Mental Health Practitioner

We have a fixed term vacancy for a Mental Health Practitioner in the North Islington Core Team. This is a commissioned service provided by North London Foundation Trust Local Authority and VCS partners including Hillside Clubhouse and Age UK. The service was developed in response to the Five Year Forward View, GP and commissioner and service user feedback and in line with the CIFT clinical strategy to enhance mental health expertise and support of primary care.

Main duties of the job

The aim of the service is to increase the number of people whose mental health support is appropriately managed within primary care and to enhance the capability and confidence of primary care staff to manage mental health conditions. Patients may have complex mental health difficulties, long term physical health conditions, and/or be frequent users of GP or A&E and other resources, they may have been previously known to secondary care mental health services and may no longer reach their criteria or may not be willing to engage. Much of the support to primary care staff is achieved through a combination of consultation, liaison and advice, mental health assessment and review, case formulation and risk assessment.

The service consists of 3 multidisciplinary teams across 3 geographically aligned neighbourhoods in Camden (NW3, West and South). Each of these neighbourhoods is aligned to specific GP Practices. Each practitioner holds a small caseload whilst patients are receiving interventions from within the service. This is to maintain capacity of the service to respond quickly to referrals.

About us

North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.

Our Five-Year Strategy:

1. We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.
2. With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all.
3. We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.
4. We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology.

Why NLFT?

We develop and retain our staff through leadership behaviours and managers programme and many more opportunities.

We promote flexible working and support staff with a range of health and wellbeing initiatives.

NHS Discounts, generous annual leave, and NHS pension scheme.

Excellent internal staff network.

In order to meet the needs of the Trust you may be required from time to time to work at different locations to your normal place of work. This may mean that you are required to work at any location that falls under Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey, or Islington. The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.

Job responsibilities

Kindly have a look at the attached job description and person specification for the detailed job description.

Person Specification

Education & Qualifications

• Professional Qualification (RMN, OT, SW) with current professional registration with relevant body.
• Evidence of mental health training.
• Evidence of continued relevant professional development.

Experience & Skills

• Experience of working within a community setting relating to mental health.
• Experience of inter-agency working.
• Assessment and care planning skills.
• Good written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills.
• Organisational skills.
• Experience of working with drug and alcohol services.
• Experience of supervising staff / junior personnel.
• Experience of leadership of project or working groups / policy implementation.
• Experience of working in primary care.

Abilities

• Ability to develop and deliver a service which promotes choice, involves patients and their relatives, friends and carers in all discussions regarding needs and care provided.
• Ability to work effectively under own initiative.

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.

£44,806 to £53,134 a year per annum inclusive of HCAS.