Senior Primary Care Mental Health Practitioner - ARRS HaLo PCN

Job overview

We are excited to recruit to the role of Senior Primary Care Mental Health Practitioner (Band 7) in Hertfordshire’s HaLo Primary Care Network (PCN) covering the following GP surgeries in the St Albans area:

The Lodge Health Partnership

Harvey House Practice

The role will involve travel between the PCN sites as well as travel to HPFT sites for things such as mandatory training.

You will work alongside other clinicians within the PCN as part of a multidisciplinary team.

You will need to be able to work autonomously to triage, assess, case manage and discharge a patient without referral to a GP where appropriate.

You must be able to advise on medications, identify and intervene to meet social needs, order investigations and refer on to secondary care services where necessary.

You will act as a first point of contact in primary care. You will accept referrals for triage via agreed routes within the PCN. You will offer rapid and autonomous ‘first contact’ assessment and promote early treatment by supporting people directly into appropriate mental health pathways across both the statutory and voluntary sectors and will provide short term interventions on the telephone, via video link options, at the surgery or in the person's home where appropriate.

Main duties of the job

You will provide mental health assessment and brief interventions to service users in GP surgeries.

Your tasks will include early triage, assessment, treatment, risk management, identifying and dealing with safeguarding concerns as well as contributing to case discussions and service-related meetings across the adult mental health primary care pathway ensuring good links with secondary care services.

You will coordinate the time limited care of primary care-based service users delivering integrated care which takes account of social care needs. You will be someone who enjoys adapting and learning as you contribute to embedding this new role into primary care.

You will also take a leading role for service innovation and development in primary care mental health. This could include projects with other junior staff to ensure delivery of safe and effective primary care mental health services and making a significant contribution to the development and leadership of mental health services within Primary Care Networks. You may be expected to conduct audits to help understand the efficacy of these roles. You will also take part in training other colleagues in subjects related to your field of expertise.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The role aligns with the NHS 10 year plan and focuses on improving access to specialist support within the neighborhood. It centres around early recognition of common mental health and early employment of NICE recommended interventions to prevent more severe and enduring presentations.

A snap shot of the duties include :-

Case find, screen, triage, assess and coordinate the development of care plans for people as part of the Primary Care Team

Provide brief, outcome focussed support and time limited evidence-based interventions for people.

Offer interventions to people using the principles of motivational interviewing.

Support people to build their emotional resilience and crisis planning tools, promoting self-management skills

Ensure systems are in place to promote smooth pathways between primary care and secondary mental health services.

Proactively recognise and effectively manage the indicators of deteriorating mental health and facilitate appropriate onward referral to HPFT crisis management teams, community teams or via SPA. Where appropriate, you will complete joint assessments with ACMHS. The Mental Health Practitioner will act to negotiate rapid re-access to HPFT clinical services should the need arise and will jointly work with ACMHS to help identify and support patients ready to transition to primary care. The Mental Health Practitioner will be part of developing care plans and preparing people for step down.

Work in partnership with Health and social care professionals from other agencies and organisations including Mental Health Link Workers, Community Navigators, Social Prescribers and other practice staff to map community resources and assets that are available for those with mental health needs within the specific PCN geography and ensure awareness of these is communicated throughout the Primary Care Network.

Work within Primary Care to reduce the need for onward referral to secondary care services where consultation with the Community Psychiatrist or Psychologist can provide the required support whether this is medication review or additional advice and guidance.

To lead collaborative working between the full range of physical health and mental health services to ensure that people who need care are able to access it quickly and are prevented from being excluded from services or ‘falling through gaps’.

Establish an ethos within the Primary Care Network based on individual strengths and community assets. Support service users, carers and families to access voluntary services and other relevant community providers and utilise available information to promote self-management approaches as part of a holistic approach

For a more detailed Job Description and Person Specification please see attached document

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.