Job summary
- Main area
- Mental Health Practitioner
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 6
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 334-CLI-7144180-A
- Employer
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Maudsley Hospital
- Town
- London
- Salary
- £44,806 - £53,134 per annum inclusive of HCAs
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 17/06/2025 23:59
Employer heading
CASCAID (HIV Liaison) Mental Health Practitioner
NHS AfC: 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
This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and committed registered mental health nurse; occupational therapist or social worker, to work with CASCAID, a specialist HIV mental health liaison team.
CASCAID is a small multi-professional HIV mental health team, comprising consultant psychiatrist, mental health nurse, social worker/team manager, psychological therapy staff and business manager.
Our service covers the London Boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham and Croydon. Clients are seen in outpatient settings (i.e. at the Maudsley Hospital), or in their HIV treatment centres, and when necessary/appropriate in their own home.
We help people who are experiencing mental health issues related to their experience of living with HIV. We provide mental health assessment, treatment, liaison, support and psychological therapy.
CASCAID’s strength lies in its bio-psycho-social approach, specialist knowledge developed over 30 years, and long-established relationships with HIV treatment centres. Regular multi-professional meetings across physical and mental health care teams ensure holistic and integrated care. The team’s work is highly valued by referrers and service users alike.
Our team’s maxim is: “We take a holistic approach, which recognizes diversity, values difference, and endeavors to reduce the marginalization of people living with HIV.”
Main duties of the job
You will provide mental health liaison, assessment and short-term support for clients with complex mental health issues related to living with HIV. This will include contributing to and providing advice during regular MDT meetings with other HIV healthcare professionals. Our main referrers are HIV clinics, medical inpatient wards, mental health community teams and addiction services.
You will manage your own caseload, provide key-working responsibilities, addressing practical and social/welfare issues where needed and signposting where necessary. You will also hold, monitor and review clients whilst they are waiting for psychological intervention from our therapy team. Our office base is at Maudsley Hospital, Denmark Hill, but travel will be required across the 4 boroughs we serve. Some home-working is possible, but you will be expected to work in the office or an outpatient setting at least 3 days a week.
You will thrive in working with people from diverse backgrounds and be able to promote equality of access to services and help address and overcome HIV stigma.
Working for our organisation
We are committed to ensuring our staff get the most out of their benefits package and understand the importance of a healthy work life balance. There is an extensive range of excellent benefits for you and your family. We want you to feel like you are part of a close knit team at SLaM. It’s important to us that you feel valued and appreciated and that is why we have a comprehensive benefits package on offer.
Some of our benefits are highlighted here:
- Generous pay, pensions and leave, we offer a comprehensive pay, pensions and leave package which is dependent on the role and length of service.
- Work life balance, flexible working and supporting a range of flexible options, such as: part-time working and job sharing.
- Career development, There are plenty of opportunities to progress your career and we support your development through a number of programmes such as mentoring, coaching, positive people management, collective leadership and other talent programmes
- Car lease, our staff benefit from competitive deals to lease cars
- Accommodation, our staff benefit from keyworker housing which is available on selected sites
- NHS discounts, with discounts up to 10% from a variety of well-known retail brands through Health Service Discounts website.
- Other benefits include: Counselling services; Wellbeing events; Long service awards; Cycle to work scheme; Season ticket loan; Childcare vouchers; Staff restaurants
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Job Purpose:
The postholder will ensure the delivery of care to a client group who are HIV positive and presenting with complex mental health needs.
To provide assessment and support to clients referred by statutory and non-statutory agencies, linking clients into appropriate mainstream services as necessary.*
To embrace the core maxim of the service in recognising diversity, valuing difference, tackling stigma and reducing the marginalisation of people living with HIV.
To support and develop a culture which improves mental health care for patients seen in physical health environments and physical healthcare for those seen in mental healthcare environments.
To provide training and education relating to HIV, sexual health promotion and education.
To work with clients whose behaviour affects the transmission risk of HIV
Key Responsibilities:
Clinical and Client Care
· To provide assessment and interventions for clients in CASCAID HIV Liaison Service*
· To attend MDT forums (in person or online) in HIV treatment centres providing consultation and advice
· To attend Clinical Nurse Specialist meetings, providing consultation and advice
· To provide support, advice and liaison to SLaM inpatient wards, mental health teams and addictions services, co-working as necessary*
· To assess and monitor risk and draw up appropriate risk management plans; liaising with referrers, GPs and other professionals as appropriate.*
· To liaise with referrers, GPs and other professionals concerned with clients in order to develop and review care plans.*
· To co-work with other SLaM teams and/or inter-agency colleagues in providing comprehensive and holistic care for our clients; signposting where necessary
· To provide cover for the Chemsex support service (the Axis clinic) with a worker from Antidote at London Friend as necessary.
*The HIV Service is not a case-holding service
Contributing to team or service clinical functioning
· To contribute to the service delivery in acting as an interface between mental and physical health services for people living with HIV in the 4 boroughs that SlaM covers (LSLC); and embedding this practice across services
· To contribute to the HIV Liaison Services’ aims to increase the capacity for mainstream mental health services to provide support to PLHIV who also experience mental health difficulties (e.g. by providing training, and through HIV awareness initiatives)
· To be proactive in challenging discrimination and supporting the development of culturally competent services.
Policy and service development
- To contribute to the consultation and engagement of service users in planning and delivering services which meet the needs of local communities
Management and supervision
- To be responsible for contributing to the mentoring of either student nurses, OTs or social workers (including induction, training, assessment and supervision)
As this list is not exhaustive please refer to the attached job description.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Registration in relevant professional body: NMC for mental health nurses HCPC for OTs Social Work England for social workers
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of working in an outpatient mental health setting and/or within a liaison setting (A/I)
- Experience that supports working with, and addressing issues of, diversity within local communities. This may have been gained through work, research, volunteering and / or lived experience. (A/I)
- Experience of working with people with co-morbid physical and mental health problems (A/I)
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working with people living with HIV or long term conditions
- Experience of working with clients who may have problematic drug and/or alcohol use
- Experience of developing and carrying out service evaluation audits, QI improvement initiatives and research projects. (A/I)
- Experience of presenting and teaching
Knowledge and Skills
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of factors affecting HIV epidemiology, transmission and risk-taking
- Excellent communication skills and ability to form good relationships with colleagues across the NHS, third sector and other organisations
Desirable criteria
- Attended Dual Diagnosis Training
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
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
- Liz Dickson
- Job title
- Team Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07759718812
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