Job overview

The WLT Single Point of Access (SPA) provides 24/7/365 access to secondary care mental health by telephone and email. The service is for people experiencing a mental health crisis and incorporates a 24/7 telephone support line for service users, carers and professionals. The post holder will provide first line advice, support, and information to this wide range of callers as well as provide support responding to email and future text message (SMS) enquiries. The post holder will provide support when someone, both known to services and unknown, contacts the service as they, or someone they care for, feel unsafe, at risk or unable to cope without professional advice or help.   Along with the providing care and advice to callers to the SPA the post holder will support clinical staff in the processing and triaging of referrals to the trust.  The post holder will be given clinical supervision by qualified staff and management responsibility is with the SPA Team Manager. 

Main duties of the job

·        To be the first contact that many people have with WLT.

·        To provide telephone healthcare advice, support, information and signposting to service users, carers and professionals.

·        To facilitate onward referral of service users and carers to other professionals both within WLT and other NHS and non NHS services if required. This may include direct/immediate referral to emergency services when necessary.

·        To liaise with both internal colleagues and external professionals and communicate appropriate clinical information verbally, in written form and by recording information on the Trusts patient record system RiO.

·        Actively participate in regular call monitoring and quality of call handling to include call review and self-reflection.

·        Identify the need and take action to modify and adapt communication manner to account for the differing needs of patients and callers especially in stressful and difficult situations.

·        To work within a 24/7/365 rota system (including nights and weekends) – ensuring that a comprehensive service is provided to patients and that interfaces with other WLT services is maintained.

Further duties available on candidate pack.

Working for our organisation

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health, physical healthcare and community services commissioned locally and nationally. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of only three high secure hospitals in the country with an international reputation.

Our high secure services care for patients from across the South of England and we provide low and medium secure services covering eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs – Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow. The Trust employs over 3800 staff, of which 51% are from a Black and Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) background. Our turnover for 2021-22 is approximately £350m. 

In recent years, there has been a step change in staff engagement, culture, performance and ambition of the organisation. The Trust is now rated as ‘Good’ overall by the Care Quality Commission, and the rating for our Forensic services has improved from ‘Requires improvement’ to ‘Outstanding’. Rigorous financial management has been central to our ability to deliver service improvements. The Trust has delivered consistent surpluses since 2009, totalling more than £77m.