Littlebrook Hospital, Dartford

Littlebrook Hospital in Dartford is part of Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust, delivering specialist mental health services to the local community

We deliver mental health care services to our local community via 5 wards. There is a 12 bed Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit and three acute wards (one female, 2 male) on this site, as well as a satellite site - Jasmine Ward on the Darent Valley Hospital site which has 16 beds.

We are a diverse and welcoming team with a strong value focus on ‘compassion’ (to patients, one another and ourselves). We offer healthcare candidates fantastic support and pathways for those looking to develop their career in mental health care. If you would like to aspire to leadership or managerial roles, we can provide full assistance through your training and qualifications, as well as collegiate support as you grow your career life with us.

Types of care offered at Littlebrook Hospital

• Acute mental health care
• Intensive psychiatric care
• Older adult mental health care
• Therapeutic multidisciplinary support form the core services

Patient services provided at Littlebrook Hospital

We help people who have mental health conditions including depression, psychosis, and schizophrenia. Patients are generally referred to us through our mental health community teams. Occasionally, we will also receive patients through a place of safety (patients on a Section 136).

On average our patients stay with us for 28 days. Our older persons ward tends to have a longer average stay of 56 days. Our services are spread over 5 wards in total: Willow Suite, Pinewood Ward, Cherrywood Ward, Amberwood Ward and Jasmine Ward (this is our older adult ward, based at Darent Valley Hospital).

Careers at Littlebrook Hospital

In terms of staffing, you will be employed to one ward with opportunities to support fellow wards when required. However, we believe strongly in continuity of care and gaining familiarity with the patient group - which is why it’s important to us that substantive staff are employed to a specific ward.We also believe being stationed in one ward is important for you too - constantly building familiarity with colleagues in your team, the space you work in and your patients helps you deliver better care which brings a greater sense of purpose and satisfaction.We do employ bank and NHS Professionals also (if you work with us via bank or NHSP routes it is more likely that you will be asked to work on any ward and we will tend to employ you generally in the locality).Our multidisciplinary team (MDT) framework consists of our nurses, OTs, healthcare workers, psychiatrists and psychologists.

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Mental Health Nurse

Mental health nurses lead shifts, coordinating quality patient care, implementing therapeutic interventions and administering medication. Nurses will be considering the medical requirements of patients and monitoring physical as well as mental health. Our nurses develop strong communication skills so that they can work successfully within the multidisciplinary team (MDT) of psychiatrists, psychologists and healthcare workers, as well as within the multi-agency team where required (police, social care colleagues, KMPT discharge coordinators and others).

Registered General Nurse

We employ physical nurses who focus on a patient’s physical healthcare (screening planning and monitoring, training staff, promoting wellbeing and providing medical interventions - wound care etc).

Matron

Matrons are an integral part of the senior clinical leadership team. They uphold, monitor and maintain the highest standards of patient care, in line with national and local quality guidelines. Matrons are allocated to specific wards and are responsive across the locality as required.

Healthcare Worker

This is our largest body of employees. Each shift will see two nurses and four healthcare workers on every ward. Day-to-day you will be working with patients and observing patients. You’ll have a good deal of interaction with patients, and be able to provide them with therapeutic activities too. Where a patient is at risk to themselves you may be asked to provide 1-2-1 support and observation, monitor and complete the necessary forms.

Our healthcare workers are there to support patients with their personal care, daily living and from time-to-time will be required to accompany them on escorted leave. You will work alongside your nursing colleagues, occupational therapists (working together to design therapeutic activities), psychiatrists and psychologists. In fact, you support all of the team!

We aspire to employ more peer support workers as it’s a valuable role within the team - you would have personal experience of mental health issues and so you are able to provide a slightly different service to patients, including elements of coaching.

Occupational Therapist

The O.T provides assessment & therapeutic interventions. These may include cooking, creative, physical activities among others. Our OTs will plan and implement therapeutic activities. For instance, you might help them in the kitchen, assist them with rehabilitating their cooking skills or join them in artwork therapy. You’ll work closely with the healthcare workers to design therapeutic activities.

As one of our OTs, you’re helping to treat our patients by building their independence, teaching them new skills, and rehabilitating them.

Psychologist

Our psychologists provide psychotherapy, therapeutic intervention and talking with our patients about their mental health needs.

Psychiatrist

We employ a psychiatrist on each ward. They are responsible for their ward, taking decisions about the patients, meeting patients, advising on treatment and care and diagnosing. Each of our psychiatrists work within the MDT, but are there to also authorise the legal aspects of each person’s care, working within the mental health framework and making decisions around discharge. This is a clinical and ward leadership role with considerable responsibility.

Career development at Littlebrook Hospital

We offer a range of courses through KMPT all of which will help you if you are looking to advance.

Leadership
We believe everyone is a leader. Our nurses, ward managers, service managers, psychologists, psychiatrists - they are all leadership positions. Even our band 5 nurses lead the healthcare workers.When you take on a leadership position within KMPT you will be able to take up courses that progress your through leadership skills and help you understand the role and fulfil it successfully.

Because we recognise the fundamental importance of leadership within each staff member, we nurture and train our employees to help them become ever better leaders.You can also take the Mary Seacole leadership development programme through us.

Advance your career
In addition, we provide training to support your career progression through qualifications (if you wish to take that route) into senior managerial or clinical positions.For instance, our healthcare workers can take on an apprenticeship to become a nurse - allowing you to continue working with us, and be paid a salary, while advancing your healthcare career.

My professional journey at Littlebrook - Graham Blackman, KMPT Deputy Director of Acute Mental Health Services

"Three decades ago, in December, I commenced my journey here as a support worker, now recognized as a healthcare worker. The job appealed to me, and aspiring to progress, I applied for a secondment to nurse training. Interestingly, this same pathway is now accessible through the apprenticeship scheme.

“Post my training, I returned as a staff nurse, undertaking additional training, earning a mental health degree, and later pursuing a master's and business administration studies. Progressing from a deputy ward manager, I eventually attained the role I hold today.

“This career trajectory remains available today and, in fact, we've enhanced accessibility. There are tangible opportunities for development, be it clinically or with a leadership focus. Progress from a healthcare worker to a nurse, then to roles like deputy ward manager, general manager, nurse prescriber, matron, advanced clinical practitioner, nurse consultant, and clinical lead.

“This journey is not uncommon; our own director started as a nurse on the wards. Currently, a clinical lead overseeing psychiatrists emerged from a nursing background. If you aspire to advance your career here, rest assured, we are committed to supporting you in that endeavour."

Support and inclusion

Through the NHS Academy staff can access coaching and mentoring - allowing you to focus on you and your own journey.To ensure you feel supported we have our ‘Speak Up Guardians’ to whom you can turn if you want to enquire about something you’re worrying about - anonymously and outside the organisation.

Whilst working in mental health it can happen that you are presented with a traumatic experience. If this happens, we will set up a debrief. You can be offered access to local psychologists or counselling services and sessions, which will be paid for - you will be able to talk to someone.

We have also launched an AI service within the Trust that provides, obviously, a completely anonymised point of contact. This can answer any questions you might have, and suggest routes of recourse and action you can take. The fact this is a robot and not a human is the point - in some situations you might find comfort knowing it is not a human.

As with other facilities within the Trust we offer support groups for people with these protected characteristics:

• LGBTQ+
• Disabilities
• Religion
• Equality and DiversityNewly qualified nurses will be supported for a whole year under our preceptorship programme, working alongside a nurse.

Compassion awareness
We have launched a scheme around Compassion Awareness training. This emphasises compassion in three directions: patients; colleagues; yourself. This vital training helps staff always consider their emotional intelligence and their wellbeing. We have to be compassionate on a daily basis - so, we felt, compassion training should be something central in our delivery of care for our employees.

Practical information about working at Littlebrook Hospital

Dartford has excellent access to the south east region via the M2 and M20 motorways. We are in a ‘high-cost’ area so you will get an extra weighting on your salary.We are close to London but outside of the ULEZ zone, which means you can enjoy the benefits of the city, without all the usual costs of living there.

Staff at Littlebrook Hospital can enjoy free car parking on-site, with plenty of space for everyone.Dartford enjoys being a very diverse community and our employees reflect this diversity, helping to engender a sense of belonging and welcoming among our team for all new candidates.