Memory Assessment Service Specialist Community Practitioner

Job overview

Are you a caring, enthusiastic registered professional who is passionate about helping people with Dementia? We are looking for a Memory Assessment Service Specialist Community Practitioner to join our supportive multi-disciplinary team.

As a Specialist Clinical Practitioner, working in the MAS West, you will be based at Maiden Castle Dorchester and covering the Weymouth, Portland and Bridport area. This will be a mixture of clinic settings and home visits and working from home is an essential part of the role. You will be providing specialist care and interventions, assessments, treatments, and managing patients on a caseload, with a focus on providing a high-quality person-centred approach to care delivery which always considers people’s safety, privacy and dignity.

The role will allow you to actively participate in developing high-quality and innovative services that aim to identify, diagnose and support people in the community with early dementia, involving service users and carers.

There are two part -time positions, one for 30 hours per week and the other for 22.5 hours a week between Monday-Friday 9am-5pm, but you may be required to work flexibly to meet service needs. Please indicate which post you are applying for.

To find out more about the role or for an informal discussion, please contact Sarah Armstrong, Team Leader, [email protected]

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You will have a key role in performing Initial Assessments with formal Cognitive Testing and this is the first part of a process leading to a possible diagnosis of a Dementia.

You will offer clinic and home-based assessments as well as NHS video consultation and phone assessments. You will be highly skilled in communicating clearly and sensitively, both verbally and in writing, with clients and their carers, discussing diagnoses, treatment options and care plans.

You will work closely with health, medical and psychology colleagues, in line with NICE guidance, as part of medicines trials in the monitoring of Anticholinesterase drugs such as Donepezil, Galantamine and Rivastigmine as well as Memantine. You will liaise with colleagues within the wider Dementia services, primary care, community health and social care services, voluntary sector organisations and the wider mental health teams for older adult services as appropriate.

You will need to have a valid driving licence and use of a car as you will be required to assess and monitor patients in their own homes and within other community settings.

You will be expected to deliver person-centred care whilst meeting local and national targets set by the NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group and NHS England in relation to dementia.

Please note visa sponsorship for this role is unfortunately not available. Please ensure you hold valid right to work in the UK and will not require sponsorship if successful.

Working for our organisation

At Dorset HealthCare we’re on a mission to empower people to make the most of their lives through our outstanding, joined-up healthcare services. We’re a dynamic, forward-looking Trust, running 12 community hospitals, specialist inpatient facilities and a wide range of integrated community and mental health services for a population of almost 800,000 people.

We do things differently here – it’s one of the reasons the CQC rated us ‘outstanding’ in 2019. It’s also why 95% of patients across our services say they have a good or very good experience of our services and 89% of staff feel they can really make a difference. Whether you’re looking to work with us in one of our bustling market towns, vibrant urban locations, thriving seaside spots, or among the rolling hills of Dorset, there are lots of ways you can make a difference in our communities.

Our 7,000-strong workforce is at the heart of what we do and our success is a testament to our brilliant people. We're all about building a workplace for the future, we believe in equal opportunities and we celebrate diversity. We’re an inclusive workplace, where everyone is welcome, everyone can be authentic, and we are all encouraged to be the best version of ourselves.

Working with us you’ll be part of a strong team, challenge yourself, build a career, and teach us what we don’t know. And you’ll be working towards our vision to create healthier lives, empowered citizens and thriving communities.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For the main duties and responsibilities for this role please read the attached job description and person specification. When completing your application please ensure your supporting statement reflects the criteria set out in these documents by showing how your experience and skills apply to this post.

We understand that AI can be a useful tool when completing your application. However, we are seeing an increasing over-reliance of AI tools, which can negatively affect your application as it reduces a candidate’s individuality, and makes it difficult for us to gain a clear and authentic understanding of your experience, skills, and in turn your suitability for the role.

All submissions must be truthful and if you do use AI, it should only be used to enhance your application and not create your supporting statement in its entirety. Your supporting statement should be in your own words and must accurately reflect your personal experience and achievements. Where we have concerns that AI has been used to generate content that misrepresents your experience and suitability for the role, we may withdraw your application.

As part of our vision to have a skilled, diverse and caring workforce, Dorset HealthCare offers support for people getting into work. We offer an employability service to support individuals with application writing, interview skills and other employment support. If you would like or know of anyone who would value this support, please do contact [email protected]

Employment in this post requires an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, which the Trust will cover the cost of.

Driving is essential for this role. You will be required to have a full and valid UK driving licence and to travel using own vehicle on Trust business.

At Dorset HealthCare we want to offer all our staff the opportunity to work flexibly, putting health and wellbeing first, whilst continuing the delivery of excellent patient care. Flexible working looks different for everyone and we welcome applicants to discuss flexible working opportunities with the recruiting manager.

What working for us will provide:

• 27 days of annual leave, rising to 33 over ten years (for staff on Agenda for Change terms and conditions)
• Excellent NHS pension scheme
• Health and wellbeing services
• Flexible working options, including family-friendly hours
• Free training and one-to-one career coaching to reach your career goals
• Preceptorship programme for newly qualified nurses and AHPs
• Access to nine staff networks – have a voice and transform our Trust
• Relocation costs where applicable
• Salary sacrifice scheme opportunities – including childcare vouchers, car lease and cycle scheme, home technology equipment, and buying annual leave
• NHS discounts to save on your shopping, gym membership and more

Visit our careers website to learn more about our culture, staff stories, benefits, development programmes and opportunities.

What you need to do:

Before applying for this post, please do ensure that you have read the job description and person specification requirements. If you think you have everything we're looking for, then we'd love to hear from you, alternatively if you would like more information about the role please do not hesitate to contact us.

Regrettably, we are not able to offer sponsorship for all our job roles. If you attempt to apply for a role that we do not offer sponsorship for, you will receive notification of this at the time of starting your application and you will not be able to proceed. At this point, we wish to thank you for your interest in working for us and apologise we cannot take your application any further.

Please note that from January 2021, to work in the UK candidates who are not UK or Republic of Ireland (RoI) nationals require sponsorship unless you have permission to work via another route. Further guidance can be found on the gov.uk website. It is vital that you provide full and accurate details of your current immigration status on the application form. Overseas applicants applying for entry clearance into the UK must present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided in continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)