Mental Health Practitioner
- Main area
- Mental Health
- Grade
- Band 6
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Job share
- Job ref
- 184-DC5278413NS-SL-B
- Site
- Various surgeries
- Town
- Bridgwater
- Salary
- £35,392 - £42,618 per annum, pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 15/10/2023 23:59
Job overview
Somerset Foundation Trust, with Somerset system partners, are leading the way on breaking down the barriers to access Mental Health services. This exciting project seeks to widen access to patients who are experiencing mental health and emotional difficulties to ensure that everyone receives the right treatment at the right time.
This post offers a new and exciting opportunity to work within Primary Care Networks, based in GP practices or to work in a blended role across what was traditionally seen as Primary Care and Secondary Care mental health services. Both areas of the service are transforming and learning to work closely together, and this post offers an opportunity to be a key part of those developments as the teams continue to come together as one larger service.
This post will cover surgeries in Axbridge, Brent, Burnham, Cheddar and Highbridge.
Main duties of the job
Part of the role will be directly involved in assessing patients referred from Primary Care (this will include adults of working age and older adults), followed by identifying and facilitating appropriate support/treatment for them. For most people this will mean remaining within Primary Care - supported either by the Primary Care Liaison for brief psychological interventions, the Open Mental Health Alliance or by Talking Therapies. For some, with more complex needs, it will involve facilitating a smooth transfer into Somerset Foundation Trust Secondary Mental Health services.
If your choice is to work in a blended role the other part of the role will involve delivering a high quality, comprehensive mental health service for patients with severe and enduring mental health difficulties. This will involve managing a defined caseload, with a focus on working with individuals who experience a complex range of needs and difficulties and supporting their significant others. Although this is traditionally understood as a care coordination role, and there will be some care coordination responsibilities, the roles within our team are changing and developing to better meet the needs of service users and may be more focused on achieving clearly identified goals and delivering evidence-based interventions.
The post holder must hold a full driving licence and have permanent access to own transport and have appropriate insurance.
Working for our organisation
As an organisation, the NHS offers a wide range of benefits including flexible working, fantastic pension contributions, market leading annual leave allowance, career progression and regular conversations, not to mention our Blue Light Card and NHS exclusive discounts.
The benefits of working in Somerset include the idyllic countryside, with our areas of outstanding beauty and stunning coastlines. You will get to enjoy these perks whilst still only being a stone’s throw away from bustling city centres like Bristol, Bath and Exeter and only two hours away from London.
There are excellent educational facilities in the area and, when compared to other regions, house prices are reasonable. You will to experience the best of both in Somerset, the countryside and the cosmopolitan – there is truly something for everyone!
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- To guide assessment, formulation and treatment planning for people with mental health problems, this will include developing formulations for patients, and to assist other practitioners in primary and secondary care including voluntary sector workers to develop formulations as appropriate in relation to their caseload.
- To act as lead professional for a caseload of people with mental health difficulties and developing their care plan, coordinating and reviewing their care and treatment outlined in the plan, at times offering direct individual and group interventions to these and other patients where appropriate.
- To promote best practice in positive risk management amongst teams working with this patient group.
- To provide liaison into Primary and Secondary Care services, building relationships with GPs and other health professionals.
- To participate in wider multidisciplinary working across primary and secondary care services.
- Ensure that carers’ needs are assessed, and appropriate intervention or onward referral is provided depending on need.
- To work collaboratively and flexibly with the multi-professional teams within Neighbourhoods to co-ordinate a coherent approach towards a mild to severe mental illness, actively promoting continuity of care and approach between services and to co-ordinate working practices.
- To participate actively in team meetings, PCN MDT’s and other forums as appropriate in order to secure best possible clinical outcomes
- To ensure that there is adherence to local policies and practice.
Please refer to the job description for full details on the role.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria- Registered Nurse/Allied Health Professional
Knowledge
Essential criteria- Expertise within all age mental health, including use of relevant assessments.
- Working knowledge of the make up of the wider health and social care community including statutory and non-statutory services and direct experience of multi inter-agency working and collaboration.
Experieince and skills
Essential criteria- Front line experience of using advanced assessment skills especially in determining the nature and severity of mental illness/health (functional and organic) and differentiation between physical and mental health symptoms and conditions.
- Understanding of comorbidities that may affect older adults and their mental health
- Demonstrable experience of working in/ within CMHT or primary care mental health services
communication, planning and physical skills
Essential criteria- Substantially developed IT skills
- High standards of written communication skills with the ability to use email and internet.
- Must be a car driver with a valid driving licence
Equity, diversity, and inclusion is a priority for us. As a trust we welcome and encourage applications irrespective of age, disability, sex, gender identity and gender expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or personal circumstances. We do our best to ensure our recruitment process is accessible and inclusive. If you have a disability and require an adjustment at any point during the recruitment process, please let us know.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Angela Cornell
- Job title
- Interim head of older persons services
- Email address
- angela.cornell@somersetft.nhs.uk
- Telephone number
- 07917053726