Mental Health Nurse - Fixed term

NHS; Bristol; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare practice in the UK is seeking a Mental Health Nurse to join their team for up to 37.5 hours a week on a fixed-term contract. The successful candidate will work with patients facing mental health challenges and support the GP practice team. This role focuses on assessing, treating, and managing care for patients with mental health issues while ensuring compliance with established clinical protocols.

Qualifications

• Must have frontline experience in assessing mental illness.
• Experience in educating non-specialist mental health workers is essential.
• Must demonstrate substantial experience in risk assessment.

Responsibilities

• Provide assessment and treatment for patients with mental health needs.
• Liaise with primary and secondary mental health services.
• Lead in producing clinical protocols and pathways.

Skills

Advanced assessment skills

Verbal communication

Risk management strategies

Diplomacy in engagement

Education

Current registration with the NMC

Relevant post-registration qualifications

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

West Walk Surgery have the opportunity for a Mental Health Nurse to join us working up to 37.5 hours a week on fixed term contract of 9 months starting November 2025, this role is to cover maternity leave so there may be an opportunity to extend the contract.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and well motivated individual to work within this busy, friendly practice team.

Main duties of the job

This role is aiming to saveGPs time / increase GP capacity by diverting some patients with specificmental health needs to the care of a skilled Mental Health Specialist Nursewithin the practice.

The Mental Health Practitionerwill be an integrated member of the GP practice team and will take the lead incaring for the practices patients who have low mood, anxiety anddepression. In addition, the MentalHealth Practitioner will provide specialist mental health advice to supportGPs in caring for other patients with mental health issues and will beresponsible for carrying out annual reviews for patients on the practicesMental Health Register.

About us

West Walk Surgery is a large 14800 patient practice, consisting of 5 GP Partners, 5 salaried GP's, Mental Health Nurse, Clinical Pharmacists, Paramedics, Nurse Practitioner, Practice Nurses and HCA's, all supported by the Reception and Admin teams.

Job responsibilities

Job Description

To work within a multi-professional primary care teamto provide a service for adults with varying levels of mental health needs thatmay co-exist with physical health problems within the registered patientpopulation.

To work independently providing assessment, treatmentand referral of patients predominantly with low mood, anxiety and depression

To liaise with and refer onto primary and secondarymental health services, voluntary and public sector agencies and communitysupport groups.

To carry out annual health reviews for adults on thepractice mental health register

To provide specialist advice and support to practicecolleagues in relation to patients with mental health issues.

Clinical Responsibilities

Use highly developed communication skills in workingwith people to understand their personal and often very sensitive difficulties

Assess, plan, implement andevaluate individual treatment plans for patients including assessing patients for suitability for psychologicalinterventions and medical treatment

Exercise autonomous professional responsibility forthe assessment and treatment of patients in line with the service and agreedprotocols.

Initiate medication in-line with practice protocolsand PGDs

Review medication fortherapeutic effectiveness appropriate to patient needs and in accordance withevidence based practice and national and practice protocols and repeat prescription in line with clinicalassessments and protocols

Work with other health andsocial care professionals to assess, treat and monitor management of patientsin line with national and local policies and practice needs. Attend multi-disciplinary meetings relating toreferrals or patients in treatment, where appropriate.

Educate and involve family members and others intreatment as necessary.

Lead in the production of clinical protocols andpathways to ensure high levels of conformance to QOF objectives

Promote and deliver thecare to patients required to manage the demand of the quality and outcomesframework as appropriate.

Work with patients tosupport engagement with appropriate services and treatment, which may includeonward referral to secondary mental health services or sign-posting to otherpsychological therapy services within Primary Care e.g. IAPT. Provide specialist advice and consultation to otherclinicians and staff at the practice on matters related to the practice anddelivery of psychological and mental health care and service provision.

Keep coherent records of all clinical activity in linewith service protocols

Carry out clinical audits of service performance,including service user surveys and evaluations, and help to collate anddisseminate the results for feedback.

Communicate effectivelywith patients; recognising the need for varying methods of communication toovercome different levels of understanding cultural background and preferredways of communicating.

Professional Responsibilities

Work as an effective and responsible primary carepractice team member, supporting others and exploring the mechanisms to developnew ways of working.

Produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete recordsof patient consultation, consistent with legislation, policies and proceduresand in line with local practice.

Prioritise, organise and manage own workload in amanner that maintains and promotes quality.

Deliver care according to NSF, NICE guidelines andevidence-based care.

Actively participate in the development, evaluationand improvement to ensure benefits realisation.

Assess effectiveness of care delivery through self andpeer review, benchmarking and formal evaluation.

Participate in the maintenance of quality governancesystems and processes across the practice.

Use practice computer systems accordingly in line withpractice policy.

Utilise the audit cycle as a means of evaluating thequality of the work of self and the team, implementing improvements whererequired.

Collaborate on improving the quality of health care inpartnership with other clinical teams, responding to local and nationalpolicies and initiatives as appropriate.

Feedback patients responses regarding theeffectiveness of care given.

Support and participate in providing training andshared learning across the practice and wider organisation, including providingspecialist advice and information relating to mental health.

Participate in the management of patient complaintswhen requested to do so and participate in identification of any necessarylearning brought about through clinical incidents and near-miss events.

Work within local and national policy and guidancerelating to vulnerable and abused children and adults, being aware of statutorychild/ vulnerable adult health procedure.

Work within policies regarding family violence,safeguarding children, vulnerable adults, substance abuse and addictivebehaviour, and refer as appropriate.

Delegate clearly and appropriately, adopting theprinciples of safe practice and assessing competence.

Understand and implement internal and externalreferral mechanisms.

Prioritise own workload and ensure effectivetime-management strategies are embedded within the culture of the team.

Take responsibility for own development, learning andperformance including participating in clinical supervision and acting as apositive role model.

Act as a clinical leader in the delivery of generalpractice mental health nursing services to patients, ensuring that the needs ofthe patient are the priority.

Develop contacts with and maintain a database of localknowledge on services (statutory and third sector), community support groupsand social networks that can benefit patients with low mood, anxiety anddepression.

Develop and maintain a suite of accessible informationto give to patients with low mood, anxiety and depression.

Operational

Contribute and participate in the development of localguidelines, protocols and standards.

Participate in planning and success of key performanceindicator targets.

Actively promote the workplace as a learningenvironment, encouraging everyone to learn from each other and from externalgood practice.

Participate in planning and implementing changeswithin the area of care and responsibility.

Participate in the planning and engagement ofpractice-based commissioning of similar initiatives.

Ensure awareness of sources of support and guidance(eg PALS) and provide information in an acceptable format to all patients,recognising any differences or difficulties and refer where appropriate.

RiskManagement

Manage and assess risk within the areas ofresponsibility, ensuring adequate measures are in place to protect staff andpatients.

Monitor work areas and practices to ensure they aresafe and free from hazards and conform to health, safety and securitylegislation, policies, procedures and guidelines.

Support members of the nursing team to undertakemandatory and statutory training requirements as appropriate.

Apply infection-control measures within the practiceaccording to local and national guidelines.

Apply policies that reduce environmental health risks,are culturally sensitive and increase access to health care for all.

Participate in the local implementation strategiesthat are aligned to the values and culture of general practice.

Utilising Information andtechnology as an aid to management in planning, implementation and monitoring,presenting and communicating information.

Review and process data using accurate Read codes toensure easy and accurate retrieval for monitoring and audit processes.

Manage information searches using the internet andlocal library databases, for example, the retrieval of relevant information forpatients on their condition.

Understand the responsibility of self and othersregarding the Freedom of Information Act.

Collate, analyse and present clinical data andinformation to the team using appropriate charts and/ or graphs to enhancecare.

Learning and Development

Act as a mentor to students, assessing competenceagainst set standards as requested and if appropriately qualified.

Disseminate learning and information gained to otherteam members in order to share good practice and inform others about currentand future developments.

Assess own learning needs and undertake learning as appropriate.

Provide an educational role to patients, carers,families and colleagues in an environment that facilitates learning.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Current registration with the NMC and commitment to CPD.
• 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.
• Extensive 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.
• Experience of working in the community
• Detailed working knowledge of how secondary specialist mental health services are organised and operate, where and how they fit into the health and social care community.
• Significant skills and experience in educating and training the mainstream workforce, particularly non-specialist mental health workers.
• Demonstrates substantial experience of assessing risk and developing risk management strategies
• Strong track record of an ability to act with high levels of diplomacy whilst maintaining the strength of relationship to challenge inaccurate assumptions and perceptions.
• Highly developed verbal communication skills, able to engage effectively with people at all levels even when a more assertive approach is needed.
• Conversant with policies and national drivers influencing the service development in question, plus a broader and detailed understanding of the respective legislation affecting the people using the service.
• Specialist knowledge of the needs, treatment approaches and rights of people with mental health problems and the needs of their carers and family.
• Able to articulate a detailed understanding of the relevant legal frameworks/legislation including CPA process, Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act and Safeguarding
• Significant and demonstrable levels of initiative utilised within practice and work delivery.
• Demonstrates an understanding of recovery principles and the role of secondary mental health services in the delivery of care
• Experience of undertaking carers assessments
• Demonstrates substantial experience of, and relevant professional practice qualification in mentoring/assessing students and learners
• Highly developed active listening skills, which allow for reframing and testing of understanding
• Highly developed written communication skills, with experience of compiling and sorting notes and reports, establishing statistical data and analysing information
• Substantially developed IT skills with an understanding of Microsoft Office, and demonstrate a willingness to embrace new technology and processes
• Well organised, comfortable working under pressure and within time constraints.
• Confident working independently and as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Willingness to collaborate and share care.
• Relevant post-registration qualifications, such as Thorn, Non Medical Prescribing,
• Experience gained in a wide variety of settings
• Knowledge of primary care and experience in brief consultations
• Knowledge of clinical governance in primary care
• Local knowledge of range of community-based support services available for people with mental health problems
• Interest in primary care and in new models of delivery

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.