Clinical Assessor - Mental Health Response Vehicle inWelwyn Garden City inWelwyn Garden City PUBLISHED WED 23 OCT 2024

This is an exciting and challenging opportunity for experienced Mental Health Nursing and Social Work staff to work with East of England Ambulance paramedics to assess Hertfordshire residents who have called ambulance services - NHS111 - presenting with mental health issues. It is an age inclusive service so will involve assessing children and adolescents as needed and has no upper age limit.

The Mental Health Response Vehicle is a new role for Clinicians to provide advice, support and assessment to persons who contact Ambulance services in Hertfordshire. It will provide a real, immediate opportunity for clinical staff to bring about positive outcomes for those in an acute crisis.

This service links with a partner service from Essex Partnership Foundation Trust who will cover West Essex.

There is an established Team already working with police and ambulance services and this new role will provide opportunity to work in both roles, though predominantly in the MHRV role.

Hertfordshire's Street Triage Teamhas been working with Police since 2in providing an information resource, mental health advice and face-to-face clinical assessments for persons Police encounter that they feel have mental health issues. The Team covers most of the 24 hours in a day.

Please do refer to the Job Description as this is a specialist role, providing autonomous mental health input & assessments to persons of all ages in Hertfordshire

The successful candidate will:

• work autonomously as an experienced mental health professional with the ability to give specialist mental health triage assessment and advice
• liaise with clinical services and relevant agencies as a member of the Mental Health Response Vehicle (MHRV)
• contribute to the development of the MHRV service
• provide expert mental health advice to the East of England Ambulance Service staff (EEAST)
• work with an EEAST paramedic or other suitably qualified EEAST staff assessing people in often complex situations, who EEAST feel, may be suffering from a mental health problem
• assess any risks that may be presented and formulate effective plans and strategies to meet and manage the risk involving liaison with the service user, their family, and mental health services across Hertfordshire and West Essex
• prevent the use of a section 136 where possible and appropriate
• prevent the referral to A&E for mental health assessment where possible and appropriate, to redirect to the MHUCC - Mental Health Urgent Care Centre - as suitable for further support of service users

In return, we can offer you:

• leadership and management training opportunities
• 5% on top of basic salary high cost allowance supplement (Min of £1258 and max £2,122 per annum)
• 27-33 days holidays + BH
• One of the UK's best pension schemes

About us

For a more in-depth Job Description and Person Specification, please read attached before applying

To demonstrate highly developed clinical skills in relation to triage assessment, advice and interventions for service users with acute mental health issues, of all ages, and their families, older people with functional and organic mental health issues, people with a learning disability who may be in crisis, and people with drug and alcohol misuse / dependency including people with dual diagnoses, and people in custody.

To exercise high levels of judgement and decision making in the care and treatment of people with acute mental health issues.

To autonomously formulate and implement immediate plans of care for the short-term intervention and management of a persons mental health needs which are based upon an appropriate conceptual framework. Such plans will usually involve sharing of complex, sensitive and, at times, contentious information.

To meet the aims of the MHRV Service to ensure that any person who does have a mental health issue receives the most appropriate care and treatment, either signposting to appropriate services or referring to mental health services.

To carry out Mental Health triage assessments and advise/support the police and paramedics about the service users mental health status, seeing people in their homes and in the community, public places across the whole of Hertfordshire County and in the custody suites for the purpose of providing a S136 MH consultation.

To work with EEAST when required and attend urgent physical health situations (C1) if you are required to with them. Give assistance as appropriate to your professional training and competencies.

To promote the rights and entitlements of service users to ensure equality of access to services. Ensuring that the needs of service users and carers are meaningfully considered during the care process.

You will be required to work shifts as an autonomous mental health practitioner. The service will run 7 days/nights a week covering 12 hours; the shifts may be subject to change to meet the evolving needs of the multi-professional service and its service users.

You will be responsible for keeping comprehensive and timely electronic patient records and for communicating effectively with other teams to ensure safe and effective care and treatment for people seen. To use any other EPR access given by other NHS Trusts or partner agencies in accordance with Generalised Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) protocols they may have.

To collect and keep data and information required for effective evaluation of the service.

To be conversant with the Mental Health Act and the requirements relating to Section 136, the mental capacity act, and any other section that people may be subject to in the course of your work including safeguarding.

To engage in training with our CAMHS partners to ensure the service provided can be age-inclusive.