Senior Mental Health Practitioner

An opportunity has arisen for an 8-month fixed term post for a band 7 Senior Mental Health Practitioner to work within Shelton and Hanley PCN as part of the Additional Roles reimbursement scheme PCN Mental Health Team to cover maternity leave.

Shelton and Hanley PCN incorporates three practices operating across five sites within the area - with a patient population of just over 37,000.

The role of the Mental Health Practitioner within Primary Care is to deliver timely access to an integrated, high quality, service user-centred service that enables people with mental health needs and/or social care problems (regardless of diagnosis) to improve their well-being and functionality, thereby preventing, reducing or delaying the need for more specialist services (either for mental health, physical health or social care needs).

Working as part of the integrated primary care team, qualified ARRS staff ensure the mental health and associated social care needs of Service Users is addressed alongside their physical care thereby promoting wellbeing, independence and choice whilst preventing, reducing, or delaying the onset of greater need.

The post holder will demonstrate outstanding autonomous and critical thinking and is a caring, compassionate and committed experienced health professional. They will, whilst acting within their professional boundaries, provide care for the presenting patient from initial history taking, assessment and management of care, arrange timely assessments, either face to face or via telephone triage and provide short-term intervention as appropriate. This may involve support of the wider family group/carers.

They will communicate and work collaboratively with the general practice team to meet the needs of patients, supporting the delivery of policy and procedures. They will liaise with other professionals and agencies both statutory and non-statutory and to provide a link between primary and secondary services from a North Staffs Combined perspective.

Take referrals from within the primary care and PCN teams for a range of mental health issues.

Support onward referral to secondary care services if appropriate (in line with stepped care model).

To be a point of contact for acute crisis in known mental health patients and support navigation to the most appropriate point of assessment, whether this be in primary or secondary care.

Combined Healthcare is one of only two specialist mental health trusts in England with an overall ‘Outstanding’ rating.

We are on an ambitious journey to deliver our vision to be outstanding - in all we do and how we do it.
- Assess, plan, implement and evaluate treatment/interventions and care for patients via telephone or video, in clinic or in their own homes.
- Proactively identify and manage treatment plans for patients with dementia and serious mental illness.
- Diagnose and manage both acute and chronic conditions, integrating both drug
- and non-drug-based treatment methods into a management plan
- Review medication for therapeutic effectiveness, appropriate to patient needs and in accordance with evidence-based practice and national and practice protocols, and within scope of practice
- Work with patients in order to support compliance with and adherence to prescribed treatments
- Prioritise health problems and intervene appropriately to assist the patient in complex, urgent or emergency situations.
- Take prompt action on changes in condition, liaising with other care givers, members of the clinical (multi-disciplinary) team and/or other agencies when necessary, reviewing nursing care and communicating any amendments to the medical records.
- To have responsibility for seeking support and advice from the clinical lead, General Practitioner or CMHT Manager in respect of issues and difficulties with individual patient care. To attend regular clinical supervision with the clinical lead and CMHT Manager in order to address caseload management issues.
- Develop skills in respect of specific interventions that are appropriate to the clinical area and act as the lead in developing nursing practice in relation to this.
- Occasional exposure to highly distressing or emotional circumstances such as contact with patients who may be terminally ill or their relatives.
- 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 client’s 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.
- To maintain an individual case load