At a Glance
- Tasks: Provide specialist mental healthcare to offenders and work with a dynamic team.
- Company: Join Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, the largest NHS provider of prison health services.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, career development, and a chance to make a real difference.
- Other info: Be part of a skilled multidisciplinary team and contribute to innovative mental health solutions.
- Why this job: Gain unique experience in mental health within a challenging yet rewarding environment.
- Qualifications: Degree in health/social care and relevant registration required.
We are pleased to announce an exciting opportunity for a Mental Health Practitioner to join our team at HMP Rochester and HMP Cookham Wood. This role provides a unique chance to gain valuable experience working in a prison environment.
As a Mental Health Practitioner you will be providing specialist mental healthcare to offenders and working as part of the Mental Health In-Reach Team, plus wider mental health services. You will be required to work in a psychologically minded way with offenders in achieving their agreed goals and quality health outcomes.
Our Mental Health Team provide specialist interventions at primary and secondary care level including:
- Referral management
- Screening assessment
- Triage
- Evidence-based interventions
- Care planning and risk assessing
- One-to-one and group-work facilitation
Our Mental Health Practitioners manage a mixed and challenging caseload and are required to perform robust assessment, screening and interventions to offenders with learning disabilities and mental health conditions. You will contribute to alternatives to inpatient admission and assisting with early discharge through the implementation of high intensity interventions and complex case management arrangements.
Important: All applicants must be willing to undertake National Security Vetting in order to work in a Prison Setting. This will be completed as part of the pre-employment checks through Oxleas and the prison vetting team.
To perform robust assessment, screening, and interventions to service users with mental health and neurodevelopmental and trauma needs. Ensure that all waiting time, assessment and interventions are delivered in a timely manner, and positively contribute to the achievement of the services performance targets.
Ensure integrated and collaborative working with other specialist services, including continuity of care and through the gate arrangements and liaison. Work closely with community mental health teams (CMHTs) to ensure appropriate sharing of information, continuity of care and the Care Programme Approach (CPA) for all service users where necessary.
To provide comprehensive and timely reports and mental health expertise to multi agency public protection panels (MAPPA), police, probation services, solicitors and court liaison teams as directed. Deliver active clinical leadership and supervision within the team, covering for the manager and colleagues as required.
The post holder will be part of a skilled multidisciplinary team (MDT) comprising of all healthcare staff, including strategic partners, and prison managing a single referral pathway. The post holder will be required to hold a caseload and care co-ordinate services uses with secondary mental health and complex needs.
Education/Qualifications:
- Diploma level/Degree in relevant health/social care profession, eg RMN, RLDN OT, Social Worker.
- Current relevant registration with the NMC or HCPC.
Experience:
- Two years substantive post-registration experience gained working in a range of frontline adult mental health services, undertaking assessment and delivering interventions.
Skills/Abilities/Knowledge:
- Commitment to CPD, is able to deliver from a range of possible key therapeutic interventions CBT, Psychosocial interventions, Family Interventions, DBT approaches.
- Demonstrates a developed understanding of the recovery principles, and the role of secondary mental health services in the delivery of care.
Mental Health Practitioner in Rochester employer: National health service
The London Ambulance Service NHS Trust is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment that prioritises patient safety and service improvement. With a strong commitment to employee development, including leadership training and apprenticeship programmes, staff are empowered to grow their skills while contributing to the health of London. The Trust's inclusive culture and focus on quality management ensure that employees feel valued and supported in their vital roles.
