Mental Health Specialist Practitioner

Job overview

The Mental Health Specialist Practitioner will provide specialist enhanced clinical assessment and support specifically to patients who have called the London Ambulance Service for Mental Health issues, or suspected Mental Health issues.

The post-holder will follow a rolling rota that will see them complete shifts within our Emergency Operations Center undertaking telephone assessments on patients experiencing a mental health crisis and providing over the phone support to ambulance crews across the city with regards to mental health queries.

You will also have opportunity to work alongside a paramedic on our Mental Health Joint Response Car.

Working as an autonomous practitioner the post holder is expected to provide advanced assessment, clinical decisions and co-ordinated complex and challenging situations in regards to the management and treatment of this patient group. The Mental Health Specialist Practitioner will conduct telephone assessments and provide remote advice to crews on-scene with mental health patients as well as be deployed to as both a primary and an additional resource to mental health patients as well

Main duties of the job

London Ambulance Service NHS Trust is the biggest and busiest emergency ambulance service in the UK with over 5,500 staff who work across a wide range of roles. Our service operates over an area of approximately 620 square miles across London based in 70 ambulance stations.

As an integral part of the NHS in London, we work closely with hospitals and other healthcare professionals, as well as with other emergency services. We are also central to planning for, and responding to, large-scale events or major incidents in the capital.

Post location: Ilford Ambulance Station for Mental Health Car shifts. Waterloo or Dockside (EOC) for Control Room Shifts.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Provide specialist mental health input as part of pre-hospital mental health care within the London Ambulance Service by:

• Working in our Emergency Operations Centre conducting telephone based assessments, remote support to ambulance crews, and maintaining an overview of clinical safety for patients calling 999 with regards to mental health presentation.
• Face to face assessments as part of the Mental Health Joint Response Car.
• Ensuring that there is a parity of esteem for patients using the LAS for a Mental Health crisis.
• Maintaining consistently high CPI scores for clinical care as per audit procedure.
• Regular delivery of training sessions to LAS staff.
• Developing strong local links with relevant Mental Health providers.
• Supporting the Consultant Nurse and Paramedic Mental Health in the development of services.
• Being a visible leader and champion of evidence based mental health care.
• Establish and maintain collaborative working relationships across all Sectors/services in the organization, and external partners, e.g. EOC, Clinical Hub, A&E department leads, Other NHS providers, including Mental Health Providers and Service user groups.
• Demonstrate expertise in acute mental health care in the pre-hospital setting.
• Operate as an autonomous practitioner responding at times as a sole resource.
• Demonstrate clinical leadership and co-ordination to the management of patients in a Mental Health Crisis.