Primary Care Mental Health Practitioner

Job responsibilities

Clinical

To provide a safe and effective day to day operation of the service, including the handling of clinical enquiries. The role holder may be required to undertake telephone triage screening assessments in order to assess the level of risk/priority with that patient, so they can be treated, signposted, or referred on to agencies as appropriate.

To undertake assessments of individual clients difficulties, establishing risk and determining the appropriate course of action taking into consideration all possible options. The relationship should adopt a partnership approach, engaging service users in the positive management of their health and wellbeing.

Work with patients in order to support adherence to prescribed treatments, monitoring mental health medication, taking into consideration interactions with physical needs.

To maintain an individual case load providing short term interventions and support, under the guidance of the GP and ensure that the caseload is well managed, and care and treatment is provided in line with practice standards.

Provide and receive information, some of which may be contentious, sensitive, and complex to and from individuals and their families/carers and actively support as appropriate.

To collate and organise contemporaneous information about opportunities and resources in the local area which may be of benefit to clients referred to the service (e.g. voluntary and community organisations, educational and recreational opportunities). Facilitate sign posting to other appropriate services and occasionally undertake very short-term interventions for clients with mild to moderate mental health difficulties

To evaluate outcomes and maintain accurate clinical data.

Have an awareness of your own clinical competencies, knowledge base and experience and ensure that you practice within this and seek support as required.

To understand and process Quality Outcome Framework data.

Undertake joint assessment work (as required) with PCN colleagues.

Offer advice to or obtain advice for the Primary Care Team on appropriate interventions and on-going Service User care management.

Ensure systems/ pathways are in place to enable smooth transition between primary care and secondary mental health services.

Regularly be involved in quality improvement activity/audit/significant event review and clinical meetings.

Clinical Partnership

Support the establishment of partnerships and networks with key stakeholders across the PCN/ secondary mental health care system.

Develop links and foster a culture of partnership between Primary Care Teams and Mental Health Services.

Facilitate joint work with PCN, Secondary Care providers and Voluntary Sector (VCSO) to increase range of services / interventions available to the communities.

Attend PCN meetings and work with PCN members to develop and implement joint governance and clinical forums.

MANAGERIAL

Effective Planning:

Effective personal planning and organisation of daily workload.

Flexible working and self-management of working time effectively and accordingly to service demands.

Communication:

Demonstrate sensitive communication styles to ensure patients are fully informed and consent to treatment and ensure the patients /carers have a voice about the services they will receive and how these are developed. This may include engagement of advocacy services. Recognise the need for alternative methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding, cultural background, and preferred ways of communicating. Anticipate barriers to communication and take action to improve communication.

Provide high standards of written, verbal and non- verbal communication skills to impart sensitive information to patients that is clear to patients and in line with professional documentation standards.

Estimate and maintain effective communication with individuals and groups within the practice environment and with external stakeholders.

Adopt a coaching style of communication to empower patients to take responsibility.

Facilitate fair access to social care services and promote social inclusion regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.

Delivering a quality service:

Every employee is personally responsible for the quality of the work, and standard of care, which they individually provide. It is their duty to seek to attain the highest standards achievable both individually and collectively within their knowledge, skills, and resources available to them in furtherance of the Practices philosophy of pursuing quality in all of its services.

Produce timely, accurate, contemporaneous, and complete records of patient consultation, consistent with legislation, policies, and procedures.

Prioritise, organise, and manage own workload in a manner that maintains and promotes quality.

Deliver care according to NSF, NICE guidelines, and evidence-based care.

Assess effectiveness of care delivery through self and peer review, benchmarking, and formal evaluation.

Participate in the maintenance of quality governance systems and processes across the practice.

Collaborate on improving the quality of health care in partnership with other clinical teams, responding to local and national policies and initiatives as appropriate.

Participate in the performance monitoring review of the team as appropriate, providing feedback.

Management of risk:

Manage and assess risk within the areas of responsibility, ensuring adequate measures are in place to protect staff and patients.

Monitor work areas and practices to ensure they are safe and free from hazards and conform to health, safety and security legislation, policies, procedures, and guidelines.

Apply policies that reduce environmental health risks, are culturally sensitive and increase access to health care for all.

Participate in the local implementation strategies that are aligned to the values and culture of general practice.

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered on the appropriate part of the NMC register and hold a current NMC registration or holds a relevant professional qualification (to be maintained)
• Assessor/Mentorship Training*

Desirable

• Post registration training in relevant field
• Leadership/Management training
• Qualification in non-medical prescribing

Experience/ Knowledge

Essential

• Experience of mentorship, supervision and co-ordination of staff.
• Experience of Care Planning process working in a multi- agency framework.
• Demonstrate a contribution to change management process
• Demonstrate experience of problem solving approaches
• Recovery model
• Mental Health Act (1983)
• Effective Care Co-ordination
• Relevant national policies and guidance
• Evidence based and reflective practice
• Mental Capacity Act
• Vulnerable Adults Procedure and Child Protection
• Safety, Privacy and Dignity Guidelines

Desirable

• Community experience
• Experience of working as a Nurse in Charge/ Shift Coordinator
• Experience in positive leadership of a team
• An overview of the Trust's objectives

Skills

Essential

• Demonstrate sound leadership qualities and an understanding of management styles
• Understanding of quality and change in the clinical setting
• Ability to delegate and co-ordinate
• Ability to work to deadlines
• Ability to utilise assessment skills and tools effectively
• Able to present factual information and refer questions to others where appropriate
• Ability to communicate in a variety of settings
• IT skills
• Able to present factual information and refer questions to others where appropriate
• Able to deal with sensitive issues with tact and diplomacy
• Ability to develop effective interpersonal relationships with colleagues
• Effective time and workload management
• Mentorship skills and record keeping
• Ability to identify and minimise risk effectively
• Ability to travel in the course of performing duties.
• Flexible approach to working
• Commitment to effective teamwork
• Commitment to service development
• Good time management
• Demonstrate continuous professional development

Desirable

• Project Management
• Formulation of reports
• Presentation skills
• Resource and budget management

Knowledge

Essential

• Recovery model
• Mental Health Act (1983) and Mental Capacity Act
• Relevant national policies and guidance
• Evidence based and reflective practice
• Vulnerable Adults Procedure and Child Protection
• Safety, Privacy and Dignity Guidelines

Values

Essential

• Continuous Improvement
• Accountability
• Respectfulness
• Enthusiasm
• Support
• High professional standards
• Responsive to service users
• Engaging leadership style
• Strong customer service belief
• Transparency and honesty
• Discreet
• Change oriented

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).