Mental Health Act Administrator

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust provides child and adult mental health services, alcohol treatment, learning disability, wellbeing and eating disorder services across Norfolk and Suffolk.

At any one time, around 23,000 people in Norfolk and Suffolk are receiving care and attention from the Trust. We believe in whole life care – seeing people in the context of their whole lives, understanding the importance of good physical health, friends, family, spirituality, culture, home, work, education and a sense of purpose and achievement to experience good mental health.

Nearly 3,200 full and part-time practitioners care for our service users in hospitals, in the community and in their own homes, whilst an additional 900+ staff provide non-clinical support, including cleaning, delivering supplies, ward administration, information technology, human resources and financial services.

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and want to reflect the diversity of our local communities within our teams. We welcome applications from all talented individuals with the relevant qualifications, skills, knowledge and experience.

We are committed to delivering quality driven mental health services. Every individual makes a valuable contribution. We are proud of our staff who have been commended for the care they provide. Do you value working positively, respectfully and together? If so, we’d love you to join us!

We will consider flexible working arrangements for our roles, please indicate in your application if this is something you require

JOB DESCRIPTION/PERSON SPECIFICATION

Please read the job description/person specification carefully and ensure your application reflects the knowledge, skills and experience needed.

YOUR APPLICATION

It is important that you complete a formal application form as CV’s alone will not be accepted.

TWITTER – The Trust now has it’s own Twitter account for recruitment. Follow us on @NSFTjobs

PLEASE NOTE: If you use a hotmail, msn or yahoo e-mail account, you will need to check your “junk” mail regularly as these email providers will divert any communication from this Trust/NHS JOBS straight into your ” junk” inbox.

Job overview

An opportunity has arisen for a Mental Health Act Administrator to join our Mental Health Act team, based at Hellesdon Hospital, Norwich. This is a full time role, 37.5 hours per week, 5 days, 9:00am to 5:00pm.

We are inviting applications from enthusiastic individuals who will work with the existing Mental Health Act Team to provide a comprehensive service to the Trust.

The post requires an excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Office software packages.

You must be a good, clear communicator and be confident and calm in all situations. An ability to deal with issues as they arise in a calm manner is essential as is the ability to understand confidentiality and data protection.

The ability to prioritise and work on your own initiative, reliability, diplomacy, flexibility and adaptability are key to this position

Please note that the interview date is provisional and may be subject to change.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will need to understand Mental Health Act legislation. They need to be highly

motivated and adaptable. This post necessitates the post holder to be flexible in their work

pattern and to provide cover in different work areas as and when the need arises. It is essential

the post holder holds a full UK driving licence or be able to commute to other sites

Working for our organisation

Our teams values and behaviours were created by 1,300 staff members, service users and carers all working together in the Putting People First project.

They reflect what we all believe makes the most positive difference to the care we offer and to the way we work with one another. By ‘living our values’ we will develop our Trust, our people, and continue to improve the quality of everything we do.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see above main duties of the job and the attached job description for full responsibilites.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

Good level of education to O/A level. English Language essential. NVQ level 3 or be prepared to study for qualification. MHA training.

Desirable criteria

Certificate in Mental Health Law and Practice or equivalent

Experience

Essential criteria

Previous experience in the NHS or comparable service. Working under pressure. Working on own initiative without supervision.

Desirable criteria

Previous knowledge of the 1983 Mental Health Act.

Relevant experience in administering legislation.

Skills

Essential criteria

Ability to communicate orally and in writing with a wide range of people. Ability to prioritise. Interpersonal skills including taking a proactive, diplomatic approach and ensuring confidentiality at all times. Time management. IT skills including Word and Excel.

Knowle

Essential criteria

Administrative procedures.

Desirable criteria

Understanding the Mental Health Act 1983, Mental Capacity Act, Deprivation of

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

Apart from its legal duties in relation to equality and diversity, the Trust recognises and actively promotes the benefits of a diverse workforce and is committed to treating all employees with dignity and respect regardless of race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief.

Additionally, people with disabilities that fall under the Two Ticks – Guaranteed Interview Scheme will be offered an interview providing they meet the minimum criteria for the post (outlined in the Person Specification).

DISCLOSURE AND BARRING SERVICE CHECK (formerly CRB)

FOR POSTS WITH DIRECT SERVICE USER CONTACT – Please be advised that due to recent changes in the DBS Service, organisations no longer receive copies of DBS Disclosures – these are sent directly to candidates only. Therefore, it will be your responsibility, if successful, to ensure that this is taken to the appointing officer as soon as you receive it.

Alternatively, if you have subscribed to the update service, we will be able to check your status once we have your authority to do so.

The Trust has now introduced a DBS Update Service which is a contractual requirement. You need to subscribe when you have applied for your DBS clearance and there is a time limit to subscribe of 19 days after receipt of your DBS disclosure. Please ensure that this is completed within the set time scale.

This update service is an annual subscription at a cost of £13 to you. This will enable the Trust to have instant online access to your DBS record, with your consent, and so will remove the need for you to have to apply for this repeat check again.