Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a part time Band 7 Senior Mental Health Practitioner to join our team on a 12 month fixed term basis to cover maternity leave.
The role involves working in partnership within Primary Care as part of the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) - part of a wider transformation and expansion of community-based mental health services set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.
The post sits within the Leek and Biddulph Primary Care Network MDT working alongside the GP surgery teams and other PCN professionals. The post holder will also be part of the community mental health MDT with ready access to a wide range of support and expertise across both MDTs.
Leek and Biddulph PCNare a group of five GP practices working together to focus on local patient care. The PCN comprisesa multi-disciplinary team, covering Leek and Biddulph, responsible for the healthcare of just over 50,000 patients.
The role delivers timely access to an integrated, high quality, service user-centred service in primary care 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).
Main duties of the job
The post holder will lead on the service delivery to ensure the mental health and associated social care needs of service users are addressed alongside their physical care thereby promoting wellbeing, independence and choice - whilst preventing, reducing or delaying the onset of greater need.
The post will sit within the GP practices and will offer a combined consultation, advice, triage and liaison function. The role will involve providing leadership, development and supporting shared decision making about self-management, facilitating onward access to treatment services and providing brief psychological intervention where appropriate.
The MHP will offer screening and advice/signposting to patients where there is an indicated mental health problem - providing high quality interventions to patients across all ages. The MHP will provide the least intensive intervention appropriate to personal needs first, and patients can then step up or down the care pathway in accordance with their changing needs and response to treatment.
The practitioner can facilitate onward access to other secondary care-based services or third sector services integrated within the mental health pathway.
About us
As a Trust we remain bold and ambitious with plans for both service and system collaborative transformation over the coming years to improve the health and wellbeing of our local people through high quality care.
We pride ourselves onensuring our team has their wellbeing put first and as such provide a range of wellness opportunities including flexible working.
We are committed to the Greener NHS national ambition to becoming the world's first 'carbon net zero' national health system by 2045 (Greener NHS (england.nhs.uk). As part of this, sustainability is embedded in our strategy as one of our four key enablers. In order to deliver on this commitment, we recognise that we need a workforce that is as passionate as we are about achieving these goals, for the benefit of our service users, workforce, local communities and the planet alike. For 2024/2025, we have launched our "Proud to be Green" engagement campaign which is aligned to the targets set out in our Green Plan. As a Trust, you can be assured that we will commit to supporting you in working towards our net zero ambitions, set out in our Green Plan, through our sustainability programme".
The Trust is committed to ensuring that a diverse workforce is representative and inclusive at all levels. We would very much welcome applications from all under-represented groups including women, people with disabilities, people from global majority backgrounds, and those from the lesbian, gay, bi and trans communities.
Job description
Job responsibilities
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.
They will demonstrate safe, competent clinical decision-making and expert care for patients within the practice and wider primary care network. 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.
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
Support the wider PCN teams in the best practice management of mental health.
- 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.
The role will require travelling across a wide geographical area covering the GPs aligned to the Primary Care Network and therefore the applicant needs to be a car driver.
Job description
Job responsibilities
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.
They will demonstrate safe, competent clinical decision-making and expert care for patients within the practice and wider primary care network. 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.
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
Support the wider PCN teams in the best practice management of mental health.
- 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.
The role will require travelling across a wide geographical area covering the GPs aligned to the Primary Care Network and therefore the applicant needs to be a car driver.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Relevant professional qualification - degree level or equivalent
Desirable
- Driven to extend their clinical practice in a particular area (therapeutic interventions/ independent prescribing etc).
Skills
Essential
- Experience of Mental Health Risk Assessment and Intervention
Experience
Essential
- Significant post qualification experience
Desirable
- Recent community experience
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Relevant professional qualification - degree level or equivalent
Desirable
- Driven to extend their clinical practice in a particular area (therapeutic interventions/ independent prescribing etc).
Skills
Essential
- Experience of Mental Health Risk Assessment and Intervention
Experience
Essential
- Significant post qualification experience
Desirable
- Recent community experience
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
