Perinatal Mental Health Practitioner

Job overview

It is an extraordinary time for specialist perinatal mental health services across the UK with growing national and local focus on service development and expanding access for new and expectant mum. The national ambition was to improve outcomes for an increasing number women over a 5-year period through investment in resources and broadening of interventions available. The perinatal period includes from conception up until one year following the birth of the baby and is a critical time for prevention and treatment for women at risk of serious mental ill health. Providing a unique opportunity for intervention and change, improving outcomes for mum's, their families and ultimately society, in the longer term.

Main duties of the job

• To work jointly with care coordinators from CMHTs with a small complex and challenging caseload of pregnant women or those with an infant up to one year old.
• Conduct both single handed and joint high quality mental health assessments as required to identify mental health needs for people referred to the Perinatal Mental Health Service.
• Take responsibility for the management of a defined client caseload as identified in consultation with the Team Manager, Clinical Team Leader and team.
• Utilise the Care Programme Approach (CPA) as defined within the Trust Policy and to act as lead practitioner in the care of women under the perinatal service.
• To ensure that all Trust Perinatal service users have a perinatal care plan, this is implemented. This may require attending and contributing to pre and post-birth meetings.
• Ensure risks are effectively managed and interventions are effectively prioritised.
• Maintain effective individualised care through the assessment of health and social care needs, planning, implementation and evaluation of care plans co-produced with service users.
• Utilise the Information Management and Technology system of the Trust to maintain effective communication and clear, concise and contemporaneous documentation for individualised client care
• Establish therapeutic relationships with individual clients and to work with fathers, partners and significant others to provide appropriate education training and support.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Essex Perinatal Mental Health Service operates from five hubs across Essex the hubs are situated around the 5 acute hospitals. The bases are in the areas of Rochford, Laindon, Harlow, Chelmsford and Colchester and provide specialist assessment, intervention for women at risk of moderate to serious mental illness or complex disorders within the county of Essex. The successful candidate will be based at a hub and work from North Essex service providing care as a perinatal Practitioner, holding a caseload for women and their families in the perinatal period of conception up until one year following the birth of the baby.

This is a wonderful development opportunity for experienced RMN, OT or Social worker interested in perinatal mental health and wishing to develop specialist knowledge and practice in this rewarding field. We significantly invest in our perinatal practitioners to foster expertise in our team providing specialist training packages and development opportunities in line with emerging evidence and standards for parental mental illness. Successful candidates will demonstrate knowledge and interest in mental health in the perinatal period together with knowledge of child and adult safeguarding practice. Good communication, collaborative partnership working, time management and planning skills are essential. Some previous experience of working with this group would be an advantage.