Helpful Conversation Practitioner - Leeds Mental Wellbeing Service

Job responsibilities

Main duties:

The duties and responsibilities of the post will include:

Referrals, triage & assessment:

• Accept referrals of patients who are thought most unlikely to engage in an IAPT treatment offer, and/or those who are deemed unlikely to achieve recover from their symptoms from the standard IAPT approach.

• Use PCMIS patient management system (after training) to record referrals, assessments and outcomes.

• Identify and manage cases where complexity and/or severity are present, including triaging referrals and signposting to appropriate mental health and crisis support.

• Use therapeutic skills where appropriate to help patients to contain and manage acute emotional distress which does not pose a risk.

• Complete a comprehensive and holistic assessment of need for those felt likely to benefit from the Helpful Conversations approach within an agreed timeframe, in order to determine the most appropriate help and support.

• Develop an understanding of the particular issues presented, including any complicating social factors (physical health, employment, housing, substance misuse, etc), the patient’s sense of what support would be helpful and realistic, and the patient’s readiness to engage with connecting services.

• Offer consultation, advice, and decision support to primary care colleagues as required.

Caseload management & interventions:

• Typically, a FTE post holder would offer circa 40 (30min Triage) and 7 (60min Follow-up) appointments per week.

• Manage a full caseload and reach agreed activity levels set within the service and ensure treatment delivery remains accessible and convenient.

• Within Follow-up appointment use a range of techniques and interventions to support patients with mental health needs to self-manage their symptoms, and encourage behavioural and lifestyle change, while working within boundaries of professional training and competence.

• Respond to unpredictable situations of risk and manage these in a safe, professional and holistic manner, utilising appropriate risk assessment, relapse prevention interventions and risk management plans.

• Facilitate patients to use/develop their own resources and support networks (family/friends), provide extra support for patients to access the wide range of existing psycho-educational, peer support and wellbeing groups within Leeds.

• Support navigation into a range of other useful social and support services, including Forward Leeds, Health Trainers and social prescribing.

• Build knowledge of relevant local community networks and support individuals to access these, where appropriate (including but not limited to LMWS-PCMH, Secondary Care Mental Health services, social prescribing service, local voluntary sector mental health provision).

• Encourage patients to actively manage their own mental health/wellbeing.

• Help patients to develop skills and build confidence in their ability to regulate their emotional state and make appropriate choices which promote mental wellbeing; encourage patients to self-initiate positive behaviours and to gain problem-solving skills.

• Educate and involve family members and others in treatment as necessary, conveying clinical formulations with sensitivity in easily understood language.

• Keep records of all clinical activity in line with service protocols using PCMIS and any paper-based systems as appropriate.

• Monitor patient experience using a qualitative evaluation questionnaire.

• Work closely with the LMWS IAPT Screening HUB and other members of the LMWS team ensuring appropriate timely communication, and contribute to the ongoing development of the Helpful Conversation offer during the pilot.

Training:

• Attend Helpful Conversation Training.

• Attend and fulfil all mandatory trainings.

• Use PCMIS to input and retrieve information appropriate to the care of individuals on caseload.

Professional practice:

• Ensure the maintenance of standards of practice according to the employer and any regulating, professional and accrediting bodies (e.g. BACP, UKCP, BPS), and keep up to date on new recommendations/guidelines set by the Department of Health (e.g. NHS plan, National Service Framework, National Institute for Clinical Excellence).

• Ensure that patient confidentiality is protected at all times, in line with Northpoint and LMWS policies.

• Attend clinical and line management supervision on a regular basis as agreed with the Service Manager.

• Ensure clear professional objectives are identified, discussed and reviewed with the Service Manager, on a regular basis as part of continuing professional development.

• Keep up to date all records in relation to CPD and ensure your personal development plan maintains up-to-date specialist knowledge of latest theoretical and service delivery models/developments.

• Attend relevant conferences/workshops in line with identified professional objectives.

• Attend team and LMWS wide meetings as directed.

Training, Experience & Qualifications

Essential

• Appropriate statutory professional body registration (RMN, OT Certificate, Professional Mental Health/Psychology qualification or a relevant qualification at NVQ Level 3 (e.g. NVQ Level 3 in Mental Health & Social Care) or equivalent (Psychology graduate), and/or significant experience in mental health support work.
• Experience of undertaking specialist holistic mental health assessment, risk assessment and formulation and can demonstrate that these skills are maintained.
• At least two years experience of working in a mental health setting with clients presenting with multipleandcomplex issues.
• Experience of delivering appropriate therapeutic, risk management and relapse prevention interventions in a time-limited manner, to clients with common mental health problems, in line with professional standards and service protocols.

Desirable

• Relevant experience in Primary or Secondary Care mental health services.
• Experience of working within the Third Sector organisation.
• Experience of working in a service with agreed targets for outputs and clinical outcomes.
• Experience of PCMIS/SystmOne/EMIS or similar IT system for outcome and case-management recording.
• Experience of working with diverse communities and within a multicultural setting.

Knowledge and Understanding

Essential

• Working understanding of safeguarding issues
• Working understanding of confidentiality issues
• Knowledge of common mental health conditions which may be encountered in this area of work
• Knowledge of relevant current issues in health and social care
• Knowledge of Standards of Conduct
• Demonstrates awareness of limits to knowledge base
• Basic understanding of clinical governance and quality measures

Desirable

• An understanding of the principles underlying the Stepped Care model of mental health treatment
• Knowledge of existing services within the area

Skills and Competencies

Essential

• Able to build and maintain relationships with others both internal and external to the organisation whilst maintaining appropriate professional boundaries
• Ability to plan and organise workload in line with targets
• Can demonstrate sensitivity to the needs of disadvantaged groups in the planning and delivery of interventions and services.
• Able to work according to organisational policies and procedures
• Actively committed to personal & professional development
• IT skills i.e. able to use Microsoft Office packages including Word and Outlook and video conferencing such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including communicating clearly and concisely at all levels (both orally and in writing)

Desirable

• Ability to deliver support in community languages
• Ability to employ psychological formulation

Qualities and Values

Essential

• An understanding and sensitivity towards mental health issues
• Evidence of a positive and proactive attitude, motivated and solution-focused
• Demonstrate a commitment to enabling and empowering clients to become actively involved in their own wellbeing
• Commitment to the principles of inclusivity, equality and diversity, demonstrated in practice
• Demonstrates values consistent with those of the Northpoints