Community support worker

Job summary Full time Community Support Worker - 37.5 hours Monday to Friday We are seeking to recruit an experienced hardworking,flexible Community Support Worker to join the Specialist Outreach Recovery Team to work full-time. This post will offer a challenging and exciting opportunity. You will be partof a an exciting, passionate, friendly, hardworking team offering a range ofcity wide community based interventions. We are a mental health recoveryfocused team, you will be working with a client group who have a diagnosis of acomplex psychosis. You will be supporting registered members of theteam in delivering biopsychosocial interventions under the PCF framework. This role is an integral part in the developingrecovery programme that is being devised by the team. The role is diverse, and no one day is the same. All staff are expected to be able and willing to work across a 7 day service. Main duties of the job Therole is an integral part of the multi disciplinary team that consists ofConsultant Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Community mental health nurses,Occupational therapists, substance use practitioner, social inclusion worker,assistant practitioners and support workers. Theteam are implementing a recovery programme, the support workers will play animportant part in this programme, working under direction of the OTs, takingthe lead on groups, co facilitating recovery programmes /groups with otherProfessionals, service users, and working autonomously at times. Youwill hold a reduced caseload, any interventions will be planned in conjunctionwith the key worker, you will be part of the care planning process, assessmentof risk, assessment of safeguarding and maintaining accurate recording andreporting any concerns to the MDT. Youwill be given the appropriate training and any additional training can beidentified as part of line management supervision. Youwill be working with individuals with complex needs, the candidate must haveexcellent communication skills, the ability to confidently liaise with otherProfessionals, and have the ability to manage stress appropriately. You will beinvited to reflect on your practice with the team psychologist and participatein caseload formulation sessions with the MDT. This role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route. Please note that we may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline. About us Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning socialenterprise delivering integrated health and social care services acrossPlymouth, South Hams, and West Devon, with specialist services in parts ofDevon and Cornwall. Our teams work in community hospitals, GP practices, sportscentres, and health hubs. As an organisation with a strong social conscience we are guided by our values,kindness, respect, inclusivity, ambition, responsibility, andcollaboration. We focus on transforming services to ensure sustainability, whileempowering staff and those we serve. We involve the people we care for, along with their families and carers, inshaping the care they receive, striving to deliver the right care at the righttime and place. Centering our work on individual needs helps people leadhealthy, independent lives. We prioritise employees' development, offering protected CPD time, trainingpathways, leadership programs, and funding for qualifications like the CareCertificate and Nurse Training Scholarships. Our induction and preceptorshipprograms ensure a smooth transition into our organisation. Livewell Southwest values diversity and encourages applications from allsections of the community, including those with armed forces experience, lived experience of mentalhealth, neuro-diverse conditions and learning disabilities. If you need assistance or reasonable adjustments during theapplication process, contact the Recruiting Manager listed in the job advert. Job description Job responsibilities Communicationand Relationship skills Verbaland written information sharing, within the Team or the wider MultiDisciplinary Team, which may include other community based mental health teamsand inpatient services. Abilityto communicate clearly and effectively over the telephone within the boundariesof confidentiality. Maintainaccurate, timely paper and electronic records.Ensure they are kept safely in accordance with the Livewell policies,including the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Confidentiality Policy. Thepost holder demonstrates a positive attitude to mental health attending topatients with respect and courtesy. Thepost holder will ensure that professional boundaries are always adhered to. Collaboratingin completion of personalised care framework documentation under supervision ofa qualified staff ensuring all entries are countersigned in accordance with theRecord Keeping Policy Hasconfidence to communicate with people who are experiencing mental healthdifficulties when English is not their first language. Liaisewith MDT members and other agencies at the request of qualified staff. Attendmeetings and be confident to discuss patient care with other Professionals Assistingpatients in various social and therapeutic activities delegated by thequalified staff as care planned in agreement with the key worker. Collaborativelyplan, assess, contribute to the development and delivery of the recoveryprogramme Cofacilitate recovery focused groups with peer navigators, volunteers and otherProfessionals Knowledge,Training and Experience The post holder will participate in updating their practice; knowledge and skills within their sphere of practice, under the guidance of qualified staff, including mandatory training and Mental Health essential training e.g. Mental Health Act and PCF Experience dealing with a variety of mental health problems in various settings both in the community and in hospital with support and supervision from qualified staff. To be aware of and adhere to policy and legislation relating to Mental Health and able to access the information both in writing and electronically. An awareness of Mental Health service delivery. Adhere to the lone worker policy. Be aware of standards required by mandatory bodies such as CQC. Analytical and Judgmental Skills Able to plan the safest most cost-effective route for community visits. When working out in the community, have the ability to weigh up situations and seek support and guidance over the telephone where necessary. Must have the ability to make rapid risk assessments on each visit to promote the safety of the patient, staff, carers and general public, e.g. Risk assessment tools v experience and acting safely to protect all. Planningand Organisational Skills Liaise with other services to arrange appointments that both meet patient needs and service demands. Able to plan own workload including completing White Board (lone worker policy), Implementing a variety of packages of care as outlined in the individual patients care plan. Reporting back to qualified staff. Recording information of visits electronically. Planning further interventions as indicated within the care plan. Utilise the online diary system for managing visits Complete and submit e-expenses as per policy PhysicalSkills Confidence to navigate in an urban and rural environment Competent keyboard skills to enable information to be inputted into electronic clinical database and PCF. Must be able to keep electronic diary up to date and confidence to take on more IT skills as clinical technology improves. With appropriate training and support ability to take accurate physical observations i.e. blood pressure, pulse and temperature and record in notes advising qualified staff if there were any problems. Home visits to multi-occupied buildings, many without lifts. Escorting patients out of their home environment providing programmes of care and ongoing assessment of need (e.g. Anxiety Management Programmes). Carry out frequent home visits throughout the city Due to patients living conditions it may be necessary to stand/crouch for periods of time. Responsibilities Awareness of independent responsibilities in the implementation of Lone worker policy. Assist in formulation and planning of care alongside qualified member of staff. Implement plans of care or patients on the team caseload. Observe, report and record progress on patients visited in the community and to pass on to the person with overall responsibility. Responsibility to ask qualified staff to countersign written and electronic communication. Assist qualified staff on assessments or reviews. Report to qualified staff any perceived risks to patients and staff. Contribute to clinical case discussions. Observe for any evidence of side effects of medication and report to qualified staff. Promote RECOVERY. Escort patients to appointments where appropriate. Work with qualified staff to ensure patient care delivered to high standard. Assist in smooth running of Team base and conducting various administration tasks. Support new staff when they join the Team. Be aware of and adhere to all infection control procedures and precautions in line with COVID 19 guidance. Responsibilityfor Policy and Service Development Involvement in development of the Team in a named locality of Plymouth. Adhere to all appropriate National, and the Livewell protocols. Adhere to Code of Conduct for Healthcare Support workers (Skills for Health DM 2013) Responsibilitiesfor Human Resources May be involved in interview panels. The post holder will behave in a manner that does not bring the Team or Livewell southwest into disrepute. Responsibilityfor information resources Responsiblefor electronic contacts. Maintainaccurate, timely paper and electronic records.Ensure they are kept safely in accordance with the LiveWell SouthWestpolicy. Responsibilityfor Research and Development Have an awareness of and participate in clinical audit in the Locality Team. MentalEffort Accuraterecord keeping whilst coping with constant interruptions and distraction in thework place for example: telephone calls and questions from colleagues. Concentrationwhilst navigating to visits at busy times of day. Concentrationfor short and prolonged periods of time depending on the clinical environment. Managingto extract information from people with communication difficulties due to avariety of different circumstances. Thepost holder will constantly deal with sensitive, intricate and complex clinicaland service decisions whilst frequently being required to change from oneactivity to another at a third party request i.e. Telephone or staffinterruption and be able to respond in a positive and constructive manner toemergency situations. PhysicalEffort Homevisits to multi-occupied buildings, many without lifts. Escortingpatients out of their home environment providing programmes of care and ongoingassessment of need (e.g. Anxiety Management Programmes, recovery groupprogrammes). Carryout frequent home visits throughout the city. Dueto patients living conditions it may be necessary to stand/crouch for periodsof time. Movingand handling load in line with LiveWell SouthWest policy EmotionalEffort Abilityto deal with people who in mental health crisis on a daily basis e.g. Peopleactively wishing to kill themselves. Peoplewho self-harm. Peoplewho are volatile. Peoplewho are thought disordered. Peoplewho are very difficult to engage within a therapeutic relationship. Peoplewho are in high states of emotional stress Abilityto cope with stress generated from the constant changing priorities within theTeam. Peoplewho may be under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol WorkingConditions Abilityto cope with visiting people who are living a squalid, unpleasant accommodationoften dirty and smelling with cigarette smoke. Abilityto make safe decisions and take the necessary action to reduce the risksassociated with community work for yourself and colleagues. Abilityto assess the location of the visit and take steps to minimize any risksidentified, (e.g. visits to tower blocks, accessing via a lift at night,parking availability, assessment to plan joint visits, visits to high crimeareas or anti-social behaviour problems). Job description Job responsibilities Communicationand Relationship skills Verbaland written information sharing, within the Team or the wider MultiDisciplinary Team, which may include other community based mental health teamsand inpatient services. Abilityto communicate clearly and effectively over the telephone within the boundariesof confidentiality. Maintainaccurate, timely paper and electronic records.Ensure they are kept safely in accordance with the Livewell policies,including the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Confidentiality Policy. Thepost holder demonstrates a positive attitude to mental health attending topatients with respect and courtesy. Thepost holder will ensure that professional boundaries are always adhered to. Collaboratingin completion of personalised care framework documentation under supervision ofa qualified staff ensuring all entries are countersigned in accordance with theRecord Keeping Policy Hasconfidence to communicate with people who are experiencing mental healthdifficulties when English is not their first language. Liaisewith MDT members and other agencies at the request of qualified staff. Attendmeetings and be confident to discuss patient care with other Professionals Assistingpatients in various social and therapeutic activities delegated by thequalified staff as care planned in agreement with the key worker. Collaborativelyplan, assess, contribute to the development and delivery of the recoveryprogramme Cofacilitate recovery focused groups with peer navigators, volunteers and otherProfessionals Knowledge,Training and Experience The post holder will participate in updating their practice; knowledge and skills within their sphere of practice, under the guidance of qualified staff, including mandatory training and Mental Health essential training e.g. Mental Health Act and PCF Experience dealing with a variety of mental health problems in various settings both in the community and in hospital with support and supervision from qualified staff. To be aware of and adhere to policy and legislation relating to Mental Health and able to access the information both in writing and electronically. An awareness of Mental Health service delivery. Adhere to the lone worker policy. Be aware of standards required by mandatory bodies such as CQC. Analytical and Judgmental Skills Able to plan the safest most cost-effective route for community visits. When working out in the community, have the ability to weigh up situations and seek support and guidance over the telephone where necessary. Must have the ability to make rapid risk assessments on each visit to promote the safety of the patient, staff, carers and general public, e.g. Risk assessment tools v experience and acting safely to protect all. Planningand Organisational Skills Liaise with other services to arrange appointments that both meet patient needs and service demands. Able to plan own workload including completing White Board (lone worker policy), Implementing a variety of packages of care as outlined in the individual patients care plan. Reporting back to qualified staff. Recording information of visits electronically. Planning further interventions as indicated within the care plan. Utilise the online diary system for managing visits Complete and submit e-expenses as per policy PhysicalSkills Confidence to navigate in an urban and rural environment Competent keyboard skills to enable information to be inputted into electronic clinical database and PCF. Must be able to keep electronic diary up to date and confidence to take on more IT skills as clinical technology improves. With appropriate training and support ability to take accurate physical observations i.e. blood pressure, pulse and temperature and record in notes advising qualified staff if there were any problems. Home visits to multi-occupied buildings, many without lifts. Escorting patients out of their home environment providing programmes of care and ongoing assessment of need (e.g. Anxiety Management Programmes). Carry out frequent home visits throughout the city Due to patients living conditions it may be necessary to stand/crouch for periods of time. Responsibilities Awareness of independent responsibilities in the implementation of Lone worker policy. Assist in formulation and planning of care alongside qualified member of staff. Implement plans of care or patients on the team caseload. Observe, report and record progress on patients visited in the community and to pass on to the person with overall responsibility. Responsibility to ask qualified staff to countersign written and electronic communication. Assist qualified staff on assessments or reviews. Report to qualified staff any perceived risks to patients and staff. Contribute to clinical case discussions. Observe for any evidence of side effects of medication and report to qualified staff. Promote RECOVERY. Escort patients to appointments where appropriate. Work with qualified staff to ensure patient care delivered to high standard. Assist in smooth running of Team base and conducting various administration tasks. Support new staff when they join the Team. Be aware of and adhere to all infection control procedures and precautions in line with COVID 19 guidance. Responsibilityfor Policy and Service Development Involvement in development of the Team in a named locality of Plymouth. Adhere to all appropriate National, and the Livewell protocols. Adhere to Code of Conduct for Healthcare Support workers (Skills for Health DM 2013) Responsibilitiesfor Human Resources May be involved in interview panels. The post holder will behave in a manner that does not bring the Team or Livewell southwest into disrepute. Responsibilityfor information resources Responsiblefor electronic contacts. Maintainaccurate, timely paper and electronic records.Ensure they are kept safely in accordance with the LiveWell SouthWestpolicy. Responsibilityfor Research and Development Have an awareness of and participate in clinical audit in the Locality Team. MentalEffort Accuraterecord keeping whilst coping with constant interruptions and distraction in thework place for example: telephone calls and questions from colleagues. Concentrationwhilst navigating to visits at busy times of day. Concentrationfor short and prolonged periods of time depending on the clinical environment. Managingto extract information from people with communication difficulties due to avariety of different circumstances. Thepost holder will constantly deal with sensitive, intricate and complex clinicaland service decisions whilst frequently being required to change from oneactivity to another at a third party request i.e. Telephone or staffinterruption and be able to respond in a positive and constructive manner toemergency situations. PhysicalEffort Homevisits to multi-occupied buildings, many without lifts. Escortingpatients out of their home environment providing programmes of care and ongoingassessment of need (e.g. Anxiety Management Programmes, recovery groupprogrammes). Carryout frequent home visits throughout the city. Dueto patients living conditions it may be necessary to stand/crouch for periodsof time. Movingand handling load in line with LiveWell SouthWest policy EmotionalEffort Abilityto deal with people who in mental health crisis on a daily basis e.g. Peopleactively wishing to kill themselves. Peoplewho self-harm. Peoplewho are volatile. Peoplewho are thought disordered. Peoplewho are very difficult to engage within a therapeutic relationship. Peoplewho are in high states of emotional stress Abilityto cope with stress generated from the constant changing priorities within theTeam. Peoplewho may be under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol WorkingConditions Abilityto cope with visiting people who are living a squalid, unpleasant accommodationoften dirty and smelling with cigarette smoke. Abilityto make safe decisions and take the necessary action to reduce the risksassociated with community work for yourself and colleagues. Abilityto assess the location of the visit and take steps to minimize any risksidentified, (e.g. visits to tower blocks, accessing via a lift at night,parking availability, assessment to plan joint visits, visits to high crimeareas or anti-social behaviour problems). Person Specification Qualifications Essential Maths & English GCSE Grades 4 and above or equivalent Commitment to further education NVQ III or equivalent in Mental Health and/or able to demonstrate the skills, knowledge and ability to work to this level Desirable Breakaway and or conflict resolution Knowledge of Care Programme or PCF Approach or Mental Health Law Child and adult protection issues Certificate in Mental Health level 3 Experience Essential 2-years experience of working and supporting with people with mental health problems Experience of Team working Desirable Experience of mental health work within either inpatient or community services Multi-disciplinary team working Experience of helping people who are suffering from a mental health crisis Experience of lone working Group work experience Knowledge and Skills Essential Ability to travel across Plymouth Practical life skills Able to follow instruction from qualified practitioners Excellent communication skills Confident talking to a variety of people Clear accurate record keeping Keyboard skills Self-management skills, e.g., prioritisation, organization of own workload Self-aware Ability to manage own stress Good telephone manner Positive attitude to Mental Health Belief in Recovery Enthusiastic and motivated Aware of own boundaries and limitations Able to work flexibly Desirable Full and valid driving licence and access to a car for work purposes is required Microsoft Outlook Familiar with computer based recording systems Clinical Risk Assessment Skills Able to support service users/carers to access resources that are provided by numerous agencies Supporting the change process Desire to develop self and services Use own initiative Person Specification Qualifications Essential Maths & English GCSE Grades 4 and above or equivalent Commitment to further education NVQ III or equivalent in Mental Health and/or able to demonstrate the skills, knowledge and ability to work to this level Desirable Breakaway and or conflict resolution Knowledge of Care Programme or PCF Approach or Mental Health Law Child and adult protection issues Certificate in Mental Health level 3 Experience Essential 2-years experience of working and supporting with people with mental health problems Experience of Team working Desirable Experience of mental health work within either inpatient or community services Multi-disciplinary team working Experience of helping people who are suffering from a mental health crisis Experience of lone working Group work experience Knowledge and Skills Essential Ability to travel across Plymouth Practical life skills Able to follow instruction from qualified practitioners Excellent communication skills Confident talking to a variety of people Clear accurate record keeping Keyboard skills Self-management skills, e.g., prioritisation, organization of own workload Self-aware Ability to manage own stress Good telephone manner Positive attitude to Mental Health Belief in Recovery Enthusiastic and motivated Aware of own boundaries and limitations Able to work flexibly Desirable Full and valid driving licence and access to a car for work purposes is required Microsoft Outlook Familiar with computer based recording systems Clinical Risk Assessment Skills Able to support service users/carers to access resources that are provided by numerous agencies Supporting the change process Desire to develop self and services Use own initiative 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. 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.. Additional information 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. 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.. Employer details Employer name Livewell Southwest Address 200 Mount Gould Road Mount Gould Plymouth Devon PL4 7PY Employer's website