Job summary
Employer heading
Band 6 Specialist Practitioner - Weston-Super-Mare
NHS AfC: Band 6
Job overview
Band 6 Early Intervention Specialist Practitioner
North Somerset Early Intervention in Psychosis Service
Are you interested in Early Intervention in Psychosis work? If so, this may be the job for you. We have an exciting opportunity for a fixed term (or secondment for internal candidates) post of 7 months initially, but with the possibility of a further 2 months extension. This post is to cover maternity leave within the team.
The North Somerset Early Intervention Team is based at the Coast Resource Centre in Weston-Super-Mare; just 5 minutes from junction 21 of the M5. We are a small friendly team who work with people aged 14-64, experiencing their first episode of psychosis.
As an Early Intervention practitioner, you will be a care coordinator for a small caseload of up to 15 service users. You will work closely with families and Carer’s, working alongside your team members to deliver a programme of psychoeducation, specialist interventions, and support.
Main duties of the job
1. To assess people with psychosis or possible psychosis
2. To plan and implement specialist programmes of care for young people following the first appearance of psychosis, or for a limited period where psychosis is suspected, including carrying a specialist caseload of clients and acting as care co-ordinator
3. To liaise and work in collaboration with other agencies in planning and assessing programmes of care
4. To provide specialist advice to young people, carers and professionals
5. To develop awareness sessions around psychosis and early intervention to be delivered within education and youth services
6. To provide clinical supervision to junior staff, students and support workers
7. To undertake audit, research and development activities.
We welcome potential applicants to make contact to discuss the opportunities of this role prior to submitting an application and/or if offered an interview.
Working for our organisation
We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust) a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.
We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.
Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.
At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- To work within the Early Intervention for Psychosis Service, but develop and maintain excellent working links with colleagues from other parts of the mental health services and from other agencies.
- To provide comprehensive and specialist assessment of those aged 14 years up to the age of 64 years, and who are referred to the Early Intervention Team with a first episode psychosis, or possible emerging psychosis. This will include the use of formal psychiatric and psychological rating scales, as well as liaison with carers and staff from other agencies that may be involved with the person
- To plan, prioritise and deliver specialist programmes of care to young people and up to the age of 64 years, for a three year period following a first episode of psychosis. At this time the team does not work with people with an At Risk Mental State. This will include case formulation, design of intervention, delivery and evaluation. As care co-ordinator, you will be involved in co-ordinating multi agency input around the person’s needs and you will be responsible for your caseload within the community.
- To work with and on behalf of those service users on your caseload and their friends and families in a way that promotes and develops their efforts, resources and quality of life. To deliver services in a manner that is appropriate, relevant and respectful to all community members, recognising diversity of ethnicity, culture, belief, privilege and capacity
- To liaise and where appropriate work in partnership with staff from other statutory services, voluntary agencies and community groups, in planning, providing and assessing programmes of care.
- To provide advice to other members of the Early Intervention for Psychosis Service team and to staff from other agencies on the particular needs of people with psychosis and their families / carers.
- To provide advice and to assist other members of the Early Intervention for Psychosis Service with interventions which draw on own specialist professional knowledge (for example, an occupational therapist specialist would be expected to advise on, and carry out specialist occupational and vocational assessments.
- With other members of the Early Intervention for Psychosis Service, to develop and facilitate clinical groups and workshops as appropriate.
- To provide advice and support to carers/ relatives, and to provide structured family interventions to families where a person has a first episode, or emerging psychosis.
- To participate in clinical meetings e.g. CPA and client reviews as appropriate.
- To assist in the transfer of appropriate cases between the CAMHS and Adult Services, in keeping with need and service user wishes.
- To ensure that legal and Trust requirements affecting service user and staff are adhered to, and ensure a safe working environment for service users and staff. To cooperate with statutory agencies with the responsibility to protect children and ensure that issues of risk and safety of all are assessed, and any necessary action is implemented.
- To maintain a high degree of professionalism at all times when working with highly distressed people
Please see attached job description and person specification for further details.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Professional qualification in mental health nursing, social work or occupational therapy
- Appropriate CPD post-qualification in psychosocial interventions
Desirable criteria
- Relevant specialist CPD qualifications, for example, Family Interventions in Psychosis, CBT informed interventions
Experience
Essential criteria
- Broad based post qualification mental health experience, including working with first episode psychosis
- Experience of Care Co-ordination or equivalent role
- Experience of and commitment to multi-disciplinary working
- Experience of providing clinical supervision to junior staff / consultation for other professionals.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of teaching / training
knowledge
Essential criteria
- Specialist skills and knowledge related to own professional background
- Good knowledge of the principles of care underlying early intervention.
- Good knowledge and skills in psychiatric assessment / formulation with client group.
- Good knowledge of adolescent developmental issues.
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge and skills in specific therapeutic approaches relevant to the client group e.g. care management, family work, CBT with psychosis, relapse prevention planning
- Knowledge and skills in the use of relevant rating scales, e.g. CAARMS, DIALOG
- Knowledge and skills around substance abuse
Skills
Essential criteria
- Excellent communication skills: able to communicate sensitive and complex information and to overcome barriers to communication
- Good organisational skills: able to plan and prioritise own workload and activities, and to coordinate with other colleagues
- Effective team player with good liaison skills.
- Clean driving license and access to a car.
- Self-awareness and emotional resilience when faced with difficult and demanding clinical situations.
Desirable criteria
- Able to communicate effectively within a highly emotive atmosphere
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Naomi Gourlay
- Job title
- Early Intervention in Psychosis Team Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01934 523700
- Additional information
Louise Cridland, Senior Practitioner, Tel 01934 523700
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