AMHP Lead

Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Bedfordshire Countywide AMHP service to be a full time Band 7 AMHP Lead, covering maternity leave for 12 months. Working as an AMHP Lead for the Service you will be responsible for providing routine Mental Health Act assessments (MHA) under part 2 of the MHA (1983). You will be expected to provide triage support for the AMHP service, leading on day to day operational activities of the AMHP service on a rota basis and supporting the AMHP Operational manager to ensure the service delivers on its objectives. You will also provide and offer advice and consultation to multidisciplinary colleagues, regarding the use of mental health law and least restrictive options; to ensure the timely delivery of an appropriate, safe, effective, responsive and well led AMHP Service that is caring and maximizes people's statutory rights.

You will be required to work closely with team members, service users, carers and other relevant stakeholders to support the continued development of the AMHP Service across the county; ensuring that the achievement of best quality and performance standards are met, in line with service user and carer expectations, commissioner requirements and Trust objectives. This will include reinforcing the values and expectations of the organisation through collaborative and dynamic engagement with service users and carers that is both supportive and encouraging in nature.

Main duties of the job
The post holder will be the Duty AMHP for the AMHP Service in Luton and Bedfordshire; providing operational management to a team of AMHPs and junior staff. They will also offer expertise to multidisciplinary colleagues to ensure the timely delivery of a safe, effective, and responsive and well led AMHP Service that is caring and maximizes people's statutory rights.

As AMHP Lead, the post holder will be responsible for undertaking triage duties and undertaking of MHAAs. With an enhanced level of knowledge and expertise in relation to the use of MHA 1983 and other related legislation, such as Mental Capacity Act 2005, Human Rights Act 2008, Childrens Act 1989, Care Act 2014, Equality Act 2010. You will be expected to act as an expert within your field, providing advice and consultation to multidisciplinary colleagues to support decision making and ensuring people's statutory rights are met. As an AMHP Lead, you will be expected to work with the Operational Service Manager, ensuring it is fit for purpose.

About us
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.

Job responsibilities
To manage the effective delivery of all functions of the team, ensuring that robust arrangements are in place to support service users, carers and partner organisations, and that the effective management of human, financial and estate resources is in place to achieve Trust objectives.

To support the continued efficient and effective management of the team, providing leadership and supervision to other AMHPs. The post holder will be responsible for overseeing and reviewing allocated AMHP referrals and the allocation of other AMHPs to consider undertaking assessment under the MHA on behalf of the LSSA.

You will maintain a clinical role, conducting complex MHAAs and supervising, coaching and supporting other AMHPs with their MHA assessments, ensuring that high quality standards are maintained by all members of the team. Taking the lead on making complex judgements, the time allocated to clinical duties will be dependent upon the needs of the team and to maintain clinical skills.

You will work to support the Operational manager in maintaining team systems and processes for the effective operation of the team, including audits in relation to clinical effectiveness and quality and the development of actions plans in light of findings.

You will ensure the physical environment is conducive to the delivery of high quality care by ensuring there are clear systems for:

• Undertaking assessments in safe and secure environments
• Ensuring accessible systems are in place including RiO, Datix, Summary Care Record, etc.
• Undertaking safe lone working in the community
• Liaison with relevant organisations in satellite bases to ensure a clean, safe and secure environment (for example section 136 suite or other places of safety, where AMHPs may undertake assessments).

To ensure staff have the training and development required to meet best practice standards and achieve positive clinical outcomes for service users and carers.

To ensure systems are in place which manages risk whilst enabling Service Users to feel:

• Safe
• Cared for
• Cared about
• Listened to and heard
• Actively involved in their care and the decision-making process

This will include formal and informal learning opportunities provided to workers in order to ensure the service provides:

• Meaningful engagement
• Assessment and management of risk
• Person-centred planning and recovery-focused care
• Excellent communication and report writing skills
• Referral to a range of relevant services
• Service User involvement, including feedback
• Evidence based and time limited interventions with clear clinical outcomes
• Provision of relevant opportunities for continued professional development, training, reflection and resilience
• Data collection and analysis for the purpose of clinical audit and service improvement

To take responsibility to act using professional judgment and effective problem solving when decisions have to be made in highly complex and challenging situations.

To have an overview at all times of the team, and to work creatively and independently with staff to achieve the required standards and to regularly review the quality and performance of the teams service delivery, both formally and informally.

To develop and maintain effective and positive internal and external partnerships across all stakeholders, including implementing clear lines of communication with all stakeholders.

To lead on interface discussions with key operational partners, in the absence of the AMHP Service Manager.

To ensure systems, are in place to meet all health and social care key performance indicators relating to the team.

To ensure clinically effective pathways are in place for your team.

To take responsibility for the monitoring and resolution of any issues impacting on the successful achievement of the patient journey, including ensuring that effective and streamlined business processes are in place in your team.

To advise the AMHP Service Manager on issues that arises with regard to service delivery, quality and performance, and to provide solutions to any problem areas.

To ensure that effective clinical and operational management and risk management processes are in place in your team.

To use advanced effective skills, verbal, non-verbal and written when dealing with highly charged and complex situations.

To communicate sensitively and empathetically and diffuse situations of conflict when tensions arise within staff groups or between partners.

To ensure your team has robust quality governance arrangements in place for all service users, with a particular focus on excellent assessments, risk assessments/ management plans, sign posting and outcomes following MHA assessments.

To ensure systems are in place for the governance of all AMHP Service referral outcomes, ensuring that referrers are given verbal and written referral outcome feedback and supported to development an alternative plan; where it is indicated that suitable alternatives to detention could be offered in order to support the least restrictive principle.

To ensure systems are in place to allocate AMHPs with the relevant skill set to undertake MHA assessments with relevant doctors accordingly.

To represent the service positively and effectively in Directorate wide forums and to represent the Trust in the same manner at all times.

To strive for excellence and the provision of the highest quality, evidence based care and clinical outcomes throughout your services, striving for accreditations where relevant with national standards.

To ensure your team is well prepared for inspections by monitoring organisations at all times.

To support our health and social care commissioners to implement national standards and meet their objectives for service developments.

To ensure compliance with the Trust's Equality and Diversity Policy, supporting the delivery of the Trust's Race Equality Scheme and the Trust's duty to positively promote race equality, ensuring services are responsive to the needs of people with protected characteristics.

To attend and contribute to relevant meetings within the service, ensuring positive engagement of all members of staff, clinical and operational management.

To support emerging clinical developments, ensuring an understanding of these and their implications on the patient pathway are developed in the teams.

Behaviours
To act as an effective role model working in a courteous, patient focused manner and maintaining patient confidentiality at all times.

To act as a local resource of information for others, helping troubleshoot and resolve issues in the Directorate.

To uphold and embody the Trust values in all undertakings.

Quality Improvement
To actively participate in maintaining own personal and professional growth, undergo and actively participate in own and others performance appraisals and identify own educational and training needs.

To ensure your own mandatory and statutory training is always in date.

To develop and embed quality improvements within the team and actively embrace Quality Improvements projects in the team, creating a culture for learning and development.

To lead and manage the team in a way that supports the development of a culture of continuous improvement and learning. Promoting awareness and understanding in Quality Improvement (QI), and sharing learning and successes from QI work.

To ensure that systems are in place to capture and listen to the voice of service users and carers and that action is taken appropriately, in order to promote QI.

To monitor quality and performance of the team through tracking key measures over time, supporting the use of transparent and visual management systems.

To involve a wide range of stakeholders, data and information in helping the team identify their key improvement priorities.

To utilize the QI approach to think systematically about complex problems, develop potential change ideas and test these in practice using the Trusts QI framework.

To support team members to develop the appropriate level of skills in QI and ensure that the team has regular time and space for reflection.

To empower the team to resolve local issues on a daily basis using tools and methods of QI, without having to seek permission.

Education and Development:
Attend training as required by the individual post holder to update and gain knowledge and skills related to the role as an Duty AMHP

Ensure personal and professional knowledge and skills meet the requirement of the post and they are in line with current practice.

Under the guidance of the AMHP Service Manager, identify personal professional development needs and demonstrate achievements against personal development plans.

Develop and participate in teaching / assessment programmes and learning opportunities for staff, AMHP Candidates/ students, service users and carers who come into contact with the team.

Act as Practice Educator/ Mentor where appropriate and be part of the AMHP candidate interview panels and portfolio marking.

Facilitate a learning environment conducive to the acquisition of further knowledge and skills.

Person Specification

Education/ Qualification/ Training
Essential

• Registered Social Worker, Mental Health Nurse, Occupational Therapist or Psychologist
• Current Professional Registration (HCPC, NMC etc)
• AMHP post graduate qualification Evidence of continual professional development
• Educated to degree level of equivalent experience

Desirable

• Best Interest Assessor
• Practice Educator/ Registered mentor

Experience
Essential

• Significant post qualification experience working as an AMHP
• Previous experience at working as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Previous experience at working autonomously
• Previous experience of working within an NHS/ LSSA environment and an understanding of the strengths, challenges, policies and practices within these environment
• Extensive and demonstrable experience of assessing skills for service users with mental health needs and the ability to formulate correct plans of care and achieve correct outcomes, using best practice guidance
• Essential and demonstrable experience of writing concise and clear reports
• Experience of teaching and assessing others in practice
• Experience of developing or contributing to the development of new services preferably in mental health

Knowledge and Skills
Essential

• Demonstrate thorough knowledge of the MHA (1983) and subsequent amendments, Code of Practice (2015) and other relevant pieces of mental health related case law
• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of current legislation and policy pertaining to the provision of mental health services in all settings including the Mental Capacity Act 2005, Human Rights Act 1998, Equality Act (2010), Care Act 2014 and relevant NICE Guidance
• Demonstrate a thorough understanding and working knowledge of mental disorder and the treatment options.
• Demonstrate a full understanding of the key issues and priorities relating to the provision of mental health services
• Demonstrate a clear understanding of child and adult safe guarding issues
• Demonstrate a sound knowledge of the local and national standards and guidance relating to people detained under the MHA
• Sound report writing skills, ability to compile complex case recording, report presentation, including legal documents i.e. social circumstances reports

Skills and values
Essential

• Assertiveness and engagement with other professionals, able to make reasoned arguments and represent own professional views and perspectives.
• Decision-making and problem solving, able to adopt creative and flexible approaches to meet the needs of service users.
• Well-developed communication skills, able to communicate effectively with a wide range of audiences.
• IT skills, experience of working with service user data systems.
• Team player, able to negotiate and lead other professionals whilst considering competing views and agendas
• Able to work independently, with initiative, but to seek appropriate guidance and supervision when required
• Self-motivated, committed and open to new ideas and experiences.
• Anti-discriminatory & anti-oppressive practice
• Committed to core social care values, able to recognise that protection is sometimes required and should be carried out in the least restrictive manner observing the human and civil rights of the individual
• A commitment to leadership & change management
• Able to travel between Trust sites throughout the county, with a full clean licence
• Understanding of the Trust structure, values, aims and objectives

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).