At Dorset HealthCare we’re on a mission to empower people to make the most of their lives through our outstanding, joined-up healthcare services. We’re a dynamic, forward-looking Trust, running 12 community hospitals, specialist inpatient facilities and a wide range of integrated community and mental health services for a population of almost 800,000 people.

We like to do things differently here – it’s one of the reasons the CQC rated us ‘outstanding’ in 2019. It’s also why 95% of patients across our services say they have a good or very good experience of our services and 89% of staff feel they can really make a difference. Whether you’re looking to work with us in one of our bustling market towns, a vibrant urban location, thriving seaside spot, or the among the rolling hills of a stunning rural setting, there are a lot of ways you can make a difference in our local communities.

Our 7,000-strong workforce is at the heart of what we do and our success is a testament to our brilliant people. We're all about building a workplace for the future – we believe in equal opportunities and we celebrate diversity. We’re an inclusive workplace, where everyone is welcome, everyone can be authentic, and we are all encouraged to be the best version of ourselves.

Working with us you’ll be part of a strong team. You’ll challenge yourself, build a career, and teach us what we don’t know. And you’ll be working towards our vision to be better every day through excellence, compassion and expertise in all we do.

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Do you want to be part of a new, innovative and exciting service that will support children and young people with acute mental health problems in their homes? If so then a role in the Closer2Home service may be the job for you!

This new service will operate across Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight, and will be delivered by four NHS Trusts who will each provide a Closer2Home team for their local area. The teams will work in an integrated way, supporting one another to provide the service with a shared management structure overseeing the service as a whole.

The Closer2Home teams will work together to deliver a specialist service to help young people remain at home who otherwise would have been admitted to an inpatient hospital. The service will operate 365 days a year from 8am-8pm.

Joining now will give you a unique opportunity to help shape and develop the service as well a provide a great opportunity to develop your career in an exciting and rewarding area of work.

The role

We are looking for 30 hrs per week - As a Community Adolescent Senior Support Worker (CASS) you will work as a member of a new multi-disciplinary team which provides an alternative to Tier 4 admission and facilitates supported discharges from hospital.

With team colleagues you will be responsible for delivering time-limited programmes of intensive home treatment to young people who would otherwise have been admitted.

You will have specific responsibilities to undertake a range of delegated clinical duties in a community mental health setting involving direct and indirect care to patients under minimal supervision and as directed by the qualified staff team.

Following personal development planning and targeted training you will be in a position to work more autonomously in supporting patients. You will be supported by a career development pathway and as a result, you will develop a broad underpinning knowledge base at intermediate level and have the ability to evaluate information and communicate with a range of professionals.

This new service will be commissioned by the Wessex and Dorset Tier 4 CAMHS Provider Collaborative and provided by four NHS Trusts working together across Hampshire and Dorset:

• Dorset Healthcare University Foundation Trust
• Southern Health NHS Trust
• Solent NHS Trust
• Isle of Wight NHS Trust

Each Trust will have its own Closer2Home Team but the overall service will be coordinated and managed across the Provider Collaborative by a dedicated management team. Therefore, we will facilitate staff to work across the Trusts and within the Closer2Home teams to provide maximum flexibility for both staff and to meet the needs of the service. This will also result in increased opportunities to develop your career whilst working within the service.

The service

The service will:

• Provide assessment and intensive support for young people with mental health needs who present high levels of risk
• Support assessment prior to admission to inpatient care (hospital), where required
• Deliver planned intensive home or community-based treatment services, as well as specialist intensive home treatment for young people whose needs exceed the threshold for Tier 3 CAMHS
• Support discharge services to facilitate timely discharge from hospital
• Support the reduction of health inequalities in children and young people mental health pathways

The service will focus on three main patient groups, which include:

• Young people who repeatedly harm themselves and/or make suicidal gestures; and who may also experience emotional lability and distress in relationships
• Young people with complex eating disorders, especially anorexia nervosa, who require intensive treatment
• Young people currently in Tier 4 mental health services who could be discharged or moved closer to home if there were increased support

Referrals to the service will be managed through the same processes and pathways used for Tier 4 inpatient services, so children and young people who previously required an inpatient stay can now also be considered for the Closer2Home service.

Why join us?

The Closer2Home service will provide the opportunity for a range of exciting new roles and career opportunities. Located across Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight, staff will be working in a beautiful part of the country, which offers the ideal environment for a great work-life balance. With the vibrancy of Southampton, the picturesque beauty of the New Forest and the traditional seaside town of Southsea, there is so much to see and do. A one-hour train journey to London makes it easy to travel to the capital for the day - so you really can have the best of both worlds.

You will have the opportunity to develop your career within and across the Closer2Home teams, as we look to develop an integrated service across the region. When joining us you will receive a comprehensive induction and development training, to ensure that you are equipped with the tools and confidence that you need to support the young people the service will be working with.

Employment in this post requires an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, which the Trust will cover the cost of. Applicants who subscribe to the DBS update service are able to present a valid DBS certificate instead of requiring a new check.

For further details / informal visits contact:

Naomi Jenkins Team Manager - Dorset Closer 2 Home Team

Email address:- naomijenkins@nhs.net

Telephone number:- 07385939007

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What working for us will provide:

• 27 days of annual leave, rising to 33 over ten years
• Excellent NHS pension scheme
• Health and wellbeing services
• Flexible working options, including family-friendly hours
• Free training and one-to-one career coaching to reach your career goals
• Preceptorship programme for newly qualified nurses and AHPs
• Access to nine staff networks – have a voice and transform our Trust
• Relocation costs where applicable
• Salary sacrifice scheme opportunities – including childcare vouchers, car lease and cycle scheme, home technology equipment, and buying and selling annual leave
• NHS discounts to save on your shopping, gym membership and more

Visit our careers website to learn more about our culture, staff stories, benefits, development programmes and opportunities.

What you need to do:

Before applying for this post, please do ensure that you have read the job description and person specification requirements. If you think you have everything we're looking for, then we'd love to hear from you, alternatively if you would like more information about the role please do not hesitate to contact us.

After applying via NHS Jobs your application will be imported into our preferred third party recruitment system, TRAC. All information about your application will come from apps.trac.jobs. You won’t be able to track progress of your application or receive messages through NHS Jobs. By applying for this post you are agreeing to Dorset HealthCare transferring the information contained in the application to Trac and accept a privacy notice under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

Applicants who require sponsorship to work in the United Kingdom (UK) are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. Please note that from January 2021, to work in the UK candidates who are not UK or Republic of Ireland (RoI) nationals require sponsorship unless you have permission to work via another route. Further guidance can be found on the gov.uk website.