Primary Care Mental Health Nurse

Job overview

This post holder will be working with a team that consist of a Team Manager, Clinical Lead/CBT therapist, Mental Health Nurses, Access Practitioners and Administrators.

The team responsibility is to provide, develop and improve services for people with complex common mental health problems and stable predicable and enduring mental health needs in primary care. The post holder will have a high level of autonomy within their role and managing all aspects of their service according to local need and within the parameters of the Primary Mental Health Service operational policy.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be working within a busy team alongside a team of registered mental health nurses and be supported by the Team Manager, Senior Clinical Lead/CBT Practitioner, and team administrators.

Post holders will have a high level of autonomy working across designated GP practices, managing their own clinics and providing mental health assessment and evidenced based treatment for people aged over 18. You will provide a service to people who exhibit complex common mental health needs and stable, predictable and enduring serious mental health needs. You will be expected to develop and manage all aspects of their service, such as waiting lists according to local need; working within the parameters of the service operational policy.

A key aspect of this role is GP consultation, liaison, education and training. You will be expected to attend GP practice meetings at least twice a year to discuss the service and actively seek feedback and report any issues to the team leader as well as areas for improvement and any innovative practice for sharing and disseminating. Staff will be expected to autonomously manage high volumes of referrals. Staff are expected to work on their own initiative in a busy and demanding service and to be able manage change effectively.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To be the first clinical point of contact for the service, effectively screening, assessing and working with service users with complex common mental health needs and stable, predictable and enduring serious mental health needs , exercising judgement to identify and assess healthcare needs, and consider range of options for treatment.

To work in partnership with service users to assess their mental health needs using sound knowledge base and clinical judgement and where indicated deliver evidence based brief interventions.

To deliver of Primary care recovery focused Psychological Interventions that meet the need of service users who are too complex and/or not suitable for IAPT yet do not meet the threshold for the Psychological Therapies in Secondary care mental health.

To assist in the delivery the In-Reach Model of care that facilitates earlier discharge of service users from our Community Recovery Services, Early Access team, Home Treatment Team, Early Intervention, Older Peoples services and Out-Patient Department.

To deliver Wellness & Recovery Action Planning (WRAP) that supports a recovery focused care model that emphasises the service users choice, preference of interventions/treatment and establishes meaningful networks of support that take into account their Bio/Psycho/Social needs.