Perinatal Mental Health Practitioner

Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust

This job is now closed

Job summary

We are excited to be offering a Fixed term (12 months) Band 6 Community Mental Health Practitioner posts within the geographical area of Southampton. The teams current base is Melbury Lodge in Winchester but as the team have expanded in geography over recent years we are transitioning to a "Hub and Spoke" model; in the near future the team will have sub locality bases near to the geographical area outlined above (for south west this is likely to be Tatchbury).

Would you like to join a team where your voice will be listened to as we continue to improve on our service in line with the NHS longer term plan for perinatal services?

Would you like to join a trust that believes that its staff are it's greatest asset by providing them with health and wellbeing support and structured career development through its own Academy of clinical excellence (ACE)?

The Hampshire and IOW Perinatal Community Mental Health Team provides mental health support and services for women and their families during pregnancy and up to 24 months after birth. The team prioritises women with moderate to severe and complex mental health needs. The service also provides consultation for advice, information and signposting for women/birthing people with a less severe mental illness in the perinatal period to primary care providers including GP's Health visitors and maternity services as well as the women/birthing people themselves.

Main duties of the job

The Hampshire and IOW Perinatal Mental Health Service is a well established and pioneering specialist service consisting of an expert multidisciplinary community team and a mother and baby inpatient unit. The service is also an early implementer site for maternity mental health services; broadening the remit and profile of specialist interventions available for women and ensuring an enhanced care pathway.

The community element of this service under which this post sits offers a 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday service.

About us

Are you committed to providing remarkable care and service?

Are you passionate about helping people and want to make a difference every day?

We want to meet you!

Southern Health is one of the largest Foundation Trusts in the UK, specialising in mental health, adult and child community health and learning disabilities. We are committed to promoting the welfare and safeguarding of children, young people and adults at risk of abuse and neglect through our 6,500 strong workforce.

Southern Health has over 300 sites across the county and we serve 1.5 million people throughout all stages of their lives. Our aim is to work alongside the people we support (and our health and care partners) to deliver the best possible care and constantly improve.

Here at SHFT we have so much to be proud of:

Working as a team and supporting each other, we put patients and our staff at the heart of everything we do.
We have a skilled and diverse workforce and are committed to our staff development, offering bespoke training packages, leadership pathways and career opportunities.
We offer a variety of benefits such as an amazing pension scheme, generous annual leave, Childcare Choices scheme, many discounts (Blue Light card, The Company Shop, NHS Staff Discounts, cycle to work scheme) and much more.

Come to work with us, together we will provide outstanding treatment and care to improve lives.

Date posted

13 January 2023

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£33,706 to £40,588 an hour Based on full time hours

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

1 years

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

348-SW-C-1199A

Job locations

Melbury Lodge

Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Romsey Road

Winchester

Hampshire

SO22 5DG

Job description

Job responsibilities

CLINICAL

*The Perinatal community practitioner is pivotal role in assessing, planning and coordinating women's care whilst under the service; working alongside a multidisciplinary team of Psychiatrists, psychologists, occupational therapists, social worker, Nursery nurses, Peer support workers and Carers Peer support.

*Provide specialist advice/support to professionals and mothers regarding safe medication usage in pregnancy and whilst breast feeding.

*Demonstrate a commitment to offering mothers with perinatal illness choices in dealing with their illnesses including a range of therapeutic interventions e.g. Compassion focussed therapy, Emotional coping skills, Cognitive behavioural therapy, and EMDR.

*Develop and maintain clinical skills necessary for caring for women within the agreed service criteria through a variety of learning opportunities and provide evidence of clinical competence through maintaining a professional/personal portfolio.

*Refer clients on to other statutory and voluntary agencies when assessed as necessary e.g. signposting to IAPT or referring to Maternity mental health service.

*Assess the impact of a parent's mental Illness on baby and older siblings within the individual household, notifying relevant agencies of concerns if appropriate.

*Report any areas of concern regarding child protection issues and attend multi agency case conferences and child protection conferences when necessary in conjunction with utilising the expertise and support of the team's social worker.

*The Perinatal community practitioner will attend, participate and in some cases lead clinical/patient related meetings such as professionals meetings, CPA, and MDT.

*To assess partners/fathers mental health needs where screening has highlighted unmet wellbeing/mental health needs and signpost appropriately where needed working closely with Carers Peer support workers.

* To evaluate patient progress and alter treatment programmes as and when appropriate.

*To involve patients in goals and treatment proposals. To gain valid informed consent. To work within the legal framework with patients who lack capacity for informed consent or are subject to the Mental Health Act.

*To develop comprehensive discharge and contingency plans with relevant professionals to arrange on-going care.

* To Participate on the monthly duty roster to deliver video based assessments and respond to women seeking advice via duty service when needing support where CCO absent or needing crisis/soon contact where PMHT is lead care team.

*To work in a sensitive and attuned way with women, infants, partners and wider families that enables containment during highly emotive transition period in parental lives; to delicately balance the needs and wellbeing of the women whilst simultaneously ensuring infant health, wellbeing and safety is paramount and centred in all care delivery.