Job summary
Mental Health Practitioner
MINT Team - Hammersmith & Fulham
Band 6
As one of the 12 'early implementer' sites for integrated community mental health services, we are expanding our community mental health offer. Our new services are centred around the Primary Care Networks and aspiring to comprehensive engagement with Integrated Care Systems using a whole person, whole population health approach.
The model utilizes all the community resources available including health, social care, Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organizations and local communities and consider resources to support wellbeing outside of mental health services alone.
These new teams enable and support people to access mental health services wherever and whenever they need it and support individuals to manage their mental health supported in their local community. We are therefore looking for skilled and enthusiastic individuals.
Main duties of the job
Through this work, an exciting opportunity has arisen for an innovative role ofMental Health Practitionerwithin each borough. As a Mental Health Practitioner, you will be employed by West London NHS Trust, and will be key in the development of pathways of care in the local community mental health team (MINT). This role would also provide an opportunity to be mentored or to mentor, career progression and continued education.
We are seeking applications fromRegistered Mental Health Nurses, Social workers or Occupational Therapists, who have experience of working in community services.
The ideal candidate will have:
- Prior experience of working across a range of community mental health settings and with a range of mental health diagnoses/need;
- Knowledge of and experience in delivering a range of brief interventions to patients with mental health needs;
- Good written and verbal communication skills and the ability to use these to strengthen local relationships with the local MINT Teams
About us
West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse providers of mental health, community and social care in the UK.
Our 3,982 staff care for people in hospital and in the community, helping them to recover and go on to lead full and productive lives. We aim to be the best organisation of our kind in the country.
We provide care and treatment for more than 800,000 people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow, delivering services in the community (at home, in GP surgeries and care homes), hospital, specialist clinics and forensic (secure) units.
We'rerated good overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Together, we're committed to promoting hope and wellbeing, working with patients, service users, carers, families and partners across the communities we serve.
We are keen to ensure that our workforce reflects the community it serves, particularly in terms of ethnicity, gender, disability, LGBTQ+ and experience of mental illness.
Job description
Job responsibilities
This role will involve a number of elements which will support people with mental health conditions in the new integrated mental health teams. These roles will be key in providing professional nursing support to the new primary care network based teams and will provide mental and physical health support helping people to engage with their local communities and benefit from all the supports available locally. The post holder will be part of a multi-disciplinary team which will cover a Primary Care Network or locality and will work across networks to form a truly innovative and ground breaking support structure.
The objectives of the services are:
- To consider an individuals needs holistically mental and physical health as well as social needs
- To reduce the need for repeated long assessments and story telling
- To provide early advice and guidance with signposting to the relevant services where appropriate therefore supporting individuals to make full use of community resources available
- To bridge the gaps that can appear between community mental health care and primary care, acute care, social services and support.
- To ensure easier access to the right level of care such as group programmes, therapy etc.
- For Care plans to be person centred developed with the individual and others involved in their care
- Provide an enhanced level of support to Primary Care colleagues through advice and training to improve skills and capacity in responding to the needs of people with mental health needs.
- To work within an agreed process for safe transfer from WLT to GPs as well as and rapid re-referral, when appropriate
- That individuals transferred to their GPs under this process have access to appropriate advice, advocacy, vocational support to access social networks
To operate within legislative frameworks Mental Health Act 2007, The Mental Capacity Act 2005, The Care Act 2014 and other relevant health and social care legislation.
Job description
Job responsibilities
This role will involve a number of elements which will support people with mental health conditions in the new integrated mental health teams. These roles will be key in providing professional nursing support to the new primary care network based teams and will provide mental and physical health support helping people to engage with their local communities and benefit from all the supports available locally. The post holder will be part of a multi-disciplinary team which will cover a Primary Care Network or locality and will work across networks to form a truly innovative and ground breaking support structure.
The objectives of the services are:
- To consider an individuals needs holistically mental and physical health as well as social needs
- To reduce the need for repeated long assessments and story telling
- To provide early advice and guidance with signposting to the relevant services where appropriate therefore supporting individuals to make full use of community resources available
- To bridge the gaps that can appear between community mental health care and primary care, acute care, social services and support.
- To ensure easier access to the right level of care such as group programmes, therapy etc.
- For Care plans to be person centred developed with the individual and others involved in their care
- Provide an enhanced level of support to Primary Care colleagues through advice and training to improve skills and capacity in responding to the needs of people with mental health needs.
- To work within an agreed process for safe transfer from WLT to GPs as well as and rapid re-referral, when appropriate
- That individuals transferred to their GPs under this process have access to appropriate advice, advocacy, vocational support to access social networks
To operate within legislative frameworks Mental Health Act 2007, The Mental Capacity Act 2005, The Care Act 2014 and other relevant health and social care legislation.
Person Specification
Qualifications and Training
Essential
- Relevant professional qualification and registration with professional body. oNurse oSocial Worker oOccupational Therapist oPsychologist
Desirable
- Educated to degree or Diploma level with other courses relevant to primary care mental health services e.g. CBT, Brief Solution Focussed Therapy etc.
- Physical health qualification
- Evidence of recent and on-going relevant further professional development
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrable experience of post qualifying work in psychiatry.
- Experience of supervising junior staff within own and/or other disciplines
Desirable
- Evidence of experience in a Band 6 position or equivalent
- Other relevant post registration experience
- Audit and research experience
- Experience of teaching/training in a formal or informal setting
- Experience of working in a primary care setting/ social care/ voluntary sector
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of counselling skills/cognitive behavioural skills, psychosocial interventions
- Knowledge of recovery approaches as used with those with mental health conditions
- Ability to interpret research and apply to practice
- Specialist knowledge of mental health conditions as well as their relationship to physical disorders
- Assessment and treatment of Deliberate Self Harm
- Risk assessment/management and crisis intervention skills
- Use of psychosocial assessment methods
- Higher level communication skills, both written and oral
- Ability to engage challenging and/or acutely distressed patients in potentially hostile and/or antagonistic situations and use de-escalation techniques effectively
- Sufficient clinical knowledge to be able to make autonomous decisions, based on an analysis of complex presenting problems and judgement about available options, with senior clinical support/supervision
- Team/self management and organisation skills that enable a number of complex activities and clinical work to be undertaken, revising and adjusting these according to the needs of individual patients and the service
- Computer literate
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Ability to frequently work under pressure and maintain intense concentration, particularly in unpredictable situations where there will be exposure to highly distressed and/or disturbed patients, often exhibiting challenging behaviours and the risk of physical violence
- Ability to meet deadlines
- Commitment to equal opportunities
- Ability to accept constructive feedback
- Self-motivated, able to work autonomously and independently with confidence when required.
- Exercise initiative, flexibility and tact and self awareness
- Willing to use peer and group supervision creatively
- Be able to work flexibly if required
- Be aware of the limitations in your competencies and seek appropriate senior advice and leadership.
Desirable
- Personal experience of a mental health condition
Person Specification
Qualifications and Training
Essential
- Relevant professional qualification and registration with professional body. oNurse oSocial Worker oOccupational Therapist oPsychologist
Desirable
- Educated to degree or Diploma level with other courses relevant to primary care mental health services e.g. CBT, Brief Solution Focussed Therapy etc.
- Physical health qualification
- Evidence of recent and on-going relevant further professional development
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrable experience of post qualifying work in psychiatry.
- Experience of supervising junior staff within own and/or other disciplines
Desirable
- Evidence of experience in a Band 6 position or equivalent
- Other relevant post registration experience
- Audit and research experience
- Experience of teaching/training in a formal or informal setting
- Experience of working in a primary care setting/ social care/ voluntary sector
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of counselling skills/cognitive behavioural skills, psychosocial interventions
- Knowledge of recovery approaches as used with those with mental health conditions
- Ability to interpret research and apply to practice
- Specialist knowledge of mental health conditions as well as their relationship to physical disorders
- Assessment and treatment of Deliberate Self Harm
- Risk assessment/management and crisis intervention skills
- Use of psychosocial assessment methods
- Higher level communication skills, both written and oral
- Ability to engage challenging and/or acutely distressed patients in potentially hostile and/or antagonistic situations and use de-escalation techniques effectively
- Sufficient clinical knowledge to be able to make autonomous decisions, based on an analysis of complex presenting problems and judgement about available options, with senior clinical support/supervision
- Team/self management and organisation skills that enable a number of complex activities and clinical work to be undertaken, revising and adjusting these according to the needs of individual patients and the service
- Computer literate
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Ability to frequently work under pressure and maintain intense concentration, particularly in unpredictable situations where there will be exposure to highly distressed and/or disturbed patients, often exhibiting challenging behaviours and the risk of physical violence
- Ability to meet deadlines
- Commitment to equal opportunities
- Ability to accept constructive feedback
- Self-motivated, able to work autonomously and independently with confidence when required.
- Exercise initiative, flexibility and tact and self awareness
- Willing to use peer and group supervision creatively
- Be able to work flexibly if required
- Be aware of the limitations in your competencies and seek appropriate senior advice and leadership.
Desirable
- Personal experience of a mental health condition
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
