Job summary

We are looking to recruit enthusiastic and motivated individuals to join our Access to Intervention Team as Senior Mental Health Practitioners on the Isle of Wight. There has never been a more exciting time to join our team as we are currently in the process or transforming and developing this service.

The team promotes dynamic and innovative way of working responding to crisis referrals, crisis calls, offering a face to face response in a timely manner that is required to meet the needs of the service user and their identified risk. We will offer a period of 72hrs assessment, brief intervention in various formats if identified, and signposting to appropriate services.

Dependant on experience within the mental health field, the following core professional roles will be considered for these posts - Registered Nurse Mental Health, Registered Nurse Learning Disabilities, Social Worker, Occupational Therapist (Learning Disabilities, Dementia, Children and Young People and Adult Mental Health).

The service is the front door for most of the referrals received into secondary Mental Health Services and cover Urgent and Emergency assessments across the age continuum. The team also support the Mental Health Crisis Line for the island providing immediate support to those in crisis.

The successful candidate must have experience working with people with mental health problems. You must be enthusiastic, person-centred, and able to provide a flexible and creative approach to care delivery.

Main duties of the job

To work as part of the Access to Intervention service for all referrals into adult mental health on the Isle of Wight. The post holder will have a professional qualification and will have experience of working with service users experiencing mental health concerns and providing crisis mental health assessments and interventions.

The post holder will work as part of a team triaging referrals, completing assessments, brief intervention and signposting service users to the most appropriate care and treatment pathway. The post holder will also respond to support and assess people presenting to the mental health services in a state of crisis. The post holder will provide assessments within the community and police station when required.

The post holder will work shifts patterns over a 24/7 week period. The Access to Intervention service is active 365 days per year, the post holder will be expected to work a rolling one year on and one year off for the public holidays, including Christmas, Easter and New Year.

Attached you will find the person specification document which provides more detail about the essential and desirable skills and experience needed for this role. We highly recommend you review this document and use it when completing your application as these criteria are used by hiring managers as guidance during shortlisting.

About us

Southern Health is one of the largest NHS Foundation Trusts in the UK, specialising in mental health and learning disabilities, as well as offering physical health community-based services.

With a workforce of more than 7000 and a footprint that spans more than 200 sites across Hampshire, we're wholeheartedly committed to providing the best possible healthcare, reaching a range of diverse communities, whilst placing patients and staff at the forefront of all our endeavours.

We are currently working closely with other NHS Trusts to integrate all our collective community, mental health, and learning disability services. Our new organisation, to be known as Hampshire and Isle of Wight NHS Foundation Trust, is set to launch in July 2024.

The transformation will happen in staggered stages; Hampshire CAMHS, part of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust joined Southern Health in February 2024, with Isle of Wight NHS Trust mental health and community services transitioning in early May 2024. The final combination of Southern Health and Solent Trusts is anticipated to occur in July 2024, when the new organisation will be formed.

Our new Trust will continue to cater to the unique needs of different communities, making healthcare across the county more accessible, as well as offering staff more opportunities for career development, training and partnership working.

Join us as we embark on this exciting journey to shape the future of healthcare in Hampshire.