Physical Health Practitioner

Job overview

This is a permanent role created to help us deliver our plans to transform our community mental health services, as part of the NHS Long Term Plan.  The transformation of our community mental health services will lead to truly integrated health and social care for adults in Barnet, Enfield and Haringey who have serious mental illness.

Our transformation plans are supported by £25m in funding and will mean the roll-out over the next three years of multi-disciplinary teams of experts working within the new Primary Care Networks and offering wraparound, holistic care to our service users and wider community.  Our aim is to support the whole person as they live with, or recover from, mental illness and to offer them support with other challenges they may face, such as debt, relationship problems, housing, education or training.  We will also focus resources on reaching those who currently face obstacles in getting the help they need

Main duties of the job

Service users with severe and enduring mental illness are known to have poorer health outcomes than the general population.  For this reason, Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust (BEHMHT) is providing support to service users around their physical health needs.

The post holder will work together with team members conducting supervised specialist assessments of service users with a special interest in their Physical health. They will lead on ensuring that service users with enduring mental health issues are not discriminated by virtue of their mental illness in terms of their physical health.  The post holder will lead on supporting service users with blood tests, BMI, ECGs, BM, maintaining Lithium registers, and other physical health checks as required.

This information will support the teams in identifying referral to an appropriate physical health care team as well as monitoring certain health conditions.  Service users may also be facilitated with active support from the GMHW to access their GP if necessary.

The post holder will be expected to develop an understanding of the needs of this particular patient group and work accordingly.

The post holder will be responsible for participating and assisting in the delivery of care/services to patients and service users as part of a Mental Health Care Team, in this case the Community Mental Health service, working under the direct or indirect supervision of a registered member of staff.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• A Graduate/Degree holder and NVQ Level IV in care or equivalent OR Two years (minimum)working experience in a mental health setting
• Awareness of patient care within the wider context of the organisation, in particular around health inequalities
• Have an understanding of the importance of user/carer involvement
• Awareness of treatment outcomes, recovery tools, care planning, assessment of risk Have an understanding of equal opportunities, diversity and anti discriminatory practice

Awareness and understanding of the functions of MDT