Job Description

The Southwark Team for Early Psychosis (STEP) are pleased to be looking for a highly enthusiastic and dedicated fulltime care coordinator from a nursing, occupation therapy or social work background, who shares our passion for supporting people experiencing psychosis using a holistic approach.



This job gives you a fantastic chance to help improve the lives of those living with psychosis in Southwark.



Many of our current care coordinators have undertaken extra training opportunities to further develop their career, such as: open dialogue, CBTp, nurse prescribing and practice educator.

About the location:

Our office and team base are at a community outpatient's clinic at St Giles House, 1 St Giles Road, Camberwell, SE5 7UD. The office is a short walk from Denmark Hill overground station.



STEP is currently under-represented in terms of staff from Black and Ethnic Minority backgrounds, and we would strongly encourage people from these backgrounds to apply. Successful applicants will be selected on merit; however, we are committed to using Positive Action to increase the diversity of our workforce. We also strongly encourage applications from people with lived experience of mental health challenges. We see this as valuable experience and recognise the necessity of including people with lived experience in our service.



The main role of a band 5 STEP care coordinator is to support a caseload of up to around 17 service users who are experiencing first episode psychosis. Care coordinators use their skills, experience and knowledge to support service users to achieve the goals that are important to them and move forward with recovery as they see it, working with clients to identify and use early warning signs, to enable early detection and intervention.

This role includes:

Assessing service users who are newly referred to the team



Managing a complex caseload of allocated service users



Working with service user's families and other people in their networks



Working with the multi-disciplinary team to plan and implement care packages



Undertaking the role of duty worker



We value our care coordinators and appreciate the importance of investing in staff. Newly appointed care coordinators will have the opportunity to take part in early intervention training, family intervention training and other training opportunities as and when the opportunity arises.



STEP is a borough wide community service working in Southwark with people experiencing first episode psychosis.



We are a cohesive and supportive team that enjoy working with each other, and we are looking forward to welcoming more enthusiastic and passionate colleagues. We pride ourselves on being inclusive to all and ensuring coming to work is enjoyable.



The team is part of the research based Early Intervention Model and works intensively with service users and carers for up to three years, promoting social inclusion and recovery. The team consists of professionals skilled in supporting people experiencing psychosis and includes care coordinators (occupational therapists, nurses and social workers), psychiatrists, psychologists, vocational and employment specialists, and an admin team.



We are passionate about supporting people with psychosis and use a holistic approach and psycho-social interventions to do so. We pride ourselves on being an innovative service and use creative approaches to try and meet the needs of the diverse community that we serve. This includes using the Tree of Life Approach, recovery stories, and the Open Dialogue approach.



Please ensure that you use the personal statement to explain how you meet the job specification attached.

Key Responsibilities:

Assessment:

To be responsible for the assessment of newly referred adults who may be undergoing their first psychotic episode. To work with diagnostic uncertainty, providing ongoing comprehensive assessment and outcome monitoring of all caseload service users. To formulate integrated needs assessments for service users requiring commissioned services and to monitor care packages as directed. To undertake risk assessments regularly, in liaison with all other health professionals and agencies involved. To ensure that risk assessments are regularly updated, are meaningful and are reflected in care plans.

Engagement:

To assertively outreach difficult to engage service users. To meet service users regularly, to respond flexibly when agreeing venue, such as home visit, team base, education, work or recreational establishment to assist with engagement & encourage participation in treatment delivery as well as facilitating independence.

Support:

To provide on-going care co-ordination within the CPA framework of a designated caseload of service users who are experiencing their first episode of psychosis. To ensure that the Trust and Social Services CPA and Care Management protocols are followed and standards met. To provide support and advice in relation to service users regarding the issues concerning them. To work collaboratively with service users focussing on a recovery approach. Provide information to help service users make an informed choice about opportunities and services available to them and to then assist clients to obtain the required services, support and entitlement.

Interventions:

To provide interventions relevant to a first episode client group. To ensure all interventions are age appropriate and that care is sensitive to the needs of black and minority ethnic service users. To adopt a client centred approach embodied with the principles of the recovery model. To provide low intensity CBT and Mindfulness interventions under supervision. To provide psychoeducation to services users. To co-facilitate, where agreed, therapeutic groups with a focus on service user rehabilitation reintegration and social inclusion.

Families and Carers:

To involve families and carers in treatment plans where This may require direct Family Intervention work. Ensuring services are provided within guidance of the Children & Families' Act and Care Act. To ensure that the needs of carers are assessed, and the care services are offered as necessary. To provide families and carers with psychoeducation.

MDT Working:

To work in co-operation with members of the multi-disciplinary team and all other relevant health and social care professionals to assess, develop, implement and evaluate high quality packages of client-centred care. To form productive relationships with in-patient services to facilitate safe and effective discharges. To facilitate the transfer of those service users who require transfer across teams and for those who fulfil the criteria for discharge back to Primary Care. To maintain and develop liaison with GPs and practice nurses. To participate in Mental Health Act Assessments of service users that you are responsible for as appropriate. To participate in all clinical meetings. To keep the Team Manager informed of any situation concerning service user or staff health and safety as necessary.

Teaching:

To participate in teaching activities within the team and across community services. To be responsible for facilitating student training placements (in line with your own professional discipline). To provide supervision to other junior members of staff as appropriate.