Are you a skilled mental health professional, looking for a new challenge?

Somerset FT are developing a new specialist community mental health service and are seeking experienced band 6 professionals to join our exciting new team.

The Specialist Community Forensic Team (SCFT) is an innovative, newly commissioned service to Somerset FT, working inline with the South West Provider Collaborative (SWPC)

The team will be responsible for overseeing the care of Somerset patients who are currently detained to a secure hospital within the South West region.

We are looking for skilled band 6 practitioners looking to progress and welcome experienced practitioners seeking a new challenge.

We will be offering successful candidates:

• The opportunity to be part of a new, developing team
• Access to specialist supervision
• A comprehensive training package.
• The option to work flexibly, with a balance of patient facing, office and home working.

We welcome informal conversations prior to application and look forward to your call!

The team office will be in Bridgwater, however there will be an expected element of reimbursed travel across the County of Somerset and the South West Provider Collaborative region. This is likely to include travel to Langdon hospital (Devon) and Fromeside hospital (Bristol) as well as Wellesley hospital in Wellington, Somerset.

Main duties of the job

The aim of the SCFT is to reduce the length of patient stay for patients in secure hospital and work to prevent admission to secure care by

• Providing enhanced community support, to facilitate, support and maintain discharge processes.
• Providing clear, tiered levels of intervention with the aim of admission avoidance, including risk management.
• Encouraging proactive discharge discussions for longer stay patients who may have faced barriers to the discharge process.
• Supporting community placements.

The advertised role will form part of a close working multidisciplinary team, who will provide high quality, psychologically informed, risk managed care for a cohort of patients with complex forensic mental health needs.

The post holder will be a qualified mental health professional and will be responsible for joint care managing a defined caseload of patients who are currently detained to a secure hospital and are ready for discharge consideration.

The expectation of the post holder will be to establish close links with each patient, their inpatient care team and families / carers, to support the journey of discharge planning and transition to community living. Many of these patients will return to the community under restricted sections of the mental health act and will require intensive MDT support both pre and post discharge.

The post holder will oversee each patient's pathway from inpatient care to community living supporting in both settings with regular appointments.

About us

As an organisation, the NHS offers a wide range of benefits including flexible working, fantastic pension contributions, market leading annual leave allowance, career progression and regular conversations, not to mention our Blue Light Card and NHS exclusive discounts.

The benefits of working in Somerset include the idyllic countryside, with our areas of outstanding beauty and stunning coastlines. You will get to enjoy these perks whilst still only being a stone's throw away from bustling city centres like Bristol, Bath and Exeter and only two hours away from London.

There are excellent educational facilities in the area and, when compared to other regions, house prices are reasonable. You will experience the best of both in Somerset, the countryside and the cosmopolitan - there is truly something for everyone!

Job description Job responsibilities

For full details please see attached Job Description

Communication and Key Working Relationships:

Jointly manage a specific, complex forensic caseload (caseload of no more than 15 service users given the intensity and complexity of the work) Care pathway management Specialist forensic assessment and case management Integration of trained peer support workers within the team Use of evidence based psychosocial interventions known to support forensic service users Integration of substance misuse support Working alongside partner organisations both statutory and non-statutory Close to links and to support to services who provide 24/7 crisis response Working effectively and supportively with Carers Supporting education, employment and daily living skill.

Person Specification Qualifications Essential

• RMN OR Diploma/Degree in Occupational Therapy OR Social Work; OR other relevant health or social care professional qualification.

Desirable

• Evidence of on-going Commitment to Continuing Professional Development
• CPD in the field of forensic mental health - Or willingness to pursue
• Mentorship Training - (willingness to obtain qualifications in this area).

Knowledge Essential

• An understanding of the Mental Health Act & forensic sections
• Understanding of recovery principles in Mental Health
• Good working knowledge of health legislation and current practice and risk assessment.
• Understanding of formal risk management pathways including MAPPA, MoJ, probation,

Desirable

• Awareness of community structures and social care management responsibilities
• Awareness of legal restraints impacting on the rehabilitation of mentally disordered offenders
• Understanding of formal risk management pathways including MAPPA, MoJ, probation,

Experience Essential

• Established mental health experience for at least two years
• Experience of working with a forensic patients
• Experience of working with clients in the community and inpatient settings
• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary and multi-agency environment.
• Experience of managing risk

Desirable

• Experience of managing a caseload of clients with a range of complex mental health problems.
• Clinical supervision for qualified and/or support staff

Skills Essential

• Ability to build collaborative therapeutic relationships with service users who may be difficult to engage.
• Ablility to build and maintain boundaried therapeutic relationships
• Skilled in assessing, planning and evaluating clinical interventions.
• Ability to undertake and communicate complex risk assessments.

Desirable

• Psychological therapies training

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

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