Primary Care Mental Health Practitioner

The triage team in Westminster South Hub is looking for a Primary Care Nurse, Social Worker or Occupational Therapist

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This role involves assessment of patients presenting with mental health difficulties, a formulation of their needs and creative care planning to meet them working within a bio-psycho-social model. The role also requires liaison with agencies involved in their care, including GPs, Talking Therapies and other local organisations.

The post holder will be based at the South Westminster office of the service and will work as part of a multidisciplinary team providing assessment and treatment to adult patients.

As part of a national move to primary care networks, community services in Westminster have been transformed to mental health ‘Hubs’. Set in inner London (South Westminster) the Hub is a health and social care-integrated community mental health team.

The working environment is very supportive, with an established team culture of shared responsibility for caseload management, appreciation of and respect for the core skills and contribution of all disciplines.

The Hub provides integrated care to adults presenting with a broad range of mental health issues, drawn from a culturally and socio-economically diverse population.

The model of care is designed on a concept of movement and journey through services, promoting fluidity between primary care and secondary care and with local third sector and voluntary organisations that will support people in their journey to Recovery.

Clinical
- To receive referrals from GPs and undertake comprehensive psycho-social mental health assessments to establish care needs.
- To act as a contact point and provide a link/liaison role to GP practices with regard to patients with more complex mental health problems and/or co-morbidities
- To screen non urgent GP Adult mental health referrals, identifying patients who are suitable for management in primary care according to agreed thresholds and with any adjustments to reflect MH resource available at individual practices
- To facilitate onward referral and rapid access to mental health services and other agencies in line with agreed thresholds and shared protocols and criteria, and/or to provide support/advise referring GP on effective management
- To ensure early detection and fast tracking of clients with severe mental health problems.
- To provide appropriate short-term interventions for clients with more complex and severe, enduring mental illnesses (SMI).
- To support the safe discharge case management of patients discharged from secondary care, with a focus on enabling GP practices to provide effective, continuing care and to ensure access to support in terms wider social and social inclusion/self-management needs.
- To refer-on patients assessed as having common mental health problems to the primary care psychological therapy pathway or to external resources
- To regularly meet with GPs and practice nurses in aligned practices with the Primary Care Network.
- To facilitate, where necessary, the onward transfer of suitable clients from secondary care to primary care.
- To develop and maintain a high standard of mental health professional care using a liaison model of nursing with a problem solving and evaluation approach.
- To utilise a range of therapeutic techniques.
- To understand the social factors which are relevant to mental health problems and to be aware of and respectful of the cultures, customs, values and spiritual/religious practices and beliefs of all clients, particularly those from minority ethnic communities.
- To receive regular appropriate supervision, as agreed with the Mental Health Hub Manager.
- To support the work of the Hub depot clinic if required as part of a rota.