Mental Health Practitioner Primary Care

Sutton Primary Care Networks; Sutton; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A community healthcare organization in Sutton is seeking a Registered Mental Health Nurse to work within Primary Care Networks, providing specialized support for patients experiencing mental health challenges. This role includes delivering education, conducting assessments, and ensuring smooth transitions for patients within the healthcare system. The ideal candidate will have experience working in primary care, possess excellent communication skills, and demonstrate resilience in high-pressure situations. The position is aligned with NHS Band 6 requirements.

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience at Band 5 and/or Band 6.
• Experience working with individuals with serious mental health problems.
• Ability to conduct comprehensive assessments where required.

Responsibilities

• Provide medicine education and lifestyle advice to patients.
• Support early intervention and shared decision-making.
• Assist in transitions between secondary and primary care.

Skills

Excellent written and oral communication skills

Good organisational skills

Resilience in difficult interpersonal situations

Ability to manage workload independently

Education

Registered Mental Health Nurse

Evidence of continuing professional development

Job description

In this role you will work as part of the primary care team in specified Primary Care Networks, providing support to GP practices for patients presenting with mental health problems. This support will include provision of advice, education, support and interventions to patients and carers through bookable appointments.

You will provide expert advice and education to primary care staff across the specified Primary Care Networks

Main duties of the job

To provide medicine education and adherence advice and lifestyle advice for patients and their carers, presenting with mental health problems

Assist in supporting early intervention and supporting shared decision-making around self management

To carry out triage and comprehensive assessments as required.

To work with patients and team members to support engagement with appropriate services and treatment which may include onward referral to secondary mental health services or signposting to other mental health services, social prescribers, voluntary services and community-based support groups

To support patients to transition from secondary care to primary care by providing up to three step-down sessions at the point of step down from secondary care services

To provide ongoing specialist support patients to transition from primary care to secondary care when more specialist or intensive support is required

To support patients to stay well within their local communities, including the re-enforcement of newly learned psychology techniques

About us

Sutton Primary Care Networks is the collaborative vehicle for the four Sutton PCNs and the former Sutton GP Federation working together as a single entity. We are a Community Interest Company that aims to reinvest surpluses back into general practice and primary care for the benefit of our practices and the people who form the communities we serve.

Sutton has four PCNs whose boundaries are based on historical relationships and groupings of organisations. There are some similarities of residents health and care needs unique to a particular PCN, and many more needs that are shared across all four PCNs.

Our four PCN represent all 21 GP surgeries in Sutton. Their collective footprints cover all of the London Borough of Sutton and its residents who are able to access and benefit from the services and improvements offered by Primary Care Networks.

Primary Care Networks (PCNs) are a key part of the NHS Long Term Plan, with all general practices being required to be in a network by June 2019, and CCGs/Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) being required to commit recurrent funding to develop and maintain them.

The networks will have expanded neighbourhood teams which will comprise a range of staff such as GPs, pharmacists, district nurses, community geriatricians, dementia workers and Allied Health Professionals such as physiotherapists and podiatrists/chiropodists, joined by social care and the voluntary sector.

Job responsibilities

Clinical

To provide medicine education and adherence advice and lifestyle advice for patients and their carers, presenting with mental health problems

Assist in supporting early intervention and supporting shared decision-making around self management

To carry out triage and comprehensive assessments as required.

To work with patients and team members to support engagement with appropriate services and treatment which may include onward referral to secondary mental health services or signposting to other mental health services, social prescribers, voluntary services and community-based support groups

To support patients to transition from secondary care to primary care by providing up to three step-down sessions at the point of step down from secondary care services

To provide ongoing specialist support patients to transition from primary care to secondary care when more specialist or intensive support is required

To support patients to stay well within their local communities, including the re-enforcement of newly learned psychology techniques

Work at all times to promote the safety and the well being of service users and their families/carers

To develop a close relationship with Primary Care practices, attending practice meetings and having regular informal contact.

To work closely and in partnership with colleagues within primary care and the Trust in a collaborative way, ensuring that decisions are made that ensure the best care for service users and that there is a seamless pathway.

To support primary care teams with the administration of long-acting injections for those patients with complex needs

To support patients on the SMI register to access annual physical health checks and to carry out these checks and physical health monitoring for those patients with complex needs

To provide clinical supervision to junior colleagues.

Assist in the supervision of other staff or learners where appropriate.

Work with the practice & Sutton PCNs teams to ensure delivery of services and programmes.

Actively engage in the performance cycle to identify training and support requirements.

Sutton Primary Care Networks

Communication

The post-holder should recognise the importance of effective communication within the team and will strive to:

Communicate effectively with other team members as required

Communicate effectively with patients and carers

Recognise peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly

Person Specification

Experience

• Demonstrable experience of working clinically at Band 5 and/or Band 6
• Experience of working with people who have experienced serious ongoing mental health problems
• Experience of research based/reflective practice e.g. understanding and ability to use supervision to reflect on skills, attitude and knowledge and develop these by using evidence based practice.
• Experience as a preceptor/mentor
• Knowledge of clinical governance and audit
• Knowledge of relevant professional and clinical legislation
• Ability to proactively and independently manage a workload.
• Ability to provide quality care that is responsive to service user needs, without close supervision
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Good organisational skills
• Resilient: able to cope in difficult interpersonal situations
• Ability to complete comprehensive assessments where required.
• Previous experience of working within primary care
• Experience of working consultatively with professionals
• Evidencing of completing and/or supporting clinical research projects and audits

Qualifications

• Registered Mental Health Nurse
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Experience of using quality improvement methodologies

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.

Depending on experienceAligned with NHS Band 6