Clinical Lead

Job overview

The First Response Service is providing an exciting opportunity for a Clinical Lead with experience or interest in Dual Diagnosis work to join the service.

The First Response Service operates on a 24/7 basis, providing support to service users across Warrington,  St Helen's, Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool and Sefton,  delivering urgent triage and assessments for those in mental health crisis.

The post holder will be expected to work flexibly across weekdays, weekends and nights in accordance with service need.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will provide support for the team from a clinical and leadership perspective (covering a service operating 24 hours a day 7 days a week). They will be responsible for supporting the overall standards which will include assessment of need, risk screening and delivery of care in line with the organisations policy and procedures.

The post holder will work to ensure continuity of care for service users on their journey through the service.  The post holder will be multi-skilled and adaptable and be expected to be flexible in terms of delivering care within a variety of settings. They will undertake triage and assessments, providing enhanced risk assessment and care delivery to those presenting in mental health crisis.

The post holder will be a part of and work closely with the Clinical / Operational Leadership Team to ensure effective and safe services. The post holder will ensure effective communication and provide sound clinical supervision to junior staff.

The post holder will provide appropriate education within the team and wider health economy in line with Key Performance Targets and identified need.

The post holder will support the development of a skilled and flexible workforce within the First Response Service, ensuring staff are supported in developing and maintaining appropriate level of skills.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To coordinate the care of service users; carrying out assessments, evaluation and safety planning  for their own clients and engaging in safety huddles with the wider team.

To ensure that the service users care plan is developed to meet the assessed need of the individual and that unqualified staff are delivering care as identified in the care plan.

To liaise with family members, carers and significant others when completing the assessment and developing a care plan.

To undertake and supervise risk assessments and formulation of risk management plan for service users under your care, taking note of the contributions from other members of the team, family members carers and significant others.

To ensure Safeguarding Children and Adults requirements are followed and participate in meetings as appropriate.

To support unqualified staff to ensure delivery of a high standard of care to service users.

To participate in setting standards for care based on sound evidence based and research findings.

To communicate to other members of the multi-disciplinary team information which has an impact on the service user’s care.

To use verbal and non-verbal communication skills gained through training or experience to impart sensitive information.

To check understanding of information where there are barriers to effective communications.

To give and receive accurate up-to-date information regarding service users’ care in reviews and multi-disciplinary meetings etc. These reviews may be external to the trust.

To have accurate and up-to–date knowledge of the Mental Health Act / Mental Capacity Act and other relevant legislation.

To ensure that all relevant information with regards to a service users care and treatment is documented accurately and legibly into the health record. To supervise and monitor the entries made by unqualified staff.

To ensure that all incidents or near misses are documented as per trust policy and that any follow up action is taken.

To react pro-actively in cases of service user crisis and put in place immediate plans to resolve the situation with supervision and guidance as appropriate.

To actively participate in team meetings, development and reflective practice.

PROFESSIONAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

To be responsible for maintaining relevant professional registration and PREP requirements.

To participate in ongoing learning to maintain and develop practice utilising CPD, self directed learning reflective practice coaching mentorship clinical supervision and performance management in the interests and needs of yourself and the service.

To provide an effective link between mental health services and primary care, acting in an advisory capacity to professionals in other fields.

To develop effective working relationships with other professional outside of the Trust to enhance the delivery of care to service users.

To participate as a supervisor and supervisee in the Divisional performance management / supervision framework.

To take responsibility for maintaining and developing own knowledge and sills within own area of work.

To attend, as appropriate, courses and conferences, and to feedback and share knowledge, gained from attendance.

To be professionally accountable for own actions as a registered practitioner.

To act, always, in accordance with trust policies and procedures, ensuring that unqualified staff are adhering to policy and procedure.

To undertake mandatory training as identified by the Trust and Division to ensure that all actions are in line with training.

To keep up to date with developments in professional practice and make recommendations for change to senior staff, as appropriate.