Advanced Clinical Practitioner

Mental health services in Manchester are commencing their journey around Community Transformation, working towards a new community mental health framework vision for a place-based community mental health model. We currently have an exciting opportunity for an Advanced Clinical Practitioner post within our North Manchester Specialist Community Mental Health Teams based in our exciting new and modern base at the Central Park Hub.

We are looking for a dynamic individual with strong clinical and leadership skills who is enthusiastic and motivated to support our Specialist CMHTs with the aim of delivering safe, effective and high-quality services to our service users. The successful candidate will be an experienced nurse with an ACP qualification who will relish working within the vibrant and challenging environment of Manchester. They will be an autonomous practitioner with a level of expertise in this area, who will have a key role in the assessment, diagnosing and treatment for patients accessing a service across multiple pathways in the CMHTs.

The post offers opportunities for personal and service development through a well-established CPD programme and opportunity for engagement in a supportive network of other ACPs with an ACP forum every 6 weeks. There is a role for delivering training within the wider MDT. The core hours are Monday to Friday 9-5, although some flexibility will be considered.

• The post holder will provide advanced and expert level of practice (including non-medical prescribing) in the CMHT.
• The ACP will act as a professional resource for the MDT patients within the scope of their practice and competence.
• The ACP will understand professional accountability and legal frameworks for advanced practice and be professionally accountable and legally responsible for all aspects of their work.
• The ACP will demonstrate safe practice in line with Trust policies and procedures.
• They will support the clinical and operational team to deliver on service improvements in the quality of care and safety through service development, evaluation, and audit.
• They will demonstrate clinical and practice expertise via interventions, supervision and modelling good practice.
• They will be an integral part of the MDT supporting clinical decision making and supporting the service pathways and providing brief interventions.
• They will also support with providing a pathway into and out of the CMHT once interventions/goals have been achieved, to promote recovery and self-management, as clinically appropriate.
• The ACP will hold a caseload and lead assessment, formulation and prescribing of care plans including discharge planning within agreed protocols and procedures.
• To support improving knowledge and practice through the contribution to a CMHT education and training programme across the community teams within North Manchester.
• To participate in the Bronze on site / on Call rota.

Working for our organisation: Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) Foundation Trust employs over 7000 members of staff, who deliver services from more than 160 locations. We provide inpatient and community-based mental health care for people living in Bolton, the city of Manchester, Salford, Trafford and the borough of Wigan, and a wide range of specialist mental health and substance misuse services across Greater Manchester, the north west of England and beyond.

Greater Manchester is one of the world's most innovative, original and exciting places to live and work. From the beauty of the surrounding countryside to the heart of the vibrant inner city with great shopping, entertainment and dining options. Wherever you go you will experience a great northern welcome with people famed for their warmth, humour and generosity. Our people enjoy their work, have opportunities to learn and develop their skills and are encouraged to generate new ideas that improve care for our service users.

• To demonstrate high-level communication skills to Service Users who have complex emotional, physical and psychological conditions.
• To effectively overcome the barriers to communication.
• To utilise highly developed interpersonal skills to facilitate effective communication when there are barriers to understanding or in a hostile, antagonistic or highly emotive situation.
• To establish and maintain robust communication networks with clients, carers, team members, other health care and social care workers and external agencies.
• To establish and maintain good working relationships with GPs, and other partner agencies.
• To represent the service at local forums.
• To present at local and national forums as required.
• To be aware and keep up to date with the body of knowledge related to practice in a specialist community mental health team setting.
• To accept responsibility for delivering care to a specific caseload of patients.
• To develop and exercise high levels of judgement and decision making in the care of Service Users who are on the post-holder’s caseload.
• To work autonomously using sound decision making skills within the clinical setting in relation to care planning, risk assessments, physical health, prescribed medication and be accountable for their own professional actions.
• Assess the mental health and physical health needs of designated Service Users in a community setting.
• Lead on decision making for their caseload within the MDT.
• Formulate protocols for decision making that are agreed by the MDT.
• To undertake and record comprehensive risk assessment, devise and implement risk assessment plans for service users at risk of vulnerability, self-harm, self-neglect, or risk of physical, sexual, emotional harm to others, using the STAR Risk assessment tool & develop crisis plans.
• To work in a specialist advisory capacity with patients, carers, Community Mental Health Team staff, external stakeholders, and when necessary referrers, regarding appropriate treatment plans.
• To implement as appropriate non-medical independent and supplementary prescribing in accordance with NMC prescribing guidelines.
• To provide an interface between nursing and medical colleagues and other professionals in order to ensure that patient needs are being met in a timely approach.
• To ensure that the needs of service users and carers are meaningfully considered during the process of care delivery for the patients.
• To promote the rights and entitlements of service users to ensure equality of access to services and timely and personal care so that the person’s dignity and individuality are preserved.
• To advise members of the multi-disciplinary team and other agencies concerning the care and treatment of individuals within the parameters of the Advanced Practitioner’s competency.
• To advise upon the use of the Mental Capacity Act and detention orders within the Mental Health Act and consider the development of the role of the responsible clinician.
• To maintain clinical records as per trust policy.
• To be highly visible within the team environments, providing both advisory and clinical leadership to ensure quality, safe patient care.
• Develop the skills of clinical staff in the teams in relation to assessment, formulation and care planning.
• To provide clinical leadership for the team.
• ACP will also deliver Trust wide training on mandatory and bespoke training sessions.
• To participate in the Bronze on call / Bronze on site rota.

Pay Enhancements – 30% additional for Evenings (8pm onwards) and Saturdays and 60% additional for Sundays and Bank holidays. 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays rising to 29 after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years. Cycle to work scheme. Salary sacrifice car scheme. Blue Light Card Discounts.

• MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice
• Clinical based Masters degree
• Experience of working with clients with complex needs
• Experience of working at a senior clinical nurse level
• Compiling protocols and clinical guidance
• Audit

Important Information about working for GMMH: All positions within the Trust are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks. Applicants are encouraged to apply for posts at Greater Manchester Mental Health who have direct experience of mental health, learning disability or drug and alcohol services either as a service user or a carer. The Trust is also committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and requires all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We are aspiring to ensure our workforce is representative of the diverse communities that we serve, and we are strongly committed to removing barriers to employment for candidates from under-represented groups, for example BAME, Disabled and LGBT+ communities. If you would like to have an informal chat about the recruitment process for this role or would value some additional support, we’d love to hear from you.

Sponsorship: We are proud to be an approved sponsor for the Skilled Worker visa. Applications from individuals who require sponsorship will be considered alongside all other applications. Please be aware that not all roles are eligible for sponsorship.

If you are offered a role with us and you require sponsorship, we will check your eligibility in line with the information on the above website. Your offer of employment could be withdrawn if the role is not eligible for sponsorship, and you are not otherwise able to evidence your right to work in the UK.

Do you have experience outside the NHS? We want to attract and retain people with diverse skills and experience, to deliver inclusive healthcare services to our communities. We will consider relevant experience outside the NHS to calculate your salary on appointment. Please contact our Recruitment Team for more information.

Please note, this vacancy may be closed at any time if sufficient applications have been received.