Community Navigator - Mental Health

Mind BLMK; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A mental health service provider in Milton Keynes is seeking a Community Navigator to assist patients within the NHS mental health service. The role involves processing referrals, guiding patients to services, and ensuring effective communication. Candidates should have experience in health or social care, ideally with vulnerable populations. This position offers flexible working and various benefits, including generous annual leave and a pension scheme.

Benefits

25 days Annual Leave

Auto-enrolment NEST pension

Optional Health Plan

Discounts via Blue Light Card

Learning and Development opportunities

Flexible Working upon request

Qualifications

• Minimum of 1 year experience in health or social care.
• Experience in direct contact with service users.
• Knowledge of mental health settings is ideal.

Responsibilities

• Review and process referrals from GP practices.
• Assist patients in scheduling appointments.
• Provide signposting to appropriate services.
• Handle calls and administrative support.
• Maintain records of activities.
• Build relationships with community sector services.

Skills

Experience in health, social care, or information and advice

Ability to assess risks

Strong communication skills

Knowledge of mental health services

Experience with vulnerable patients

Job description

This role is an opportunity to work for Mind BLMK as part of the Milton Keynes NHS mental health service for someone with experience working in health, social care or information and advice, in direct contact with service users. Working alongside colleagues from Central Northwest London Foundation Trust (CNWL) this role will provide referral management to and from Secondary Services. This will include signposting patients to statutory services including talking therapies and wider community based & voluntary sector support. The role also includes answering calls through the NHS 111 Mental Health Option whereby you will be required to assess risks in real com time and appropriately managing the call, escalating when necessary. The Community Navigator will work as part of the team to deliver on the aims and objectives of the Mental Health Hub whilst representing the Voluntary and Community sector with the NHS. The successful candidate will have a minimum of 1 years' employment working in health, social care or information and advice, in direct contact with service users, ideally within a Mental Health setting, and will have worked with challenging or vulnerable patients who present with multiple or complex needs or risk history.

Responsibilities

• Work within the NHS Mental Health SPA (Single Point of Access) Team to review and process referrals received from GP Practices and other sources including those to be subsequently triaged and assessed by mental health practitioners.
• Actively call patients with a view to assisting them through the process and making their onward appointments into community or secondary care service providers.
• Support the hub to signpost patients and direct them to appropriate services including secondary care, the local Voluntary and Community sector services and activities that support the patients' wider determinants of their mental health and wellbeing.
• Answer calls, ensure sufficient phone cover, respond to messages/voicemails, provide administrative support to the Mental Health SPA for all services and deal with queries in a sensitive and timely way liaising with clinical or team lead as is appropriate.
• Monitor service inboxes during core office hours, responding to any queries professionally providing helpful information.
• Monitor and action tasks within SystmOne and maintain records of all activities carried out, i.e. outbound calls, calls received, archiving any received correspondence.
• Build good working relationships with the voluntary and community sector, relevant services and activities to ensure signposting pathways are kept up to date as well navigating and developing the setup of new signposting pathways through networking.
• Provide clinical and non-clinical information in appropriate chronological templates to other services.
• Carry out health and safety responsibilities as directed by Managers in line with Mind BLMK's H&S policies, procedures, and guidance (risk assessments, reviews, reporting, safeguarding, incidents/accidents, premises).

Key Requirements

To bring VCSE experience, knowledge and culture into an NHS team.

Mind BLMK follows Safer Recruitment practices and we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. All roles are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Mind BLMK has been committed to the Mindful Employer charter and the Disability Confident Employer Scheme since 2008.

Benefits

• 25 days (pro rata) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays (pro rata)
• Auto-enrolment NEST pension scheme (employer contributes 3%, employee contributes 5%)
• Optional Health Plan
• Discounts available through Blue Light Card & Tickets for Good
• In-house and external Learning and Development as appropriate for the role.
• Flexible Working On request (in line with Mind BLMK policy on Right to Request Flexible Working)

If you have a passion for working in mental health and possess the required skills, we would love to hear from you.