South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust is establishing a new Mental Health Urgent Treatment Centre (MH UTC) on the Maudsley Hospital site. This is a flagship development within the Trust’s acute care transformation programme and will serve as a dedicated access point for adults presenting in acute mental health crisis.
The service aims to provide a safer, quieter, trauma-informed alternative to Emergency Departments for individuals who do not require physical health intervention but require urgent mental health assessment.
The Centre will operate 24/7, providing rapid triage, assessment, short-stay observation, and collaborative safety planning. It has capacity for up to 10 patients, including private assessment rooms.
The service acts as a key hub in the urgent care pathway, offering an alternative to emergency departments for specialist mental health assessment and intervention.
The post holder will be a key member of the MHUTC multidisciplinary team, contributing to rapid assessments, risk management, and pathway planning under senior guidance.
The role involves conducting comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments of adults as part of day-to-day clinical duties. Typical presentations include deliberate self-harm, mood disorders, psychotic illness, and crises linked to substance misuse or withdrawal.
This is a shift-based role following a rotational pattern of long days and nights to maintain safe 24/7 coverage.
The post holder will demonstrate strong interpersonal, communication, and de-escalation skills, working effectively in a high-pressure environment with acutely distressed or challenging individuals.
Provide 24/7 nurse-led assessment and stabilisation of adults experiencing acute mental health crisis.
Serve as an alternative to EDs for patients medically fit for psychiatric assessment.
Work closely with liaison psychiatry at King’s College Hospital, St Thomas’ Hospital, University Hospital Lewisham, Croydon University Hospital, the borough Home Treatment Teams, the Acute Referrals Centre (ARC), SLAM’s Centralised Place of Safety, community mental health teams and SLAM's inpatient psychiatric wards.
Support safe waiting, risk assessment/formulation/management, collaborative formulation, and early intervention for those in a mental health crisis.
Bridge directly into community- and voluntary-sector supports such as Southwark Community Sanctuary and Crisis Plus services.
De-escalation, sensory safety, and culturally competent trauma-informed care.
Clinical assessment, decision-making, and risk management skills for mental health crises, self-harm, and co-morbidities.
Leadership, supervision, and mentorship abilities to support junior staff, and students with rota oversight.
Strong communication skills to convey sensitive information compassionately to patients/families/colleagues and liaise with multi-agency partners.
We are at the forefront of mental health care, support and research. By working within SLAM, you will gain specialist experience within a Trust with a rich history and international reputation in mental health.
We will give you access to professional development and extensive learning opportunities. Together we will work to improve the lives of people with mental health needs, reduce stigma and educate the community.
Our focus is always around the service user - we want to ensure that they are given the opportunity to start recovery in a safe environment whilst working with talented and passionate individuals.
The way we work is based upon five commitments:
to be caring, kind and polite
to be prompt and value your time
to take time and listen to you
to be honest and direct with you
to do what I say I'm going to do
for a full list of duties; see attached job description
Working autonomously within the parameters of the role leading and supporting junior staff and wider care team to implement the delivery of quality nursing care, contributing to the physical, psychological, social, recreational and spiritual care in a recovery-focused way through therapeutic engagement and activities, and taking steps to address any issues that arise.
Co-ordinating and evaluating collaborative patient centred care; getting feedback and improving plans with the multi-disciplinary team(MDT).
Providing accurate information about care in an accessible format to patients and their relatives /carers.
Liaising and working positively with members of the multi-disciplinary team and partner organisations.
Leading and supporting/teaching junior staff on risk assessment and risk management that involves making decisions based on knowledge of the research evidence, knowledge of the individual service user and their social context, knowledge of the service user’s own experience and clinical judgment.
Recognising and valuing service users as individuals, acknowledging the importance of maintaining the service user’s respect and dignity at all times and ensure that the care provided respects equality and diversity.
Implementing the principles of ‘recovery’: encouraging and supporting service users to engage with healthy lifestyles, facilitating psychosocial activities and other activities of their interest. Where appropriate contributing to psychological interventions.
Advocating for service users’ needs and rights within Trust policy. Encouraging and empowering service users to have an optimum level of responsibility for their individual programme of care.
