential

• Previous employment / experience of working with people with Mental Health problems
• Previous experience of working with people having an Eating Disorder
• Able to demonstrate past proven leadership experience
• Experience of staff supervision
• Experience of providing training to multi-disciplinary teams
• Effective team worker
• Life skills and mature outlook needed to work in a robust Health Care environment

Desirable

• Good level of I.T / Computer skills
• Evidence of professional development

Skills and Abilities Essential

• Communication and Working Relationship Skills
• High level communication skills including presentation and facilitation skills; consultation and engagement skills
• An ability to adjust communication effectively to meet the needs of a diverse group including internal and external stakeholders
• Good organisational and interpersonal skills, tact and sensitivity. Ability to gain trust
• Ability to contribute to the supervision and development of others
• Confidence to deliver sometimes contentious and difficult messages to a broad range of stake holders
• Analytical & Judgemental Skills
• Ability to integrate complex data; make skilled evaluations and decisions; and take a long-term perspective
• Reporting analysis to a range of stakeholders in a manner that is clear and easily understood
• Able to own problems and get involved in the solutions
• Ability to manage risk and undertake risk assessments
• Ability to analyse complex information, from both physical and mental health, and interpret to facilitate a management plan
• Ability to produce effective care plans
• Planning & Organisational Skills
• Developing short to medium term project-based action plans
• Prioritise and adjust workload to address the changing needs of the organisation
• Flexible approach and ability to work independently and on own initiative as well as part of a team
• Ability to undertake special projects in regard to service improvement and collaborative working with other stakeholders
• Highly developed organisational skills
• Adaptable to change with an ability to promote change in others
• Physical Skills
• Calm, methodical approach, friendly but concise
• Mobility to travel across Devon to different Acute Trusts or GP surgeries as needed
• Other
• Imagination and determination, a questioning attitude, enthusiasm, ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• Personal commitment to promoting equality, diversity and human rights in all aspects of service delivery
• High level of emotional resilience

Desirable

• Standard Computer skills e.g. use of Electronic Patient Record and Office packages

Qualifications Essential

• Qualified Registered Nurse (Mental Health), Allied Health Professional or Social Worker
• Knowledge and understanding of the needs of people with mental health problems.
• Knowledge of diagnostic criteria of eating disorder conditions
• Knowledge of physical complications associated with eating disorder
• Knowledge of how to supervise others and provide critical and constructive feedback.
• Knowledge of relevant psychological therapies for treating eating disorders

Desirable

• Training, knowledge in at least one therapeutic intervention (willingness to obtain qualifications in this area).
• Training in relevant psychological therapy and or a willingness to partake in training
• Mentorship or student education training which is sufficient for sign off mentor status, or a willingness to achieve this.

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

369-C9369-23-4251-4