Best Interest Assessor

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose

• The Post holder will be part of the learning disability service contributing to the effective provision of Deprivation of Liberty assessments and issues that arise from that including referral to the Court of Protection
• To coordinate DPT LD contribution to the Deprivation of Liberty Service
• Act as a focal point for DPT LD, BIA/D)Lss and other mental capacity issues
• Provide high quality Deprivation of Liberty Assessment and advice service based on the Mental Capacity Act legislation and DPTs policies and objectives.
• Raise awareness on MCA and DOLS issues in DPT LD services
• Carry out DOL Assessments within the appropriate timescales across a range of service users in various locations (mainly hospitals and care homes) and to complete all appropriate recording of these assessments.

Duties and Responsibilities

Communication and Working Relationship Skills

• Contribute to the teams engagement with a wide range of stakeholders including staff, service users, their carers and other statutory and voluntary sector agencies.
• Impart complex and sensitive information to:

1. Patients and families/carers re assessment, care planning, treatment and review
2. agencies also involved in the provision of care eg: voluntary and private sector, police, social services, housing, employment etc
3. Service user/carer groups
4. Liaise with a wide range of other professionals and agencies.

• Contribute to the safe and effective day to day operations of the service including the handling of enquires.
• Present information some of which may be contentious to patients and their families/carers.
• Have an awareness of barriers to communication and work to overcome these, drawing on professional expertise and persuasive negotiation skills

Analytical and Judgemental Skills

• Ability to weigh and balance complex options where there are rage of facts and options often in Highly complex situations with clients families and carers.
• Provision of patient assessment

Planning and Organisational Skills

• Attend management and professional meetings as directed by their line manager and professional leads within learning disability services.
• Receive referrals from a range of learning disability services
• Responsible for planning and co-ordinating own day to day work load in collaboration with the needs of the service users and the wider needs of the service.
• Plan and organise case conferences liaising with other agencies as required to meet the needs of their clients
• Ensure that interventions are planned in an integrated and co-ordinated manner particularly where dependent on other external agencies.

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment and Therapy

• Manage DLS assessments.
• Responsible for reviewing care plans including recommendation of action required
• Ensuring active involvement of service users and their carers/families.
• Triage referrals by assessing and advising on eligibility criteria.
• Provide specialist advice to referrers/other multi-disciplinary staff in relation to the DOLS and the mental capacity act in the care of the client.
• Participate in safeguarding adult and children to level 3

Responsibility for Policy and Service Development Implementation

• Participate in programmes of audit and research within the team and implement the findings.
• Contribute to professional clinical governance arrangements in order to ensure the quality of the service provided.
• Participate in the development of good practice regarding Mental Capacty Act requirements

Responsibility for Finance, Equipment and Other Resources

• Responsible for care of own equipment

Responsibility for Human Resources, e.g. Supervision, Training, HR Advice and Management

• Supervise junior qualified staff in the process of triage and assessment.
• Provide Mental Capacity Act specific supervision for a number of qualified staff.
• Mentor students allocated to the team.

Responsibility for Information Resources and Administrative Duties

• Maintain up to date records in a timely and accurate manner
• Responsible for care of own equipment

Professional Duties

• Practice in a way that actively minimises dependency and promotes recovery.
• Communicate information in a way that makes it relevant and understandable for service users and carers, working to the principles of the functions policy implementation guidelines and practice in line with the standards and values set out in them.
• Work co-operatively with others including accepting staff recent assessment of the client, in order to minimise the disruption to the client.
• Ensure a duty of care to patients and clients, who are entitled to receive safe and competent care. The Service User wishes, feelings, values and beliefs should be taken into consideration as well as the views of the people close to them.
• Take personal accountability for your own practice. This means that you are answerable for your actions and omissions, regardless of advice or directions form another professional.
• Ensure that you remain professionally competent by participating in your own and others clinical supervision.

Any Other Specific Tasks Required

• Ensure that statutory training associated with the post is undertaken.
• Participate in own clinical supervision and PDR.

Person Specification

Knowledge & Skills

Essential

• An understanding of the NSF and Mental Health Act/ Mental Health Capacity Act requirements
• Able to plan creatively to maximise effectiveness of care plans.
• Able to work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to manage own time and that of the teams.
• Ability to work flexibly.
• Able to produce well written reports.
• Ability to communicate with a wide range of professionals from various settings.

Qualifications

Essential

• A professional mental health or learning disability qualification eg RMN, CQSW/ASW, BSc/Diploma in OT, SROT, Chartered Clinical Psychologist, or CPN Degree
• BIA qualification

Desirable

• Training in Safeguarding Adults and children and young people

Experience

Essential

• Substantial experience of managing a busy caseload of clients with a range of learning disability needs.
• Working within a community learning disability setting in either the statutory or voluntary sector.
• Providing supervision.

Desirable

• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary and multi-agency environment.
• Participation in user involvement in services.

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

Devon Partnership NHS Trust

Address

The Rowans

Whipton Hospital

4 Hospital Lane

Exeter

EX1 3RB

Employer's website

https://www.dpt.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

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