Mental Health Act Reviewer, Mental Health Act Operations – South Region

Mental Health Act Reviewer, Mental Health Act Operations – South Region

Grade B - £39,390 (National Framework) or £44,792 (London Framework – home-based and live within the boundary of the M25) – There is also an additional homeworking allowance of £553 per annum for those working from home and an Operational Car Working Allowance of £482 per annum.

Contracted Hours: Full-time 37 hours per week or Part-time hours will be considered

Contract Type: 1x Permanent. 1 x Secondment/FTC until May 2026

Closing date: Tuesday 25th June 2024 at 11.59 pm

Location: Homebased - with weekly travel across the South Region

1 Post – Fixed term to May 2026 – with regular travel in the Southwest of England, including Dorset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, Devon, and Somerset.

1 Post – Permanent – with regular travel will be required within Kent and East Sussex.

Applicants from outside the area are welcome to apply, but because of the nature of the role, the location of applicants will be carefully considered to ensure that the role and individual responsibilities are manageable.

This role is NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected, and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

Why this could be a great role for you…

You will have an opportunity to use your knowledge of the MHA and the Code of Practice and experience of the care and treatment of detained patients. You will work closely with your regional colleagues, working flexibly to monitor the use of the MHA in order to highlight the experiences of people detained under the MHA. As part of CQC’s national MHA Operations team, your findings will inform our national approach to monitoring the MHA.

You will be part of a team supporting the delivery of a 2-year programme of work aimed at reducing the use of long-term segregation (LTS) for people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. Independent Care (Education) and Treatment Review (ICETR) aim to ensure safe and effective care and treatment in the least restrictive setting and identify for individuals a clear plan for discharge and future care.

What you will bring…

You must have a passion and commitment to improve the experience of detained patients. It’s likely you have experience of working in or with inpatient Mental Health services. Confident about acting autonomously, you will need an in-depth knowledge and working understanding of the MHA and the Code of Practice, together with a proven track record of talking with detained patients.

You will be able to gather and analyse complex information to understand patient experience and monitor the use of the MHA and Code of Practice. You will be confident in identifying and escalating risks to patient safety.

You will be a skilled communicator, both orally and in writing, able to tailor your communication to a wide variety of audiences. You must also be able to travel and visit hospital inpatient settings across your region.

Accountabilities:

- Develops and delivers an individual MHA monitoring work plan which details activities, timelines and priorities
- Participates in inspection visits as the MHA specialist within an inspection team, ensuring findings about performance under the MHA are scrutinised and included in the final report and rating
- Delivers individual workload as well as working flexibly as part of a team, undertaking visits as required
- Ensures appropriate agreed methodologies are followed
- Manages a portfolio and escalates issues and risks to the inspection manager as appropriate
- Updates the relevant systems to ensure records are maintained, and an audit trail is recorded
- Undertaking MHA monitoring visits as part of the duties of the MHA 1983
- Reviews complaints from detained families or their carers and acts accordingly
- Reviews and contributes to the review of deaths of detained patients following agreed methodology
- Supports and actively participates in the wider Mental Health inspection programme, providing specialist knowledge and advice to colleagues
- Reviews and provides specialist knowledge regarding MHA notifications to colleagues
- Owns the relevant service/area/directorate and other provider relationships to deliver service improvement
- Responds to the requirements of the inspection programme and assists in the delivering of a risk based inspection which then feeds into the team and regional risk register
- Uses autonomy appropriately to assure the safety and quality of regulated services linking to inspection colleagues when additional action is required
- Liaises and engages with detained patients, their families, and carers in the most appropriate manner to ensure the service users voice is reflected and heard
- Builds and maintains wider relationships to ensure knowledge and information are shared across networks
- Assesses information received from a variety of channels, e.g. providers, whistle-blowing, safeguarding (etc.) to help determine relevant actions required
- Ensures judgements are supported by clear corroborated evidence and take into account guidance produced by CQC and reports on the findings as appropriate
- Successfully delivers relevant Key Performance Indicators
- Contributes to the knowledge base of the organisation and shares knowledge through appropriate forums, e.g. team meetings
- Utilises monitoring and inspection tools and current methods for relevant sectors as signposted in CQC guidance
- Supports colleagues in ensuring the registration is kept up to date and, where appropriate attends registration visits to make sure the requirements of the MHA are in place
- Ensures individual personal development plan is maintained and updated from discussion in regular line management meetings
- Actively contributes to performance development reviews and completes the required documentation
- Maintains an awareness and understanding of CQC policies and procedures and ensures these are reflected in everyday practices
- Attends and contributes to all relevant meetings that are appropriate to the role
- Attends mandatory and other training as required to support individual development
- Encourages a culture that values openness, honesty, rigour and challenge to embed the CQC values and behaviours
- Raises awareness and improves practice in respect of Equality and Diversity; challenge discrimination and promote human rights in the workplace; internally for CQC and externally for service users

Essential Skills and Experience:

- In-depth knowledge and working understanding of the MHA
- Proven track record in talking with detained patients
- Experience in using analytical information and robust evidence to inform decisions against a risk-based methodology and evidence-gathering and synthesis
- Experience of operating in a professional autonomous and risk-based decision-making environment
- Excellent communication skills, both written and oral and can tailor information and presentation depending upon audience’s needs
- Experience in managing conflict and articulating coherent rationales for action
- IT Literate with a thorough understanding of all Microsoft IT packages and experience of using complex databases
- Stakeholder engagement skills and ability to build relationships with people at all levels of seniority

CQC is committed to promoting a fair and inclusive workplace where all our people can flourish and reach their full potential. We know diverse teams allow for a more creative and productive environment and therefore encourage applications from everyone regardless of age, gender/sex, gender identity or expression, religion or belief, disability, ethnicity or sexual orientation.