Triage Practitioner

**Dorset Mind**

**Job Title: Triage Practitioner**

**Area of Responsibility**: **Dorset Mind Operations**

**Responsible to: Team Leader**

**Relating to**: **Triage**

**Pay Scale**: **B3 £11.03 per hour**

**Contract** **Fixed Term Contract**

**Hours**: **37.5 hours per week**

**Base**: **PCN, Dorset Mind HQ Office, Remote Working**

**Conditions**:
An Enhanced DBS Check will be carried out.

**Scope of the job**

The purpose is to offer an enhanced triage assessment to determine the next steps for the patient and provide facilitated access to the relevant service.

The aim of the role is to reduce waiting times for first contact to the patient, to reduce inappropriate referrals and to reduce pressures on GPs.

**Main Duties**:
Support the mission of Dorset Mind by:

- Raising awareness within general and specific communities about mental ill health.
- Educating people about symptoms - what they are, what to expect and how to spot them. We also help people about what they can do when they experience symptoms or know someone who does.
- Challenging the stigma and inequality of mental ill health so that neither stigma nor inequality prevent people receiving information and support they need.
- Promoting the ethos of recovery from mental ill health by educating people about recovery
- Promote the concept and ethos of positive wellbeing and early intervention methodologies.
- Assist in networking and promoting Dorset Mind services.
- Participate in relevant activities that Dorset Mind and Primary Care Network are involved with (e.g. away days, team meetings, promotional events).
- Assist in the development of policies and procedures pertinent to the role.
- Always ensure that duties are carried out in accordance with policies, procedures and relevant legislation.
- Other tasks appropriate to the needs of Dorset Mind.

**Duties relating specifically to Triage Practitioner**:

- To support people in primary care settings, working in a collaborative and multi-agency way to meet the needs of people with a range of mental health needs.
- To work within the PCN and associated GP Practices.
- To work as an autonomous practitioner within a friendly team of GPs, Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Practice Nurses and Pharmacists.
- To develop close working relationships with General Practitioners and be a valued member of the primary care team.
- To collaborate with other healthcare professionals, both internal to, and external from, the PCN.
- To offer specialist mental health clinical care for people presenting to the GP Practices with a range of mild to moderate mental health needs.
- To act as a ‘first contact mental health worker’, undertaking triage, assessments, and review for local people using pre-assessment questionnaires.
- To offer networking expertise and navigation to a range of specialist mental health support across the community system to ensure that, once assessed, each person receives the best possible care in the right place at the right time by the right supporting service (Active Monitoring, Help and Care, Steps to Wellbeing, Dorset Mind services, Counselling, GP).
- Accurately and efficiently manage all administrative processes in a timely manner.
- Deliver an effective service to meet set Memorandum of Understanding and associated targets.
- To promote/publicise the service and establish positive customer engagement and input, as well as being involved in promoting general aspects of well-being.
- To maintain all required records of clients to support the running of this project.
- To build and maintain positive and robust relationships with Dorset Mind and Health Centre staff.
- To undergo, and actively participate in any training relevant to the role internally or externally.
- To keep abreast of treatments, policy, legislation and local services relating to wellbeing
- To promote the concepts of social inclusion, early intervention and recovery and ensure this underpins the direction of well-being activities.
- Assist in gathering company goal and outcome related data to support business objectives and to improve and diversify our services
- Abide by the PCN and Dorset Mind’s safeguarding policies and procedures
- Work within Dorset Mind’s Mission Statement and Ethos.
- To participate in all aspects of supervision and annual appraisal with the relevant manager and attend training as required.
- Attend Practitioner team meetings for personal and service development
- Report participant feedback, complaints, or concerns in a timely manner to Team Leader or Network Manager
- Ensure the service remains compliant with statutory, legal, and best practice obligations and Dorset Mind policies
- To undertake such other duties as may be required from time to time commensurate with the level and nature of the post.
- To comply with all decisions, policies and standing orders of the Board of Trustees and any legalisation, the Health and Safety at Work Act and Data Protection Act.

**General Dutie