Senior Mental Health Practitioner | South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust

The Forensic Liaison & Diversion (L&D) Service is looking for a Senior Mental Health Practitioner to join our service. This is an exciting and unique opportunity to join the Forensic Liaison and Diversion Team in South-West London & St George’s Mental Health Trust (SWLSTG). The Forensic Liaison and Diversion (L&D) services aim to provide early intervention for vulnerable people of all ages as they come to the attention of the criminal justice system.

L&D services provide a prompt response to concerns raised by the police, probation service, youth offending teams or court staff, and provide critical information to decision-makers in the justice system, in real time, when it comes to charging and sentencing these vulnerable people. L&D also acts as a point of referral and assertive follow up for these service users, to ensure they can access, and are supported to attend, treatment and rehabilitation appointments. In this way, L&D services are expected to help reduce reoffending, reduce unnecessary use of police and court time, ensure that health matters are dealt with by healthcare professionals, and reduce health inequalities for some of the most vulnerable in society.

Improving health outcomes for mentally disordered offenders through early identification and screening and providing interventions that facilitate timely and appropriate pathways to care. To provide a service to Wandsworth Police Custody Suite and support to junior colleagues at Wimbledon magistrates. The shift pattern consists of a mixture of early shift (08:00-16:00) and late shift (14:00-22:00) hrs Monday to Friday and the weekend service operating hours are :00hrs.

To provide specialist knowledge on forensic mental health within the criminal justice system namely police stations and the courts within SWLStG Mental Health NHS Trust, providing advice and consultation to colleagues within the criminal justice system and mental health services. Maintain clinical direction and leadership, coordinating a team of clinical staff for a consistent provision of high-quality mental health care to people with mental health vulnerabilities in crisis within police custody and hold continuing responsibility for the assessment of care needs and the development, implementation and evaluation of therapeutic care.

Lead the team in a way that supports the development of a culture of continuous improvement and learning across the Trust. Ensure that the voices of service users, their carers and criminal justice professionals are heard so that a high standard of care is provided and the service develops in the best way to meet their needs.

We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust. We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’ - we aspire to be ‘outstanding’. This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services.

We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti-racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do. We offer flexible working, career development and a variety of benefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive. Come and join our inclusive teams and help our patients on their recovery journey.

Unless expressly stated in the job advert the role is not subject to sponsorship, please be advised that all offers of employment are subject to evidence of right to work in the UK.

To work within codes of practice and professional guidelines and to be accountable for own professional practice. Ensure observance and the working of all relevant legal and statutory requirements. Required to act within broad occupational policies without guidance or direct supervision. To maintain client confidentiality at all times. To participate fully in continuous professional development and supervision. To work to the forensic mental health and professional capabilities framework. To regularly provide mentorship and supervision of staff within the team. To support and promote learning for students.