Overview
Contract Type: Bank: 3 months
Salary: £29.38 Per Hour
Partner Org: Royal Surrey County Hospital
Job overview
Surrey and Borders is looking for a Mental Health Practitioner for CAMHS Crisis Line who will provide telephone crisis support to children, young people, and their families, including out-of-hours advice and support to acute hospital colleagues. You will act as the front door for CYP in crisis, carrying out brief crisis assessments, de-escalation, safety planning, and signposting to appropriate services. The role includes facilitating safe discharge from A&E where appropriate, with follow-up by the Crisis Intervention Service the next day. You will work within a co-located, multi-disciplinary team and have opportunities for some face-to-face work across the wider CYPS Crisis Pathway. Shifts include a mix of days and nights, with job planning agreed through supervision. The post upholds organizational values of treating people well, involving families, creating respectful spaces, and working openly and accountably.
Location: Gatton Place, St Mathews Road, RH1 1TA
Shift Patterns :
- Early: 8:00–16:00
- Late: 15:00–23:00
- Night: 22:00–08:30
Main duties of the job
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Provide senior-level telephone crisis assessment, advice, and support to children, young people, families, carers, and professionals.
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Lead and coordinate crisis line activity during shifts, ensuring safe, timely access to appropriate levels of care.
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Undertake and oversee risk and safeguarding assessments, ensuring compliance with professional, legal, and Trust standards.
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Support continuity of care through effective communication, documentation, and liaison with internal and external services.
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Contribute to service quality, staff development, and continuous improvement through leadership, audit, and training participation.
Working for our organisation
Working for our organization
Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is the leading provider of health and social care services for people of all ages with mental ill-health and learning disabilities in Surrey and North East Hampshire. We also provide social care services for people with a learning disability in Croydon and ASD and ADHD assessment services in Hampshire.
We actively seek to engage people who use our services and our communities in improving the mental wellbeing of the local population. We work closely with other NHS and voluntary sector organizations who provide services and support people who use services and carers.
Surrey is a beautiful county lying just 30 minutes away from Central London and from the South Coast.
Our historic market towns and bustling districts are enveloped in wonderful countryside, and our excellent road and rail networks bring the rest of the country within easy reach.
For international travel, both Gatwick and Heathrow airports are nearby.
Would you like to work in an organisation that sits in the top 10 best NHS Mental Health, Learning Disability and Community Services Trusts to work for? This ranking is based on staff feedback in the 2023 NHS Staff Survey.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
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Act in accordance with the vision and values of Surrey & Borders Partnership Foundation NHS Trust and uphold the NMC Code of Conduct at all times.
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Maintain professional accountability for clinical decision-making, personal practice, and leadership responsibilities during shifts.
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Lead the team on shift in delivering high-quality telephone crisis assessments, advice, de-escalation, and care planning.
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Complete comprehensive risk assessments for all service users, with particular focus on self-harm, safeguarding, and vulnerability.
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Ensure safe and appropriate onward referral, escalation, or connection to more intensive services when clinically indicated.
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Adhere strictly to confidentiality, information governance, safeguarding policies, and relevant legislation for CYP and families.
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Use advanced clinical expertise to assess, support, and manage complex crisis presentations sensitively and inclusively.
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Respect and support individuals’ cultural background, identity, values, sexuality, and spiritual beliefs in all interactions.
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Maintain accurate, timely, and detailed electronic care records to reflect assessments, interventions, and outcomes.
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Communicate effectively and promptly with other teams, services, GPs, and professionals to support continuity of care.
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Escalate concerns appropriately to the General Manager and relevant clinical leads when risks or service issues arise.
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Support service development by contributing to data collection, audits, benchmarking, and identifying areas for improvement.
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Co-lead the induction, orientation, and support of new staff joining the team.
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Participate in learning sets and professional forums related to CYP Crisis Pathways across Surrey.
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Maintain up-to-date statutory, mandatory, and role-specific training requirements.
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Implement and contribute to outcome measures and audits to monitor service effectiveness and quality
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Post Graduate level qualification in Nursing, Occupational Therapy or Social Work – professional body registration required.
- Willingness to complete mentorship course
Experience
Essential criteria
- Minimum of 3 years’ post graduate experience
IMPORTANT: Before applying for this role, please make sure you have the right to work in the country where the role is based. Unless it clearly stipulates within in the job advert above that the hiring company is looking to or able to sponsor applicants it is deemed that the hiring employer will only consider applications from those able to comply with and work in the country where the role is based.
