Mental Health Practitioner

Job description

Job responsibilities

Purpose of the role: To deliver community mental health support, symptom management, triage and care navigation to clients through Primary Care Networks in Leeds.

We are part of a relatively new primary care mental health service (Leeds Mental Wellbeing Service), commissioned by Leeds CCG. This exciting partnership, launched in November 2019, delivers an integrated service offering mental health support for people with common mental health problems. Together, our partnership helps thousands of people in Leeds to increase their resilience and live their best lives within their community.

This role is an exciting opportunity for mental health/wellbeing practitioner to work within primary care (GP surgeries and community health centres) to provide symptom management, triage and care navigation to patients referred by their GPs.

Predominantly working as part of an integrated team, the post-holder will provide telephone triage and face-to-face assessment and decision-making support to ensure that patients with common mental health needs gain access to the most appropriate pathway and intervention.

The post-holder will be required to carry out assessment and formulation of mental health needs in order to assist patients towards increased self-management of anxiety and depression symptoms and better tolerance of distress. The role will also involve identifying opportunities to support individuals with their mental health by helping them to access appropriate community support, encourage behavioural and lifestyle changes, and enable and empower patients to become actively involved in their own wellbeing.

The role combines the skills of triage/assessment/care navigation/psychological support. Key to the role will be the ability to utilise psychological formulation (i.e. construct meaning out of mental distress) and build trusting relationships quickly whilst motivating individuals to make sustained changes.

Primary Care Networks (PCNs) bring together a group of neighbouring GP practices to cover a population of 30,000 to 50,000 patients. Member GP practices benefit from economies of scale as they collaborate to provide services with an expanded primary care team - including these Mental Health practitioner roles taking pressure off GPs. More information about Leeds PCNs can be found at

https://www.leedsgpconfederation.org.uk/primary-care-networks-member-practices/

OVERVIEW OF RESPONSIBILITIES

Referrals, triage & assessment

Accept referrals of patients with chronic and/or mild to moderate common mental health problems (predominantly anxiety, depression, and OCD) via agreed protocols within the GP Practice.

Use SystmOne/EMIS/ Care Director 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, where it does not pose a risk.

Complete a comprehensive and holistic assessment of need for those referred to the service 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 patients sense of what support would be helpful and realistic, and the patients readiness to engage with connecting services.

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

Caseload management & interventions

Work with a caseload of individuals with chronic mental health needs, (offering between 25 and 30 appointments per week at 30-50 minutes per appointment).

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

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 IAPT, Secondary Care Mental Health services, Social Prescribing service and 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 that 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.

Attend multi-disciplinary meetings relating to referrals or clients in treatment, where appropriate.

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

Monitor patient experience using a qualitative evaluation questionnaire.

Work closely with the GP practice and other members of the team ensuring appropriate communication, including discharge notes, and be available to support practice staff with queries about referrals and suitability.

Training

Attend and fulfil all mandatory trainings.

Learn how to use SystmOne/EMIS/ Care Director to input and retrieve information appropriate to the care of individuals on caseload.

Develop a basic competency in the use of SystmOne/EMIS/ Care Director to an acceptable standard.

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 Health and Care Excellence).

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

Attend case 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 meetings.

General

Contribute to the development of best practice within the service.

Combat mental health inequalities actively, applying your knowledge of the social determinants of mental health in Leeds, and how some communities are at greater risk of poorer mental health.

Maintain up-to-date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and procedures in relation to mental health and primary care services.

All employees have a duty and responsibility for their own health and safety and the health and safety of colleagues, patients and the general public.

All employees have a responsibility and a legal obligation to ensure that information processed for both patients and staff is kept accurate, confidential, secure and in line with the Data Protection Act (2018) and Security and Confidentiality policies.

Carry out audits of service performance, including service user surveys and evaluations, and help to collate and disseminate the results for feedback.

Work with managers and colleagues to identify manage and minimise risks within overarching risk management frameworks.

Comply with Northpoints operational policies, service protocols and practice guidelines as required, taking account of any relevant GP practice protocols and procedures.

It is the responsibility of all staff that they do not abuse their professional position for personal gain, to seek advantage of further private business, or for other interests, in the course of their official duties.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• At least two years experience of working in a mental health setting with clients presenting with multiple and complex issues.
• Experience of undertaking specialist mental health and risk assessments and formulation.
• Experience of delivering appropriate therapeutic, risk management and relapse prevention interventions in a time-limited manner.
• Experience of managing own caseload and time to meet service targets.

Desirable

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

Qualifications

Essential

• 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.

Knowledge and Understanding

Essential

• An understanding of anxiety and depression and how it may present in Primary Care services.
• An understanding of the work of secondary care mental health services and complex mental health presentations.
• An understanding of the relationship between employment / unemployment and mental health problems.
• Working knowledge of medication used in anxiety and depression and other common mental health problems.

Desirable

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

Qualities and Values

Essential

• An understanding and sensitivity towards mental health issues.
• Evidence of a positive and proactive attitude, motivated and solution focused.
• Commitment to the principles of inclusivity, equality and diversity, demonstrated in practice.
• Demonstrates values consistent with those of their employing organisation.

Skills and Competencies

Essential

• Ability to deliver a range of mental health support appropriate to the needs and capacities of the client group.
• Can demonstrate sound clinical skills and ability to make clinical decisions, in line with professional standards, NICE guidelines and service protocols.
• Can demonstrate sensitivity to the needs of disadvantaged groups in the planning and delivery of interventions and services.
• Ability to develop and sustain meaningful relationships with clients.
• Ability to organise self, meet deadlines and work on own initiative within set parameters.
• Ability to manage safeguarding issues safely and appropriately.
• Ability to be self-reflective, while working with service users and in own personal and professional development, and to use supervision positively and effectively.
• Ability to work with complex mental health issues.
• Creative, flexible and imaginative approach to working with people with mental health problems.
• Demonstrate a commitment to enabling and empowering clients to become actively involved in their own wellbeing.
• Computer literate.
• High standards in written communication, including ability to write clear records and letters to referrers.
• Commitment to the principles of coproduction and supporting others to deliver according to these principles.
• 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.
• Able to work according to organisational policies and procedures.
• Actively committed to personal and professional development.
• IT skills e.g. 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).

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Touchstone

Address

Touchstone I A P T

179 Haslewood Drive

Leeds

LS9 7RE

Employer's website

https://touchstonesupport.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)