Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Advanced Primary Care Mental Health Practitioner

The closing date is 16 June 2025

Job summary

We are looking to appoint a skilled and motivated Mental Health Practitioner to work in one of the four Primary Care Network (PCN) locations across Bexley. This is a role appointed under the Additional Roles scheme designed to work closely with general practice (GP's, Nurses, Clinical Pharmacists, Social Prescribers and other practice staff). This is a service that is rapidly developing. Bexley PCNs now have a Mental Health Practitioner as a named clinician for the GP practices within that locality. Each Mental Health Practitioner works alongside a multi-disciplinary team within the developing Local Care Networks including GP's, Nurse Practitioners, Clinical Pharmacists, Social Workers, Adult Social Care services, Trusted Partners, and the wider Voluntary Sector. This exciting opportunity allows for the successful post holder to be at the forefront of this dynamic new model of delivering mental health care within Primary Care. There will be a clear focus on prevention, early detection, and intervention.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work with all relevant community partners to:

  • Improve the lives of people with mental ill health by minimising the impact of their condition through the delivery of an excellent, compassionate service to promote the recovery and well-being of patients and their carers/families.
  • Support the delivery of PCN DES contract priorities including supporting the improvement of physical health for people with serious mental illness (SMI).
  • Facilitate the interface between primary care and secondary mental health services to provide specialist advice and support, assessment, treatment, education, and solution-focused approaches to the local primary care teams, for patients and carers.
  • Offer expertise in networking and navigation to promote ease of access to a range of specialist mental health support services. This ensures that each person, once assessed, receives the best possible care in the right place at the right time and by the right supporting service.
  • Accept referrals direct from primary care via an agreed route, promote early assessment / treatment, and ensure robust relationships and links with other community-based services.
  • Be a dedicated support for primary care, providing timely advice to GP practice staff.
  • Work with adults (18+) whose mental health needs can be best met within primary care and whose difficulties are best understood within a biopsychosocial model.
  • Follow up on SMI patients.

About us

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes.

We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

  • We're Kind
  • We're Fair
  • We Listen
  • We Care

Details

Date posted

02 June 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£51,883 to £58,544 a year pa inc

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

277-7232828-CMH

Job locations

Bexley Community Mental Health

Park Crescent

Erith Kent

DA8 3EE


Job description

Job responsibilities

The post holder will contribute to delivering and co-developing the primary care mental health service model. This includes care pathways for the provision of integrated mental health care in a designated PCN within the Borough of Bexley.

The post holder will be responsible for providing specialist mental health care and interventions to patients within the PCN. This includes using a high level of assessment to understand needs, treatment options, and refer appropriately onto teams across the health, voluntary sector and social care system to enhance the patient experience while going through the care pathway.

It is crucial that the post holders develop effective and close working relationships both within the PCN and with other providers of local mental health services. Post holders will work across GP Practices and Oxleas sites in Bexley.

Job description

Job responsibilities

The post holder will contribute to delivering and co-developing the primary care mental health service model. This includes care pathways for the provision of integrated mental health care in a designated PCN within the Borough of Bexley.

The post holder will be responsible for providing specialist mental health care and interventions to patients within the PCN. This includes using a high level of assessment to understand needs, treatment options, and refer appropriately onto teams across the health, voluntary sector and social care system to enhance the patient experience while going through the care pathway.

It is crucial that the post holders develop effective and close working relationships both within the PCN and with other providers of local mental health services. Post holders will work across GP Practices and Oxleas sites in Bexley.

Person Specification

Essential

Essential

  • BSc in Relevant area

Desirable

  • Independent and Supplementary Prescriber. Experience of working in Primary Care. Evidence of Post Graduate studies.

Essential

Essential

  • BSc in Relevant area

Desirable

  • Experience working in Primary Care.

Essential

Essential

  • 5 years post registration experience

Desirable

  • Mental Health work in various settings
Person Specification

Essential

Essential

  • BSc in Relevant area

Desirable

  • Independent and Supplementary Prescriber. Experience of working in Primary Care. Evidence of Post Graduate studies.

Essential

Essential

  • BSc in Relevant area

Desirable

  • Experience working in Primary Care.

Essential

Essential

  • 5 years post registration experience

Desirable

  • Mental Health work in various settings

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Bexley Community Mental Health

Park Crescent

Erith Kent

DA8 3EE


Employer's website

http://oxleas.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Bexley Community Mental Health

Park Crescent

Erith Kent

DA8 3EE


Employer's website

http://oxleas.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Primary Care Network Lead

Dupsey McCarthy

dupsey.mccarthy@nhs.net

07881578863

Details

Date posted

02 June 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£51,883 to £58,544 a year pa inc

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

277-7232828-CMH

Job locations

Bexley Community Mental Health

Park Crescent

Erith Kent

DA8 3EE


Supporting documents

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