Job summary
- Main area
- Community Psychiatry
- Grade
- Band 6
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time - 30 hours per week (9am-5pm Monday to Friday)
- Job ref
- 334-NUR-7524490-SA
- Employer
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Lewisham Care Home Intervention Team
- Town
- London
- Salary
- £46,419 - £55,046 Pro rata inclusive of HCAS
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 13/11/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Community Practitioner
Band 6
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.
We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’.
We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone’s potential as change makers.
The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.
Our Values
We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I’m going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you’ll be part of something special.
As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen to taken on a role as a Community Practitioner in the Lewisham Care Home Intervention Team (CHIT). This is an ideal post for someone passionate about supporting care home staff to improve the quality of person-centred care they provide for people with behaviours that challenge, and would suit a current band 6 wanting to expand their experience, or an enthusiastic and skilled band 5 who is keen to develop into a community post.
You will be someone who is passionate about working with older adults living with dementia or other mental health needs and who wants to make a difference in the lives of people that live and work in care homes. We encourage applications from clinicians who value creativity, innovative thinking, originality and are looking for a role that fits with these values. You will also have excellent collaboration, negotiation and communication skills, as the staff and the residents in the care homes you will work with face many challenges that have increased significantly in recent years. You will need to be motivated and enthusiastic about providing high quality person-centred care and be someone who is able to inspire others to do so too.
Main duties of the job
The post-holder will be a registered nurse, occupational therapist or social worker. They will be expected to carry out assessments and formulate care plans for care home residents who experience behaviours that challenge in the context of dementia or mental illness. They will manage a defined caseload which includes developing and evaluating care plans in collaboration with care home staff, care home residents and their relatives. They will work with the team to support care home staff skill development.
Working for our organisation
We are a multi-disciplinary team who work with people aged 65 and above living in residential or nursing care homes in Lewisham. We specialise in understanding the behaviours that challenge care staff in the context of a person’s mental health needs.
We also seek to continually improve our service and the lives of residents by using QI methodology in partnership with care homes. We are dedicated to supporting professional development, and we welcome contributions towards team development.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
1) To promote a holistic, person-centred assessment and formulation framework to local authority and private providers of older people’s care, and to support care home staff to implement a plan of care.
2) To manage a clinical caseload of service users with behaviours that challenge, who may also experience co-morbidity.
3)To develop and facilitate education/training opportunities to enhance the knowledge of care home staff, and to develop skills to promote the wellbeing of service users with dementia and mental illness.
4) To work in a consultation role with service users, carers and staff to provide consultation and supervision to stakeholders and associated professionals about behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia or behaviours that challenge in the context of mental illness issues.
5) To act as a voice for those we work with to ensure that service user and carer views are incorporated into the development of the service.
6) Contribute to clinical audit and outcome measures with the support of the MDT. Attend meetings, forums and working groups as appropriate.
7) To ensure anti-discriminatory practice is upheld and promoted. To ensure relevant legislation and practice is upheld. Continually seek to improve practice via reflective learning, making effective use of supervision, training and learning opportunities.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Qualified and Registered Mental Health Nurse/Social Worker/Occupational Therapist
- Evidence of continued professional development
Desirable criteria
- Further training relevant to Older Adult Mental Health care
- For nurses: Mentorship qualification; For AHPs/SW, experience in supervision of trainees
Experience/ Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Experience in working with people who display behaviours that challenge
- Experience of working as part of a multi-disciplinary team
- Experience of assessment and casework which meets the needs of older adults with mental health problems who are supported in the community
- Experience of assessing and managing complex risk issues in the context of community work with people who have mental health problems.
- Experience of contributing to research, clinical audit, quality improvement and / or service development
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge and/or experience of dementia care mapping, psychological formulation, person centred care, or other interventions relevant to people with dementia
- Experience of working within a care home environment or supporting staff working in this environment
- Experience of working with other client groups and of using a variety of models/approaches to care
- Knowledge of all relevant legislation associated with mental health care, including Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, Care Act, and Human Rights Act
Skills, Abilities and Attitudes
Essential criteria
- Genuine commitment to improving the quality of life for people with challenging behaviour living in care homes
- Innovative, creative approach to work, with a willingness to try new ideas
- Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing. Ability to present ideas in a clear and concise way and vary communication styles according to audience
- Ability to manage and organise own time effectively and to produce work on time and to a high standard
- Full commitment to equal opportunities and client-centred practice
- Skills in resolving conflict and encouraging others to see different sides of a problem
- Skilled reflective practitioner. Recognition of own limitations, strengths and weaknesses and an ability to seek advice when necessary
- Ability to gain the trust, confidence and respect of clients, their relatives and staff working in care homes
- Ability to meet the physical requirements of the role (visiting residents in care homes across the borough, sometimes at short notice)
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of all relevant legislation associated with mental health care, including Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, Care Act, and Human Rights Act
- Understanding of the role and function of other organisations providing services to older people with mental health problems
- Methodical approach to work with attention to detail using established IT skills
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Sarah Ellis
- Job title
- Team Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 020 3228 8672
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