Mental Health Clinical Advisor - Nottinghamshire & Lincolnshire

Job summary
Are you looking for a new and challenging role? Do you have experience of working in Mental Health?

As part of our new Mental Health Strategy, EMAS have exciting opportunities for enthusiastic applicants to join our Clinical Assessment Team (CAT) working within a multi-disciplinary team based in our Emergency Operations Centres to deliver quality care to our patients and provide advice to the wider EMAS team.

We are looking for Registered Clinicians/Occupational Therapists /Social Workers with an extensive background in supporting Mental Health

Our Mental Health Strategy enables us to meet the objectives of the NHS Long Term Plan (2019) which identifies ambulance services as being integral in supporting people who are experiencing a mental health crisis. That is why we are recruiting more mental health staff into our emergency operation centres so that patients can be supported via 'hear and treat', appropriate pathways/appropriate signposting.

The CAT comprises paramedics, nurses, midwives, and mental health practitioners. Team members provide advice to patients and operational staff referring or signposting them to services and places where alternative, more appropriate care can be provided. This allows our ambulance crews and hospital colleagues to provide face-to-face care and treatment to those who are in most need.

Our Emergency Operations Centres (EOC) are based in Nottingham and Lincolnshire and on average receive one call every 34 seconds.

Main duties of the job
Main duties of the role include:

• Provide urgent telephone triage assessment of patients.
• Provide high quality and evidenced based clinical care to patients in Crisis by signposting to appropriate MH teams/pathways.
• Ensure appropriate and accurate entry to records and documentation.
• Provide a calm and confident resource to colleagues in stressful situations, providing leadership in mental health.
• Exercise advanced skills in de-escalation of distress, and anger.
• Demonstrate appropriate control and leadership in situations where people may be frightened, aggressive and/or violent.
• Actively make your experience available as a resource for advice and support to other members of the team.
• Liaise with other Healthcare Professionals, including Paramedics, Doctors, GP's, Nurses, Allied Healthcare Professionals and Social Care Professionals from Primary and Secondary care as well as third sector organisations.
• To Support 999 Call Handlers in the assessment of emergency calls where required.

About us
The post holder will report to the Clinical Assessment Team (CAT) Manager for Mental Health. They will be part of a wider Multi-Disciplinary Team across both CAT and the wider Emergency Operations Centre.

The course start date for this vacancy is 02/02/2026. We have no further courses planned for this role, however if you are successful at interview you will be placed in a holding pool for future courses.

Job responsibilities
Main responsibilities:

• Provide urgent telephone triage assessment of patients.
• Provide high quality and evidenced based clinical care to patients in Crisis by signposting to appropriate MH teams/pathways.
• Ensure appropriate and accurate entry to records and documentation.
• Provide a calm and confident resource to colleagues in stressful situations, providing leadership in mental health.
• Exercise advanced skills in de-escalation of distress, and anger.
• Demonstrate appropriate control and leadership in situations where people may be frightened, aggressive and/or violent.
• Actively make your experience available as a resource for advice and support to other members of the team.
• Liaise with other Healthcare Professionals, including Paramedics, Doctors, GPs, Nurses, Allied Healthcare Professionals and Social Care Professionals from Primary and Secondary care as well as third sector organisations.
• To Support 999 Call Handlers in the assessment of emergency calls where required.
• Be aware of the importance of safeguarding and accurate / timely escalation within the East Midlands Ambulance Service.

The team will where appropriate, provide signposting and facilitate access to appropriate services in the community.

• Provide a service, which is in line with Local Working Instructions, i.e. patient focused, accessible and responsive on a 24-hour basis.
• Demonstrate respect for all team members, maximising potential through the diverse roles within the team.
• Attend team meetings as required.
• Maintain and develop expertise in the acute care of people with a serious mental health problem, including the management of people at risk of suicide.
• Liaison with other teams and services to ensure that quality and timely services are delivered.
• Provide profession-specific interventions relevant to the needs of service users.
• Actively seek to improve own practice by seeking new and innovative ideas for the delivery of care and maintain CPD.
• Actively address areas of concern and report any areas of concern to the clinical duty and operational managers
• Maintain an up to date knowledge of other relevant Crisis and Emergency Services.
• Participate in supervision, as per the Trust policy, on a regular and formal basis.
• Manage time and resources effectively within available constraints _.
• Practice within NMC/HCPC/Trust/Professional bodies guidelines where appropriate.

Service Development and Improvement

• To bring about a reduction in the numbers of calls and the duration of calls made by patients calling with Mental Health related needs. This will be achieved by:
• Improving signposting to appropriate alternative care pathways.
• The Mental Health Clinical Advisor will screen 999 calls and triage those that are from callers about mental health issues, to enable the best possible care outcomes for patients with mental health problems. They will make dynamic triage decisions and refer patients on to local MH services as appropriate.
• Support management team and contribute to continuous improvements and development of services for Mental Health Clinical Advisors.
• They will prioritise workload to ensure that all patients receive a timely intervention. This will be achieved by:
• Providing expert mental health advice, including that relating to clinical risk, Mental Health Act or Mental Capacity Act.
• Support the development of innovative ways of working within and across organisations to improve the delivery of care.

Person Specification
Experience
Essential

• Post registration experience of working with people experiencing acute mental health problems.
• Experience of working with people at risk.
• Excellent assessment of clinical risk and experience of risk management.
• Experience and ability to work within and across a multi-disciplinary teams.

Desirable

• Experience of dual diagnosis and substance misuse.
• Experience of working with patients with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
• Experience within telephone triage.

Qualifications and Professional Development
Essential

• Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) Registered Mental Health Nurse, HPC Occupational Therapist or Mental Health Social Worker.
• Minimum of 2 years post registration with relevant clinical practice as a mental health practitioner in either Acute Inpatients, Crisis Teams, Emergency Department Liaison, Single Point of Access or as a Community Psychiatric Nurse. Evidence of post qualification development and current registration.
• Can demonstrate a sound working knowledge of the whole system and relevant care pathways.
• Evidence of undertaking regular update training and continuous personal/professional development in accordance with NMC/HPC regulations and Trust requirements as amended from time to time.

Knowledge and Skills
Essential

• A clear understanding of the professional role, both profession specific and the generic nature of a crisis practitioner.
• A good understanding of the needs of people with mental health problems who are in acute crisis.
• Medically fit, the role requires applicants to work rotating shifts to provide 24/7 cover and possible operational incidents.
• Strong listening and communication skills with a caring and compassionate approach.
• Highly organised and priority conscious.
• Excellent computer skills

Desirable

• Experience of NHS pathways
• Knowledge of ambulance service working and clinical policies and procedures.

Personal Sttributes
Essential

• Demonstrate respect for all service provision/team members, maximizing potential through the diverse roles across services.
• Will know, maintain and constantly strive to improve, all standards of care.
• Ability to consult, liaise and negotiate with service users, carers/family members, other professionals and the wider community.
• Commitment to the delivery of services that are responsive to service users, culture, gender and families.
• Able to assess people at risk and seek appropriate advice and support.
• Can demonstrate ability to act on own initiative.
• Ability to work in partnership with other teams and services.
• Capacity to embrace change.
• Calm and confident with people who are in distress.
• Reflective and considered approach to problem solving.
• An awareness of the limitations of the role and when to escalate to senior staff.
• Maintain an up to date knowledge of professional, legal and ethical standards of practice, in accordance with professional codes of conduct.
• Demonstrates an awareness of professional development needs in relation to this post.
• Demonstrate compassion and alignment with the Trust's Values.

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.

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).

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).