Pcn B7 for East Ipswich with £3k Welcome

Over the past few years, people in Suffolk have been working together to improve NHS mental health services in the region and the #averydifferentconversation began.

Those conversations were used to plan changes so that people in Suffolk can get the help and support in the right place for them, when they need it, to stay mentally well. Our aim is to deliver an integrated community-based model of mental health care supporting both primary and secondary care services.

Primary Care Networks (PCNs) are groups of GP practices working together in a local geographical area. From 2021, each PCN will have two mental health practitioners working in its practices alongside a multi-disciplinary team. We are working jointly with PCNs to consider the wider health of their communities, taking a proactive approach to managing population health.

As a Senior PCN practitioner, you will be responsible for the management of day-to-day operational and clinical issues arising from within your PCN, for this post you will be covering Stowmarket and surrounding areas. You will line manage practitioners as part of a multidisciplinary team providing advice, support, and treatment for members of our community experiencing problems with their mental health and wellbeing. You will collaboratively engage with the GP practices within the PCN to agree priorities for each local population.

These roles have been piloted for the past year in our early adopter sites, so the workload is defined, manageable and appropriate.

From beautiful stretches of coastline to city streets, from vibrant towns to picturesque villages, Suffolk has a host of reasons why it is a great place to live and work. We are at the start of a journey which will see services transformed over the next decade. We are currently looking to recruit Band 7 Senior PCN Practitioner posts in East Ipswich PCN as a permanent position (attracting the recruitment premium of £3k).

Ipswich is one of England’s oldest towns with a rich history in maritime and agricultural heritage and lovely Tudor and Victorian streets to explore. East Ipswich PCN consists of 3 practices, namely Orchard Medical Practice, Ravenswood Medical Practice and Dr Solway and Dr Mallick Practice. Ravenswood Medical Practice is accredited by the Royal College of General Practitioners as one which specialises in the care of military veterans and their families. All the team have been trained in the care of military veterans and their families.

We are looking to recruit Mental Health Nurses, Registered Nurses, Occupational Therapists and Social Workers with an interest and experience in a mental health setting, to undertake the planning and delivery of direct patient care.

You will need to have good organisational skills and experience of leading a team, as you will be managing a team of PCN practitioners providing services to people with mental health care needs as well as offering support and advice to other health care professionals. You will be an autonomous practitioner, making clinical judgements, identifying alternative courses of action, managing and providing a high-quality care.

On a day-to-day basis, all PCN Practitioners will work as a member of GP practice extended teams and have a base in practices whilst working in an agile way. This role will also support secondary mental health services by acting as the interface from primary care to manage referrals into the correct services at the correct times. These roles have already been shown to reduce referrals into secondary care (data collected from early adopter sites).

**This post attracts a recruitment premium of £3,000 (pro-rata for part time roles). This is a one off payment with half paid on appointment and half paid after the completion of a satisfactory probation period (6 months). The premium is taxable. Please note that should you leave employment, or choose to move to an alternative post within the Trust that does not attract this recruitment premium, you will be required to reimburse all or some of the payment. Please note this recruitment premium is for external applicants only. and not applicable to newly qualified nurses