Urgent Mental Health Helpline Clinician

This clinical post sits in the Urgent Mental Health Helpline at Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust, a round-the-clock service handling professional referrals and a public crisis line for adults. The work centres on telephone triage assessments, answering calls from the public and professionals, and giving clinical guidance to Band 3 call handlers while coordinating shifts. It is distinct for serving adults not already in secondary mental health care, and the team base is under consultation for a proposed move across Kent. Fit depends on a registered mental health nursing or occupational therapy qualification.

What the job involves

• Undertake telephone triage assessments
• Answer calls from the public and professionals
• Provide clinical guidance and leadership to call handler colleagues
• Coordinate shifts on a rotational basis
• Manage staffing resources to meet service demand
• Provide supervision to staff members
• Lead team huddles
• Take part in and contribute to team meetings
• Contribute to service design through improvement projects

Qualifications

• Professional qualification in mental health nursing or occupational therapy

Registration & licences

• Registration with the relevant regulatory body

Experience

• 12 months post-registration experience
• Evidence of relevant continuing professional development

Skills & knowledge

• Understanding of the NHS and social care
• Up-to-date knowledge of relevant national and local guidance
• Good organisational and time management skills
• Excellent verbal, interpersonal and written communication
• Clinical skills in mental health needs assessment, including risk and mental state

Other

• Working in line with Trust values, especially in complex and challenging situations
• Effective and timely use of IT systems

Nice to have

• White Belt or Yellow Belt Lean Improvement Methodology
• Experience of working in a telephony-based service
• Experience of undertaking complex urgent or emergency assessments

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