Job summary
- Main area
- Primary Care Plus
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 4
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 294-COMM-7261406-JB
- Employer
- South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Springfield University Hospital
- Town
- London
- Salary
- £31,944 - £34,937 per annum inclusive of inner London HCAS
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 22/06/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Primary Care Mental Health Recovery Worker
NHS AfC: Band 4
South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We provide a full range of local mental health services to the Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Sutton and Wandsworth London boroughs, as well as specialist forensic mental health services, including specialised services such as national deaf adults and CAMHS inpatients and OCD.
We are committed to providing high quality integrated health and social care for local people with mental health problems in South West London and more specialist mental health services for people throughout the UK. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’ however we aim to be ‘outstanding’.
Our Values
We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values; being consistent, compassionate, collaborative, respectful and open is at the heart of everything we do. Our mission is "making life better together".
When you join us, you’ll be part of something special – an innovative and rapidly growing organisation that is helping to redefine the Mental Health, education and social care landscape in the UK.
As a Trust, we are happy to talk flexible working.
Job overview
A fantastic opportunity has arisen to join a GP service as a Support Worker with experience, and interest in supporting people with mental health problems, and to join the Primary Care Plus service in Wandsworth, Putney & Roehampton and Battersea area.
The team will facilitate successful step down from secondary community mental health Teams (CMHTs) or Recovery Support Teams (RSTs), to General Practitioners (GPs), and Primary Care services.
The Primary Care Plus service provides an enhanced level of primary care support to patients (18yrs +) with serious mental illness operating flexibly as both a step-up and step-down model. Service users include those stepped down from South West London & St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust (SWL) to primary care and those who are appropriate to step up from a GP practice (Serious Mental Illness) SMI Register. People aged 18 years onwards would access the service and would serve those with a diagnosis of stable schizophrenia and psychosis, bipolar disorder, personality disorder and complex anxiety and depression (typically mental health clusters 11, 8, 5 and 7). The service is not aimed at people with mild to moderate anxiety and depression (clusters 1-4) as these are usually served by IAPT services.
Main duties of the job
As Recovery Support worker you will work with mental health service users, their carers’ and other agencies to:
- Work in conjunction with team members of all disciplines to provide a seamless, safe and comprehensive Service.
- Assist in supporting early intervention with primary care, promote self-management through the ‘Wellness Plan’ for service-users on the Serious Mental Illness (SMI) register, and provide greater integration with community support services.
-Provide regular and effective mental health /physical health reviews to SMI service-users.
- Help with the improvement of pathways between primary and secondary care (and vice-versa) to ensure that they are a key element of the service.
- Champion the Trust values within the team
- Work at all times to promote the safety and the well-being of service users and their families/carers.
- Build trusting and collaborative relationships with service users
- Understand what is important to the service user in their life
- Help and support the service user to develop and set goals with what is important to them
- Help them to feel hopeful about the things that are important to them
- Provide support and advice with being involved in their community – for example housing, employment, education, welfare benefits, social life and peer networks
- Help service users to feel in control of their life including self-management tools and techniques
Working for our organisation
We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust.
We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’ - we aspire to be ‘outstanding’.
This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services.
We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.
We offer flexible working, career development and a variety of benefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Working autonomously within the parameters of the role leading on
implementing the delivery of quality nursing care, contributing to the physical, psychological, social, recreational and spiritual care in a recovery-focused way through therapeutic engagement and activities, and taking steps to address any issues that arise.
Leading on and undertaking activities to ensure that the fundamentals of care are met - nutrition, hydration, hygiene, comfort, emotional and social support.
Subject to the requirements of a particular service area and within the confines of the role, following trust policy/government regulatory guidance and upon successful completion of an approved programme of study and competency assessment signed by ward manager for the clinical area, the post-holder will administer routine medications.
Supporting and ensuring the day-to-day smooth running of the clinical area.
This will include coordinating and prioritising activities.
Demonstrating an enhanced understanding of Mental Health signs and
symptoms and an understanding of how these may present in practice
including recognition of impact on patient presentation and behaviour including risk factors. Supporting junior staff to develop understanding of mental health signs and symptoms and develop appropriate responses to these in practice.
Recognizing and responding appropriately to challenging behaviour in line with Trust policies and training. Supporting junior staff in managing difficult
situations and de’escalation and developing resilience and strategies to manage.
Demonstrating a depth of knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of the MHA, MCA and DOLS and other legislation applicable to the practice area and how they are implemented in practice ensuring adherence to legislation at all times.
Person specification
Training & Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Foundation Degree – or studying towards or equivalent level of educational attainment
- Completion of Care Certificate and acquired competencies
- English and Mathematics basic qualifications (eg GCSE at Grade C or above or evidence of Level 2 in Functional skills for numeracy and literacy)
Experience
Essential criteria
- Clinical experience minimum 1 year and experience of engaging with service users / patients
- Knowledge of treatment options
Desirable criteria
- Experience in different clinical care settings
- Experience in supervision of staff
Skills & Abilities
Essential criteria
- Able to provide quality care that is responsive to service user’s needs, with supervision available but not always present, and acting on own initiative, within protocols, policies and care plans.
- Able to plan and co-ordinate and prioritise own and team work within a shift system.
- Communications skills – receiving and conveying sensitive information, with staff and with service users and able to keep accurate records. Knowing when to escalate concerns and to whom Credible in a multi-professional environment Ability to positively engage distressed individuals and de-escalate highly-aroused situations
- Highly resilient and able to respond to difficult interpersonal situations, which may, at times, be traumatic / distressing.
- Approachable and self-aware, including the ability to self-reflect. Understanding forms of effective working relationships with colleagues
- Intrinsically motivated to do a good job and to motivate others.
Desirable criteria
- Training and experience in specialist skills such as ECG, Vital Signs, Phlebotomy
- Experience in facilitating groups
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
- Joseph Manu
- Job title
- Team Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07971669791
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