Job Description

Post holder will be expected to work in the London Women's Mental Health Treatment Requirement (MHTR) service; a pan-London service that has developed to reduce short-term custodial sentences and improve the wellbeing of women in the criminal justice system with mental health needs. MHTRs were introduced by the Criminal Justice Act in 2003, recognising that for many individuals who offend mental health and substance misuse issues underpin their offending behaviour. They are one of three Treatment Requirements available to the court at sentencing. Treatment requirements offer courts an alternative to short custodial sentences and aim to prevent reoffending by addressing underlying vulnerabilities and improving quality of life. This service aims to increase the use of MHTRs specifically as part of a community order or suspended sentence order. The MHTR Service will also provide the courts with information and confidence to sentence to robust and effective treatment requirements.

The service is comprised of two services:

the well-established primary care MHTR service and the pilot secondary care MHTR service. This post will sit within the main MHTR team although the work will be focused within the pilot secondary care service. London is one of three pilot sites across England, which have been commissioned to pilot an MHTR pathway into secondary care services.

Sponsorship Information for this post: We are currently unable to offer a certificate of sponsorship for this post



This is a newly developed role, supporting the team with liaison with secondary care services to secure MHTRs that are held by the secondary care team.



The post holder will be responsible for receiving referrals from court liaison and diversion teams, court-based probation teams and practitioners from the women's primary care MHTR team, for women who may be eligible for MHTR within secondary care mental health services. It will be the role of the post holder to take on the task of negotiating a care pathway for women into secondary care services by liaising with the relevant clinical teams in collaboration with the consultant clinical psychologist for the service. The post holder will also be responsible for working within local safeguarding policies and procedures and the role will involve some liaison with aligned community partner agencies, including Women's Centres. There will be opportunity to link with professionals doing similar work in other parts of the UK. The post holder will be required to collect and submit data, in order to contribute to an assessment of the effectiveness of the secondary care MHTR pilot. There will also be some outreach activity linked to raising awareness of MHTR for secondary care clinicians and members of the judiciary. The post holder may be required to be involved with data collection and assessments with service users as required.



Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes.



We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.



Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:



We're Kind



We're Fair



We Listen



We Care



Clinical



To contribute to the formulation and implementation of plans for the treatment and/or management of a client's mental health problems under the secondary care MHTR in collaboration with secondary care service providers and probation.



To evaluate and make decisions about the available treatment options for women who present at court who have current and / or pre-existing mental health problems.



To exercise autonomous professional responsibility for the assessment, onward referral and discharge of clients whose problems meet criteria for secondary care mental health services.



To provide specialist advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals contributing directly to clients' formulation and treatment plan.



To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the service, across all settings and agencies.



To contribute to risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other professions on aspects of risk assessment and risk management.



Where appropriate, taking responsibility for initiating planning and review of care plans including clients, probation practitioners, secondary mental health service providers, referring agents and others involved the network of care.



To hold a small caseload where required.



To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, using a trauma-informed and gender sensitive approach, information concerning the assessment, formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor progress during the course of both uni- and multidisciplinary care.

Research



To contribute to the Secondary Care MHTR Evaluation as required.



To gather data on success of securing secondary care MHTRs, including trusts and services that have agreed.



Develop professional skills in research, service evaluation, outcome measures and audit, and contribute to the development, evaluation and monitoring of the service's operational policies and procedures



Record and report personally generated audit and research information, and data relating to own clinical and non-clinical activity



Enter clinical and audit/research information as required into local and Trust information systems

Leadership



To support MHTR practitioners in screening cases which might be suitable for secondary care MHTR.



To take a lead in implementing the Secondary Care MHTR pathway across London in partnership with MHTR Clinical Leads, LPP leads and commissioners involved with the pilot.



Draw on a broad theoretical knowledge to develop and support the skills of assistant psychologists, and other non-psychology staff through developing and delivering teaching, training and supervision.



Identify and propose changes to work practices and procedures in own area of work, and contribute to discussions relating to MHTR service issues

Communication



To provide both training and awareness raising sessions about the use of MHTR to probation officers, members of the judiciary and secondary care mental health service professionals as indicated.



To contribute to the written service model, service policies and protocols.



Develop and maintain knowledge of local resources and relationships with relevant statutory, voluntary and community groups and organisations



Administration



To monitor referrals for MHTR and report through a monthly data capture.



To monitor attendance and adherence to MHTR once offered in collaboration with probation practitioners.



To monitor, record and report on clinical and other activities as required



Responsible for organising own day to day activities, and planning and prioritising own clinical workload



Responsible for managing own waiting lists and patterns of service user attendance in consultation with line management



Receive and send emails, and use the internet to access information relevant to professional practice and research



Use agreed platforms for video-conferencing and remote working



Professional Issues



To advise supervisor and MHTR Clinical Leads of areas of need arising within own area of work



Develop and maintain the highest professional standards of practice by continuing to gain additional post-qualification experience and skills; by participating in regular clinical and professional supervision and appraisal; by active participation in internal and external CPD activities; and by updating knowledge of current developments in own field and related disciplines, through a personal development plan agreed with line manager



Develop skills in the area of professional post-graduate teaching, training and supervision



Develop and maintain up to date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and issues in relation to forensic and general mental health services and the criminal justice system.



Develop, maintain and use knowledge and understanding of the work and approaches of other key disciplines, professions and agencies involved in the care and management network, including knowledge of medication and physical health issues, education, vocational training, employment, and social care systems



Maintain the highest standards of record-keeping including electronic data-entry and recording, report writing, and dissemination of relevant information appropriately to other professionals



To implement Trust, directorate and LPP policies and procedures



Utilise theory, literature on evidence-based practice and research to support evidence based practice in own work and work with other members of the team or department



Physical Skills



None



Responsibilities for financial and physical resources



None