Community Mental Health Practitioner /Psychiatric Triage Nurse

Job overview

Harrow Community Mental Health Triage and Assessment Team, based in Harrow and Wealdstone is looking for a passionate and experienced RMN who is looking to make a difference whilst working in an environment that promotes staff development and training opportunities.

CNWL is passionate about developing its own staff, driving them to go on to become more established practitioners and this post is no different. Harrow is a pioneering service in Trauma Informed Approaches

We are seeking an experienced practitioner looking for a new venture in the community to further develop their skills; we have training and development opportunities tailored to suit your needs.

Main duties of the job

To be you and to do what you do best in the job you love!

You will be accountable for the RMN intervention of a defined caseload of adults. To assess health and social care needs (including accommodation, finances, and support in accessing education, training or employment) and negotiate care plans with service users and their carers, remaining objective when working with diagnostic uncertainty.

To help support you with the above we offer a robust induction and tailored training will be given and encouraged. As an employer, CNWL and Harrow Local Authority also offer various training opportunities, dependent on how long you are in post and your development needs as well as the CMHH offering internal training opportunities so that the team continues to learn and evolve their practice and support of their clients and each other.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post will involve the responsibilities laid down under the following key headings:

Clinical

Communication and Liaison

Training and Education

Administrative and Professional Practice

Research and Development

• To receive referrals from GPs and undertake comprehensive psycho-social mental health assessments to establish care needs.
• To act as a contact point and provide a link/liaison role to GP practices with regard to patients with more complex mental health problems and/or co-morbidities
• To screen non-urgent GP Adult mental health referrals, identifying patients who are suitable for management in primary care according to agreed thresholds and with any adjustments to reflect MH resource available at individual practices
• To facilitate onward referral and rapid access to mental health services and other agencies in line with agreed thresholds and shared protocols and criteria, and/or to provide support/advise referring GP on effective management
• To ensure early detection and fast tracking of clients with severe mental health problems.
• To provide appropriate short-term interventions for clients with more complex and severe, enduring mental illnesses (SMI).
• To support the safe discharge case management of patients discharged from secondary care, with a focus on enabling GP practices to provide effective, continuing care and to ensure access to support in terms wider social and social inclusion/self-management needs.
• To refer-on patients assessed as having common mental health problems to the primary care psychological therapy pathway or to external resources
• To facilitate, where necessary, the onward transfer of suitable clients from secondary care to primary care.
• To develop and maintain a high standard of mental health professional care using a liaison model of nursing with a problem solving and evaluation approach.
• To utilise a range of therapeutic techniques.
• To understand the social factors which are relevant to mental health problems and to be aware of and respectful of the cultures, customs, values and spiritual/religious practices and beliefs of all clients, particularly those from minority ethnic communities.
• To receive regular appropriate supervision, as agreed with the Mental Health Triage Team Manager.
• To support the work of the depot clinic if required as part of a rota.
• To undertake risk assessments, according to Trust policy.
• To act as a mental health resource to the respective GP practices by offering advice and support for the management and care of clients with mental health difficulties.
• To provide overall liaison between primary and secondary care for clients known to mental health services. This may involve liaising with key mental health professionals in Harrow and other mental health services well as with social services and other agencies.
• To participate in Mental Health Triage professional team meetings.
• Recommend and facilitate admission for clients when it is clinically indicated.
• Identify any conditions, which may affect the mental, emotional or physical well-being of clients or family and refer to appropriate agencies.
• Establish and maintain working relationships with individuals and agencies working in the field of mental health.
• Provide written reports about clients to referrers and other relevant agencies.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.