About this role
Job summary
The post holder will be a member of the Milton Keynes Community Mental Health Hub and will deliver timely, safe and person-centred triage of routine adult mental health referrals transferred from SPA. The post holder will review referral information, make proportionate contact with the person and referrer where required, complete biopsychosocial assessment and risk formulation, determine the most appropriate pathway and document a clear outcome. The role will primarily focus on triage, formulation, clinical decision-making, advice, signposting and timely onward allocation.
Where required by service need, the post holder may also undertake caseload management, act as keyworker and provide time-limited psychosocial interventions. The post holder will work closely with SPA, primary care, CRHTT, Hub pathways and partner agencies, escalating any presentation that cannot safely remain within the routine pathway.
Main duties of the job
As part of the Community Mental Health Hub, you will provide skilled clinical triage and assessment for routine adult mental health referrals received from SPA. You will use professional judgement to assess need, risk and urgency, working collaboratively with service users, carers, referrers and the wider multidisciplinary team to agree safe and appropriate outcomes. The role includes contributing to daily referral discussions, supporting allocation, signposting and onward referral, and escalating concerns where increased risk or urgency is identified. You will promote recovery-focused, strengths-based and trauma-informed practice, maintain high standards of clinical documentation and decision-making, and contribute to the supervision and development of colleagues and students.
About us
Our Hub is a busy, supportive and evolving service where teamwork really matters. We encourage people to bring their ideas, learn from one another and have a voice in how we improve. You'll be joining a team that values openness, collaboration and development, with a shared commitment to providing the best possible care for the people and communities we serve.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Receive routine adult mental health referrals from SPA and undertake timely clinical triage and proportionate biopsychosocial assessment to establish need, risk, urgency and the appropriate response.
- Review available clinical information and liaise with the person, carers, referrers and other professionals as required to support safe, evidence-based decision-making.
- Apply agreed Hub thresholds, referral criteria and clinical pathways consistently, using professional judgement and seeking senior clinical support for complex decisions.
- Assess and formulate risk, protective factors and safety needs, escalating promptly to SPA, CRHTT, emergency, safeguarding or senior Hub clinicians where increased urgency or risk is identified.
- Present triaged referrals at the daily referrals meeting and contribute to multidisciplinary decision-making, prioritisation and clear documentation of agreed outcomes.
- Ensure people, carers and referrers receive clear information about decisions, next steps, expected timescales, safety-netting and routes for re-contact or escalation.
- Support appropriate allocation, signposting and onward referral to Hub pathways, primary care, NHS Talking Therapies, voluntary and community services, substance misuse, social care and other relevant agencies.
- Promote recovery-focused, strengths-based and least restrictive practice, involving people and those important to them wherever possible and considering consent, capacity, equality and reasonable adjustments.
- Maintain high standards of autonomous professional practice, clinical reasoning, documentation and defensible decision-making.
- Use skilled engagement, trauma-informed communication and brief assessment approaches and, where required, deliver evidence-based individual or group psychosocial interventions.
- Recognise the social, cultural and wider factors affecting mental health and provide respectful, inclusive and person-centred care.
- Where required by service need, manage an allocated caseload/keyworker role, remaining accountable for assessment, care planning, coordination, review and safe transfer or discharge.
- Contribute actively to multidisciplinary formulation, care planning, reviews and shared clinical decision-making.
- Provide clinical supervision, professional guidance and development support to junior or less experienced colleagues as appropriate.
- Support students as a practice supervisor and, where appropriately qualified, practice assessor.
- Participate in regular clinical and managerial supervision with the Community Mental Health Hub Team Manager.
Person Specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- RMN, Mental Health SW, Mental health OT Current registration with NMC or HPCC Evidence of regular updating of practice in line with professional registration requirements
Desirable
- Mentorship/practice teacher certificate MSc or postgraduate diploma in mental health interventions
SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES
Essential
- Ability to recognise deterioration or urgent risk, escalate appropriately and work confidently across routine and urgent pathway interfaces.
- To communicate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing.
- Knowledge of Personalisation and the Recovery approach
Desirable
- Knowledge of the socio-economic factors in relation to mental health problems
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE
Essential
- Demonstrable post-qualification experience in adult mental health services.
- Experience of completing biopsychosocial mental health assessments and risk formulations, making autonomous clinical decisions and managing competing priorities.
Desirable
- Experience Of working contact with primary health care team.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details
Employer name
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
Address
MK CMH HUB, Bletchley Community Hospital
Whalley Drive
Milton Keynes
MK3 6EN
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/work (Opens in a new tab)