Job summary
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:
Fulham Ambulance Station or Ilford Ambulance Station for Mental Health Car shifts.

Waterloo or Dockside (EOC) for Control Room Shifts (flexible which based on candidate preference).

About us
Our vision is to deliver outstanding emergency and urgent care whenever and wherever needed for everyone in London, 24/7, 365 days a year. Our strategy 2023-2028 outlines how we plan to achieve this, and is centred upon three missions focused on:

Our care delivering outstanding emergency and urgent care whenever and wherever needed.

Our organisation being an increasingly inclusive, well-led and highly skilled organisation people are proud to work for.

Our London using our unique pan-London position to contribute to improving the health of the capital.

To achieve these three missions we have set ourselves 50 commitments to deliver over the next five years. In developing these ambitious commitments, we have engaged extensively both inside our organisation, with our partners and with our patients, and we have analysed population trends and horizon scanned the future.

Job 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.

Person Specification
Qualifications, Accreditations, Education
Essential

• BSc in relevant degree or equivalent experience
• Significant post registration experience with current NMC/HCPC registration
• Mentorship Qualification and experience of mentoring students
• Commitment to CPD

Desirable

• Willingness to undertake the Advanced Practice Course
• Masters degree in healthcare related subject or equivalent experience

Experience
Essential

• Advanced bio psychosocial mental health assessment skills, including formulation and differential diagnosis and experience of autonomous decision making
• Significant post registration experience in acute mental health care
• Current understanding of research, and application of evidence based practice
• Significant experience of working within a positive risk taking framework and feel confident in doing so.
• Ability to work in high pressured environments
• Ability to make sound clinical decisions which are evidence based
• Management of agitated and hostile patients
• Be able to implement brief interventions to be able to help alleviate distress to patients
• Sound awareness of current mental health services and their functions
• In-depth knowledge of the Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act and be able to confidently work within legislation and demonstrate use of application within practice.
• Excellent negotiation and conflict resolution skills.
• Good understanding of the effects of alcohol and street drug (including legal highs) on a patients presentation
• Experience of management of first episodes of suspected mental illness
• Able to manage and co-ordinate other staff members who may not be from a Mental Health background.
• Ability to provide clinical advice and guidance to other colleagues
• Experience of co-ordinating staff

Knowledge and Skills
Essential

• Well-developed leadership and influencing skills with the ability to enthuse, motivate and involve individuals and teams, and have them understand the Trusts and your performance expectations
• Experience of working autonomously as a practitioner with patients experiencing a mental health crisis
• Contributing to the development of policy, protocols and procedures
• Proven ability to analyse complex problems and to develop and successfully implement practical and workable solutions to address them
• Ability to collaborate constructively with internal and external partners to create the conditions for successful partnership working
• Autonomous working, managing a clinical caseload and being able to prioritise accordingly which is matched to clinical need, risk and resources.
• Experience of clinical leadership
• Dynamic risk assessment skills
• Effective time management; able to manage own workload
• Timely completion of task and accurate record keeping

Desirable

• Experience of undertaking telephone based assessments
• Experience of practising Mental health nursing in non-traditional settings

Personal Abilities
Desirable

• Ability to remain calm in a busy environment
• Ability to deal confidentially with personal and sensitive information
• Flexible approach to work with good organizational skills
• Ability to work using own initiative and as part of multidisciplinary team
• Excellent inter-personal and communication skills with good listening skills;
• Strong sense of commitment to openness, honesty and integrity in undertaking the role.
• Prolonged VDU use

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).