Job Description

We are looking for an experienced clinician to join Swindon Intensive Service leadership team, as senior practitioner.



We are looking for a registered practitioner, who can bring a wealth of knowledge, mental health experience and strong leadership skills into our dynamic, friendly and experienced team.



The Band 7 Senior Practitioner will clinically lead the team alongside other Band 7s in the leadership team. They will empower, develop, and support the whole MDT; doing this with compassion, kindness and inclusivity.



This role includes a focus on clinical quality, and the senior practitioner will lead on patient safety and quality improvement across the whole caseload. Excellent communication skills are essential, both with colleagues in the team and external partner agencies.



Working in the Intensive Service is fast paced and requires the ability to make complex decisions around service user care rapidly, whilst ensuring that plans made are safe for all involved. The post holder will need to balance their time between clinical front line duties, supporting the wider team, and leadership tasks such as QI projects and implementing learning from incidents.



If you think you have the skills required for this exciting role, we would love to hear from you!



The senior practitioner will be involved with and support complex and high risk situations; experience of managing and leading on complex cases which require a MDT approach is essential.



The post-holder will provide leadership support to the team and coordinate day to day activities alongside the shift co-ordinator, as well as being actively involved with treatment of the most complex service users on the caseload. This would be done alongside support from the wider leadership team.



The senior practitioner would support the team to work effectively and in line with best practice. They would provide consultation and training where required and they would support with supervision of staff, including reflective practice sessions.



The post holder would lead on quality improvement projects and support the team to learn from incidents.



We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust): a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.



We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.



Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.



AWP is committed to support and create a positive research and evidence-based environment and culture, which can have a beneficial impact on everyone who works for the organisation and the care we provide to those who use our services.



At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.



1. To provide clinical leadership, supervision, support and consultation to nursing staff and MDT staff in the team, in line with the relevant clinical pathway as outlined within the operational procedures.



2. Take a clinical lead on the training and development of staff both within the team and across the wider acute hospital footprint.



3. Be expected to support the band 4 - 6 practitioners in the assessment of complex service users.



4. Provide a service to inpatient colleagues, supporting timely admissions and discharges.



5. Deputise for the Team Manager in their absence and take on any delegated management duties as and when required.



6. To be responsible for, both individually and within the team, the development, delivery and review of comprehensive and complex treatment programmes using appropriate frameworks in line with evidence-based practice, including strategies to manage risk for service users with complex needs and carers, bringing in other resources as required.



7. To plan, deliver, and evaluate defined advanced specialist therapeutic interventions within sphere of expertise ,including to service users who maybe on other caseloads.



8. To oversee and deliver a range of defined activities/interventions to improve the carers' ability to support the service user and to enable them in their relationship with the service user.



9. To lead, in partnership with the team manager, ensuring the service develops and maintains excellent clinical standards, and effective caseload supervision, underpinned by robust and effective individual and team supervision processes.



10. To oversee and ensure, across the team, there are effective treatment and safety plans for service users and carers, taking account of risks to service users, carers, the organisation, staff and the public.



11. To develop and maintain, good partnership working with other services throughout all treatment episodes, including regular liaison within other access services, primary care, secondary, primary and social care.



12. Develop and maintain communication with a wide range of people/services/ agencies about complex matters or in complex situations with the purpose of sharing developing or resolving difficult or complex issues for the benefit of service users/carer and the service.



13. To represent the organisation in a range of settings, presenting, facilitating or explaining as appropriate and dealing with any questions or difficulties as they arise.



14. To personally build and lead others to build, hope inspiring relationships with service users, which acknowledge the personal journey of each person, and focus on strengths and aspirations to allow the creation of meaningful personal wellbeing plans.



15. To support the team manager in developing systems and processes for the effective management and monitoring of the team caseload, on a day-to-day basis, ensuring that time is prioritised effectively, and service users and carer receive the appropriate level of service.



16. To lead and promote a whole team approach within the service to ensure a shared ownership of the team caseload.



17. To be responsible for regularly monitoring and evaluating treatment programmes for service users and carers, making appropriate clinical/practice decision in regard to ongoing needs, and offering supervision to others.



18. To be responsible for the protection of individuals from abuse and harm in line with local safeguarding policies and procedures, by developing and reviewing with others protection plans and management strategies, ensuring the appropriate sharing of information.



19. To provide a leadership role within the team, in the absence of the Team manager, providing cover for the manager and colleagues as required.



20. To work with the Team Manager to ensure the continuing improvements to the service in line with organisational goals.



21. To maintain the single health and social care record, ensuring both paper and electronic records are kept up to date in accordance with professional and organisational standards.



22. Report and record within agreed timeframes, all activity relating to information reporting and performance requirements.



23. To participate in, and deliver as required, management, caseload and clinical supervision in accordance with trust policy.



24. Demonstrate responsibility for developing own practice in line with professional qualifications and for the development of others, both practitioners, and those in training by making use of and providing, effective feedback, specialist therapeutic clinical supervision, coaching and appraisal.



25. To adhere to professional codes of conduct ensuring required skills and competencies required are maintained.



26. Promote monitor and maintain best practice in health, safety and security of self and others, undertaking assessments and taking appropriate action where required.



27. Work with the Team Manager to develop a culture that promotes equality and values diversity.



28. Lead, practices which enable effective team working.