Senior Community Outreach Worker

Mind Hertfordshire Network

Background of Post

Herts Mind Network (HMN) has formed a partnership with Hertfordshire Partnership Foundation Trust (HPFT) to deliver support in the Mental Health Urgent Care Centre (MHUCC) at Lister Hospital.
The MHUCC provides a dedicated space and service for rapid mental health assessment, intervention, and referral, thereby enhancing the quality of care and optimising use of systemwide resources. It provides 24-hour access to specialist mental health assessment aimed at supporting service users to access the least restrictive care and treatment options. It creates a systemwide response to acute mental health crisis that enables people’s needs to be met with the right care at the right time.

The Support, Time and Recovery (STAR) Worker will be based at the Mental Health Urgent Care Centre at Lister Hospital, promoting joint working and creating a seamless pathway into community support for clients recovering from mental ill health.

Purpose of Post

• The STAR workers will work closely with individuals in a mental health crisis currently in the MHUCC, by using a person-centred approach to ensure that everyone is supported with dignity and respect.
• You will have a key role with safe and supportive observations and attending to the service users on the unit. You will provide support for carers and liaise with the wider services to support smooth and timely discharge of service users back to the community.
• You will encourage and facilitate positive steps towards management of crisis and recovery; through providing emotional support, signposting and completing onward referrals into mental health support in the community.
• You will also work closely with MHUCC clinical staff, integrated discharge teams, Bounce Back, Nightlight and mental health liaison teams, to proactively identify referrals into the crisis alternatives service to facilitate timely discharges from the MHUCC.
• You will remain a source of independent support for all Service Users and carers.
• You will ensure that the safety and wellbeing of service users and carers in the MHUCC is monitored and reviewed regularly.
• You will embed a person-centred and recovery-oriented approach in all aspects of the roles and responsibilities instilling HPFT and HMN’s values throughout the provision.