Independent Mental Health Advocate Wathwood Hospital Advocacy service

Wathwood Hospital Advocacy Are you a qualified Independent Mental Health Advocate (IMHA) or passionate about becoming one? Do you want to make a meaningful difference to the lives of patients detained under the Mental Health Act within a medium secure forensic setting? We are seeking a committed, skilled and compassionate advocate to join our team.

What We’Re Looking For

Experience: • Ideally 3+ years’ experience as an IMHA or within mental health services, general healthcare, or other public-facing roles (including customer service).

Qualifications

: • A Level 3 National Advocacy Qualification (NAQ) or a willingness to work towards it within your first year in post. Communication Skills: • The ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of people using varied and adaptable communication approaches. Organisation: • Strong note taking, record keeping and time management skills.

Professionalism: • The ability to manage complex, sensitive and challenging situations with confidence, empathy and clarity. Safeguarding & Compliance: • A DBS check is required for this role.

What You Will Do

As an IMHA, you will work directly with individual patients to: • Provide information, support and representation. • Empower them to participate in decisions about their care, treatment, legal rights and daily life. • Ensure their views are heard and respected in all relevant processes.

Training & Development You will be required to complete all mandatory training and job related learning activities. Please note: this includes annual breakaway and physical disengagement training, which requires a level of physical ability. If you’re driven by compassion, committed to upholding people’s rights and ready to empower individuals at some of the most critical moments in their lives, we’d love to hear from you.

Part Time - 22.5 hours per week £27323.51 per annum pro rata (basic salary) plus £620 per annum pro rata (geographical allowance) Job Purpose To: • Provide Generic Mental Health Advocacy and statutory Independent Mental Health advocacy to all qualifying patients, including patients detained under the MHA 1983, conditionally discharged restricted patients, people subject to Guardianship under the Act or on Supervised Community Treatment and patients being considered for section 57 treatment.

• Enable eligible people with mental health problems to have their perspective recognised, respecting the multiple needs of the diverse client group and encouraging the widest possible access. • Engage and maintain in an efficient administration system that will meet the needs of the service in helping to evaluate the

Benefits

of the service to the service users and commissioners. • Raise awareness of advocacy, IMHA and the service to other professionals, individuals and agencies Job-Specific Tasks and

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain relationships of trust with patients, to build rapport and engagement with the Advocacy service. • To work with individual patients to provide information, support and representation in order to assist them in any decision-making process affecting their care, treatment, legal status or other aspect of their daily lives while in hospital. • To work with groups of patients on a ward or in other forums to assist them in developing and expressing a collective point of view.

• Liaise with other professionals and services to express and promote the Advocacy and IMHA service. Support the Manager in providing training to ensure awareness and understanding of Advocacy and IMHA • To support patients to develop the skills needed to be able to self-Advocate. • Develop and agree targets and a work schedule with the Service Manager that meets the

Requirements

of the post and work to meet them. • Maintain detailed case notes and accurate statistical information and other records for the purpose of information retrieval, service evaluation and casework using computerised systems. Provide written or verbal reports as requested.

A r