Op COURAGE Southwest is a NHS England commissioned service delivering a veterans’ mental health service across the Southwest area which includes Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Dorset.
Op COURAGE, working in conjunction with statutory NHS services, provides a complete mental health pathway for service personnel, reservists, armed forces veterans, and their families. We also work closely with a number of third sector military organisations and other commissioned military services.
Op COURAGE builds on the existing statutory provision within local areas to ensure that a veteran can access a holistic service that brings together mental health, physical health and wellbeing provision to meet the veteran’s individual need.
Op COURAGE Southwest is one of 6 national NHS teams and works across the area in a partnership with specialist organisations to provide an integrated service. AWP is the Lead provider for Op Courage Southwest Integrated Veterans Mental Health Services (IVMH), other members of the partnership are:
Dorset Healthcare University Foundation NHS Trust,
Walking With The Wounded,
Combat Stress,
Mental Health Matters,
Togetherall.
We are currently seeking to recruit a Band 4 Community Support Worker who will work across the Somerset and Dorset area and support the delivery of this vital service.

To provide focused, person -centred support and care interventions to people living in the community with severe and enduring mental health needs. To work alongside a multidisciplinary team, under the indirect supervision of registered clinicians, in an associate recovery worker and/or care coordinator role. Key activities will include:

• Forming compassionate, recovery-focused, therapeutic relationships with service users and their carers, supporting them to manage their mental health needs in a community setting.
• Engaging in the full range of ongoing needs assessment processes required by the team, including mental state, dynamic clinical risk, spiritual and cultural needs, and emotional, psychological and physical wellbeing.
• Supporting service users to manage their finances and / or housing needs.
• Empowering service users to self-manage aspects of their ongoing treatment, such as medication, diet and lifestyle, physical health and general wellbeing.

Key activities may also include undertaking the role of Care Coordinator for service users who have been assessed as presenting relatively low to moderate levels of clinical complexity and risk, under the guidance and supervision of registered clinicians.
We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust): a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.
We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.
Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.
At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.
Promote and champion the rights, values, responsibilities and diversity of people, and act in an open and compassionate way within clear professional boundaries.
Promote and maintain effective communication with people in order to build and sustain positive working relationships with individuals, families and carers, team members and other agencies. This may include accessing translation and interpreting services.
Contribute to the planning, implementation and review of care packages, including implementing specific parts of an individual care plan.
Working autonomously within relevant practice boundaries, under indirect, but not ‘direct’, supervision of registered clinicians.
Conduct comprehensive assessments of mental health needs and clinical risks.
Maintain accurate, confidential records of patient activity, contributing to a range of written documents as appropriate, including reports, referrals and letters.
Enable people to understand and manage their mental health needs in line with their care plan and relapse prevention strategies.
Support individuals in developing and maintaining their identity and personal relationships, including potentially difficult relationships.
Support people with mental health needs to engage with their own health care, in accordance with their care plan.
Act to protect individuals from abuse and harm in line with local and National policies and procedures (e.g. Safeguarding, Risk Management, Suicide Prevention).
Work proactively with carers and families, identifying carers’ needs and signposting to appropriate services or agencies.
Proactively develop your knowledge and practice, making use of both clinical and management supervision and available learning opportunities.
Promote, monitor and maintain health, safety and security in the workplace

• Forming compassionate, recovery-focused, therapeutic relationships with service users and their carers, supporting them to manage their mental health needs in a community setting.
• Engaging in the full range of ongoing needs assessment processes required by the team, including mental state, dynamic clinical risk, spiritual and cultural needs, and emotional, psychological and physical wellbeing.
• Supporting service users to manage their finances and / or housing needs.
• Empowering service users to self-manage aspects of their ongoing treatment, such as medication, diet and lifestyle, physical health and general wellbeing