First Contact Mental Health Practitioner

Mowbray Square PCN, together with Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, are working together to transform local community mental health services for people with mental health problems. New funding has enabled the PCN and local GP surgeries, to create a multi-disciplinary team that will work in close collaboration with a wide range of organisations.

The postholder joins the existing First Contact Mental Health Practitioner that has been extremely successful with good outcomes for patients and the PCN. They will work in partnership with practice colleagues to continue to build the service within Mowbray Square PCN. The PCN's ambition is to improve access to emotional and mental health support for everyone.

As a valued team member, you will develop close working relationships with all our friendly Clinical staff, including our existing Mental Health Practitioner. Your role will involve offering specialist mental health advice and providing clinical care forpeople with a range of mental health needs, ensuring that those with mental illness do not fall between gaps in services. You will improve access by being a 'first contact mental health worker', undertaking triage, assessments, brief interventions, and reviews, with clinical supervision provided by a B6/B7 Mental Health Practitioner. You will contribute networking and navigation expertise, enabling access to a range of appropriate mental health support across the community system.

This is an exciting and innovative post to support the needs of the local population living with mental health difficulties. The role holder will fulfil a first contact specialist mental health role within GP Practices across the Primary Care Network (PCN), seeing patients who would otherwise have traditionally seen a GP. Within the primary care setting, the role holder will work in a collaborative and multi-agency way. This will contribute to the safe and effective day to day operation of the PCN and the efficient and timely management of clinical enquiries and decision-making.

The post will sit within the GP Practices and will 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.

The role will 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.

The post holder will be an effective member of the multi-disciplinary team. They will be professionally accountable and responsible for patient care, undertaking initial assessment with signposting to appropriate services, or providing time-limited psycho-social therapeutic interventions directly, in e.g. GP surgeries, patients homes and other primary care settings. This will include providing clinical advice to GPs such as specialist opinion.

The post-holder will manage their daily clinics and act as a specialist advisor to GPs, fulfilling a pathway management function and providing short term interventions and support, in collaboration with GPs and other practice based mental health workers.

You will support the establishment of partnerships and networks with key stakeholders across the PCN and the wider mental health care system. You will offer advice to, or obtain advice for, the Primary Care Team on appropriate interventions and on-going patient care management.

You will develop links and foster a culture of partnership between Primary Care Teams and Mental Health Services, promoting clear communication and access to specialist knowledge and advice. This will include the facilitation of joint working with PCN, Secondary Care providers, and Voluntary Care Sector to increase the range of services/interventions available to the communities served.

You will provide clinical advice, consultation, and support to other care providers within primary, secondary, voluntary and statutory services as required.

You will collate and organise contemporaneous information about opportunities and resources in the local area which may be of benefit to patients referred to the service (e.g. voluntary and community organisations, educational and recreational opportunities).

The role includes facilitating sign posting to other appropriate services and undertaking very short-term interventions for patients with mild to moderate mental health difficulties (average length of time expected to be 6 weeks). Working alongside the PCN staff which could include a care coordination team and a social prescribing link worker.

You will work closely with the Primary Care Network, GPs and Social Prescribers/other practice-based mental health workers within the locality regarding the mental health needs of the practice population.

In line with the principles for community transformation, you will ensure systems/pathways are in place to enable smooth transition between primary care and secondary mental health services.

Due to the nature of the role it is essential that applicants can travel independently across the locality and have access to a suitable vehicle for business purposes. If necessary, adjustments can be considered in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.

This job advert may close early if a high volume of applications have been received. If interested, please apply for this post as soon as possible.

We are the Mental Health & Learning Disability NHS Trust for County Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York and Selby.

From education and prevention, to crisis and specialist care --our talented and compassionate teams work in partnership with our patients, communities and partners to help the people of our region feel safe, understood, believed in and cared for.

We nurture the recovery journey of anyone in need of our help. In Our Trust, everyone has a say in how they are supported and treated because we listen to every person in our care until they feel understood. Our patients, their families and carers work together with us towards better mental health.

We're committed to new thinking that improves the wellbeing of our region. We connect with our communities and partners to get mental health care right, in areas that really need it.

We won't rest until everyone in our region has the mental health care they need, to lead their best possible life.

Qualifications

Experience

Knowledge

Skills

Personal Attributes

Other Requirements