Mental Health Act Legislation Officer

Overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Mental Health Act Legislation Officer to join our forward thinking Trust. The successful candidate will be part of a small team responsible for the provision of MHA administration across the Trust, based at Kingsway House, Derby or Derwent Unit Chesterfield.

You will need to be a self-motivated individual with good knowledge of the MHA. Responsibilities include: receiving and scrutinising Mental Health statutory documents, arranging for amendments to be made within the legal timescale; requesting reports and organising Mental Health Tribunals, sending out section expiry reminders to clinical teams. The candidate will need to be able to prioritise their workload, liaise with consultants, clinical teams, social services, solicitors, Care Quality Commission, service users and their relatives. The candidate will need to have excellent administrative and organisational skills, together with the ability to communicate at all levels.

Important: if a high volume of applications is received, this advert may close early so please ensure you submit your application without delay. Interviews will be held face to face at Kingsway Hospital or Derwent Unit.

Main duties of the job

To work closely with colleagues in the Mental Health Act team to ensure high quality systems and procedures are in place in order to comply with the administration requirements of the MHA. A good understanding (or the ability to learn) the complexities of the MHA and to disseminate information appropriately within the area of responsibility. To develop and maintain good working relationships both internally and externally. To support and advise colleagues, patients and their nearest relatives on the MHA and associated procedures.

About us

Our purpose is to provide community health services to a patient population of over one million people in Derbyshire and Derby, as part of Joined Up Care Derbyshire. We employ around 4,200 substantive staff, caring for patients in 11 community hospitals and more than 30 health centres, as well as in clinics, GP practices, schools, care homes and, increasingly, in people\\\’s own homes and via virtual consultations. During the pandemic response we have led the implementation of public vaccination centres in collaboration with partners across health and social care.

Note: Trust policy for time-limited posts is that applicants who are currently employed by an NHS organisation may be appointed on a secondment basis with line manager approval before applying. Applicants not employed by an NHS organisation should be aware of sponsorship considerations.

Job responsibilities

• Understand the Trust\\\’s obligations under the MHA
• Scrutinise section papers and ensure any rectifiable error is undertaken within the specified timescale
• Ensure efficient and accurate systems are in place to manage the MHA
• Provide an accessible point of contact to advise patients and colleagues on the MHA and associated legislation
• Maintain appropriate contact with internal and external agencies to ensure MHA requirements are met
• Arrange hearings for patients detained under the MHA, requesting reports, liaising with appropriate agencies and booking venues to ensure they run smoothly
• Prepare statistics in relation to MHA reporting
• Assist with auditing of the MHA
• Use your own initiative to manage and prioritise workload within the limitation of your own knowledge
• Escalate any areas of concern in a timely manner

Person Specification

Attainment and Qualifications

• Educated to GCSE level or equivalent
• Certificate in Mental Health Law or equivalent
• ECDL or equivalent

Skills

• Ability to communicate effectively and clearly, verbally and in writing
• Computer literacy and keyboard skills
• Ability to organise a varied workload against a background of frequently changing priorities and the ability to meet deadlines
• Understand the concept and importance of confidentiality
• Ability to develop effective working relationships with staff from a variety of agencies and disciplines
• Proven ability to manage your own caseload
• Used to working with Mental Health legislation

Knowledge and experience

• Understand the essential principles and components of the Mental Health Act
• Work to deadlines and achieve the desired results
• Communicate and deliver information effectively and concisely to support a wide variety of stakeholders
• Experience of working in Mental Health Act Administration
• Knowledge of issues concerning people with mental health problems
• In-depth knowledge of the Mental Health Act
• Experience of working within the NHS
• Ability to demonstrate a working knowledge of Mental Health Tribunals

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.