Position overview

Mental Health, Justice Health and Alcohol & Drug Services (MHJHADS) provide health services directly and through partnerships with community organisations. The services provided range from prevention and treatment to recovery, maintenance and harm minimisation. Consumer and carer participation is encouraged in all aspects of service planning and delivery. The Division works in partnership with consumers, carers and a range of government and non-government service providers to ensure the best possible outcomes for clients.

The Division delivers services at a number of locations, including hospital inpatient and outpatient settings, community health centres, detention centres, other community settings including peoples’ homes.

These services include:

• Adult Community & Older Persons Mental Health Services
• Adult Inpatient Mental Health Services
• Alcohol & Drug Services
• Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services
• Justice Health Services

Adult Inpatient Mental Health Services is across both The Canberra Hospital (TCH) and North Canberra Hospital (NCH) sites, and includes services such as Adult Mental Health Unit, Ward 12B Mental Health Unit, Mental Health Short Stay Unit, Mental Health Clinical Liaison TCH and NCH, Acacia Mental Health Unit (Acacia) for Acute Adults and Banksia Mental Health Unit (Banksia) for Older Persons.

The Mental Health Consultation Liaison (MHCL) Nurse provides advanced clinical care and leadership across acute hospital settings at Canberra Hospital including the Emergency Department, Critical Care, Maternity, Medical, and Surgical wards. Working within a multidisciplinary team, the MHCL clinician delivers high-quality, recovery-focused mental health assessment and short-term management strategies for individuals in acute distress.

This role supports clinical decision-making, provides consultation and education to hospital teams, and engages with families, carers, and external agencies. The MHCL clinician contributes to service development, quality improvement, and the orientation and mentoring of staff and students. The position operates within a rotating seven-day, extended hours roster, with future expansion to 24/7 coverage. The MHCL clinician is accountable for their own professional standards and plays a key role in fostering a safe, therapeutic, and person-centred environment.

Key Responsibilities

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

At this level, you will provide advanced clinical care and leadership across acute hospital settings, supporting safe and effective outcomes for individuals experiencing mental illness. You will contribute expert consultation to the multidisciplinary team, supervise junior staff, and engage in education and support for hospital teams, families, and carers.

You will be required to undertake complex assessments, participate in professional development and supervision, contribute to quality improvement, and support a recovery-focused, person-centred environment.

1. Provide a client centred, recovery focused approach to complex clinical assessment for people experiencing mental health crisis or acute psychological distress within the Emergency Department and General & Medical Wards of the Canberra Hospital.
2. Adopt proactive and assertive consultation liaison practices with the extended care teams and appropriate community and government agencies and support the inclusion of Carers and families in a person’s immediate treatment planning.
3. Provide advanced clinical expertise within the treating multidisciplinary team by working collaboratively with the people requiring assessment, their Carers and Community Agencies to support proactive care co-ordination.
4. Provide clinical leadership and utilise expertise and advanced skills to work with the extended care teams and external stakeholders to build capacity within the ED and general/medical environments to support the safe treatment and care of people experiencing mental health issues through formal and information training and education.
5. Participate in the monitoring, research, and evaluation of service provision within the Canberra Hospital Mental Health Consultation Liaison Team.
6. Undertake and provide clinical supervision, participate in ongoing professional development activities, and be actively involved in clinical governance systems and processes through quality activities, program and process evaluation, outcomes measurement and membership of committees and working parties.
7. Apply clinical practice in accordance with the Mental Health Act 2015 and other relevant legislations.
8. Undertake other duties appropriate to this level of classification which contribute to the operation of the organisation.

Competencies

Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to the following.

• Ability to work within a multidisciplinary team and adapt quickly to a changing environment.
• Ability to synthesise and analyse complex information and make decisions.
• Commitment to achieving positive outcomes for patients and their families/ carers who are presenting in mental health distress.
• Ability to respond to and prioritise competing demands in a calm and respectful manner whilst ensuring a high level of high work standards and accuracy is maintained.
• Ability to engage, maintain and build and effective paths of communication with a range of stakeholders.

Qualifications

Essential

• Tertiary qualifications in allied health professionals.
• Where relevant, unconditional registration or eligibility for registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) or eligibility for membership with the AASW.

Desirable

• Current driver’s licence
• Have an understanding of how the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) indicators align with this role.

Experience

Essential

• Minimum three years of post-qualified experience in a relevant field.

Desirable

• Sound understanding of acute mental health services and proven experience in complex clinical mental health, risk assessment and intervention.
• Experience or knowledge of the CHS Exceptional Care Framework, and all other related frameworks.

Prior to commencement

Appointment to this position is conditional on being granted and retaining appropriate clearances:

• Pre-employment National Police Check.
• Current registration issued under the Working with Vulnerable People (Background Checking) Act 2011 is required.
• Comply with Canberra Health Services Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination policy.
• Comply with CHS credentialing and scope of clinical practice requirements for allied health professionals.

Important information

All employees are required to:

• Adhere to the Canberra Health Services Values and the ACT Public Service Code of Conduct.
• Act in accordance and comply with all relevant Safety and Quality policies and procedures.
• Comply with all relevant clinical and/or competency standards.
• Be available for weekend and/or after-hours work.

CHS is leading the drive to digitally transform health service delivery in Australia through the implementation of a territory wide Digital Health Record. Computer literacy skills are required which are relevant to this role as you will be responsible for completing required documentation and becoming a proficient user of the Digital Health Record and/or other Information Technology systems; once proficient, you will need to remain current with changes, updates, and contingencies.

What you Require (Key Selection Criteria)

These are the key selection criteria for how you will be assessed in conjunction with your resumé and experience and must be addressed in your application:

1. Proven expert clinical knowledge of mental health practice including a demonstrated ability to undertake complex mental health and to provide high-quality, recovery based mental health interventions.
2. Demonstrated ability to lead and work within a multi-disciplinary team and an ability to build and maintain effective working relationships.
3. Proven ability to work with and lead diverse teams and external parties in a consultative, collaborative, and influential manner.
4. Proven excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to consult, negotiate and liaise effectively with a diverse range of people.
5. Demonstrates understanding of, and adherence to, safety and quality standards, work, health and safety (WH&S) and the positive patient experience. Displays behaviour consistent with CHS’s values of reliable, progressive, respectful and kind.

Work environment description

The following work environment description outlines the inherent requirements of the role and indicates how frequently each of these requirements would need to be performed. Please note that the ACT Public Service is committed to providing reasonable adjustments and ensuring all individuals have equal opportunities in the workplace.