ARRS Specialist Mental Health Practitioner

Job summary

South Coast Medical Group (SCMG) PCN has an exciting opportunity to recruit a new permanent First Contact Specialist Mental Health Practitioner working in the SCMG PCN through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS). Successful candidates must be experienced mental health practitioners with a special interest in complex mental health or willing to undergo further training in this area. Primary Care experience is not essential, however a good understanding of how Primary Care works would be beneficial.. The ARRS role is intended to focus services on local communities and local GP practices to help rebuild and reconnect healthcare teams across the communities they serve. The focus will be on preventative and personalisation of care, whilst working together to make the best use of shared resources.

This is an exciting role for someone who is proactive and passionate about innovation and providing high-quality care to people who have been identified as in need of mental health support in a primary care setting. This role will work in the local community alongside our Mental Health GPs to provide early assessment, treatment recommendations and improved access to appropriate care pathways whilst providing time limited evidence-based interventions for people with mental health difficulties/illnesses.

Applications from candidates that require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are unfortunately ineligible to apply for this position.

Main duties of the job

The practitioner will access and link with secondary mental health services and help provide a "bridge" between primary care and secondary mental health providers. This will make it easier for people accessing services to obtain the help they need, reducing that gaps that patients fall between. The successful applicant will be embedded as part of the SCMG PCN clinical team whilst working within the multi-disciplinary team. This post will also be closely linked to the Community Mental Health Team, Steps to Wellbeing Service and We Are With You, amongst other 3rd sector and specialist organisations.

Within the job role you will improve access by being a 'first contact mental health worker' providing triage, assessment, brief interventions and lead on development and implementation of specialist mental health training in the primary care network. The practitioner will facilitate onward access to other secondary care-based services, third sector services and link in with existing support services through the Primary Care Network.

If you have the skills and qualities that meet the requirements for this post, we would welcome your application.

This post is full-time 37.5 hours.

About us

At Dorset HealthCare we're on a mission to empower people to make the most of their lives through our outstanding, joined-up healthcare services. We're a dynamic, forward-looking Trust, running 12 community hospitals, specialist inpatient facilities and a wide range of integrated community and mental health services for a population of almost 800,000 people.

We do things differently here - it's one of the reasons the CQC rated us 'outstanding' in 2019. It's also why 95% of patients across our services say they have a good or very good experience of our services and 89% of staff feel they can really make a difference. Whether you're looking to work with us in one of our bustling market towns, vibrant urban locations, thriving seaside spots, or among the rolling hills of Dorset, there are lots of ways you can make a difference in our communities.

Our 7,000-strong workforce is at the heart of what we do and our success is a testament to our brilliant people. We're all about building a workplace for the future, we believe in equal opportunities and we celebrate diversity. We're an inclusive workplace, where everyone is welcome, everyone can be authentic, and we are all encouraged to be the best version of ourselves.

Working with us you'll be part of a strong team, challenge yourself, build a career, and teach us what we don't know. And you'll be working towards our vision to be better every day through excellence, compassion and expertise in all we do.