Perinatal Mental Health Practitioner

Eput; Colchester; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) is seeking a Band 6 Perinatal Mental Health Practitioner to join the Perinatal Mental Health Service in Colchester. You will manage a defined caseload of pregnant women or those with infants up to one year old, performing holistic assessments and delivering specialised interventions.

The role emphasises safeguarding, CPA care planning and close collaboration with partner organisations.

Qualifications

• RMN qualification and evidence of current registration on Part 3 of NMC register
• Knowledge of safeguarding in both adult and child services
• Experience in community mental health or perinatal care preferred

Responsibilities

• Work jointly with care coordinators from CMHTs with a small complex caseload of pregnant women or those with an infant up to one year old
• Conduct high quality mental health assessments to identify needs for people referred to the Perinatal Mental Health Service
• Manage a defined client caseload in consultation with the Team Manager and Clinical Team Leader
• Utilise the Care Programme Approach and act as Care Co-ordinator as required
• Ensure perinatal care plans are implemented and contribute to pre/post-birth meetings
• Prioritise risks and deliver effective interventions
• Provide care planning, evaluation and collaboration with service users and partners

Job description

Please be aware that, due to current allocation constraints, Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) are being prioritised for registered roles at this time.

Our Trust cares for more than 100,000 patients at any one time across our community health, mental health and learning disability services across Essex and parts of Bedfordshire and Suffolk.

We want you to be part of our journey of transformation, where our patients and their families are at the heart of everything we do and to achieve our vision to be the leading health and wellbeing service in the provision of mental health and community care.

You’ll be part of a Trust where you will be supported to be your authentic self and be the best you can be, where we will help you to grow, develop and thrive.

The Trust is recognised by the University of Essex and is a top provider of apprenticeships for people looking to be an assistant practitioner, senior health care support worker (CAP). Our trailblazing CAP apprenticeship won a national HSJ Award.

We are also recognised as a Veteran Aware Trust and holder of gold accreditation from the Ministry of Defence Employment Recognition Scheme. Our services are highlighted as an exemplar of good practice, producing the best care for more than 3.5 armed forces veterans in the past seven years.

We have been shortlisted and won national awards. We are an inclusive organisation and Level 3 Disability Confident Leader Trust.

We are constantly innovating and looking for new ways to deliver care, such as using technology to enhance patient care and working with partners to launch new services such as the Basildon Mental Health Urgent Care Department, virtual hospitals and falls response cars.

Join us and you’ll do the best work of your life – and make a difference to other people’s lives. What we do together, matters.

Job overview

Band 6 - £39,959 - £48,117 per annum pro rata

37.5 hours per week fixed term contract for 6 months

It has and is an extraordinary time for specialist perinatal mental health services across the UK with growing national and local focus on service development and expanding access for new and expectant mums. The national ambition was to improve outcomes for an increasing number women over a 5-year period through investment in resources and broadening of interventions available. The perinatal period includes from conception up until two years following the birth of the baby and is a critical time for prevention and treatment for women at risk of serious mental ill health. Providing a unique opportunity for intervention and change, improving outcomes for mums, their families and ultimately society, in the longer term.

We would consider applications who are newly qualified with perinatal experience.

Main duties of the job

The Perinatal Mental Health Practitioner will work as a member of the Perinatal Mental Health Service. The post holder will manage a defined caseload of service users experiencing moderate to severe perinatal mental health problems, and those with pre-existing severe mental health diagnoses to reduce perinatal risk and maintain stability in this vulnerable period for women's mental health. They will undertake holistic community assessments with a strong emphasis on the parent-infant relationship and safeguarding.

The post holder will offer a variety of therapeutic interventions including supportive therapy, psychosocial interventions, specialist medication advice and problem solving techniques. In addition the post holder will be expected to offer both support and advice to carers and relatives, and to work in an integrated manner with key partner organisations and professionals. The post holder will be required to provide consultative advice to other agencies, and to participate in delivering training and development for other professionals.

Working for our organisation

Valuing you. Recognising your dedication. At EPUT, we look after you.

• Receive supervision and support to help you fulfil your potential.
• Join an inclusive EPUT community and connect with others through engagement events and equality or champion networks.
• If you need help, we provide mental health and wellbeing services, occupational health advice and counselling.
• We run recognition awards to recognise staff's hard work and dedication.
• 27 days holiday, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days after 10 years’ service.
• Excellent pension of up to14.5% of your pensionable pay.
• Staff discounts include Blue Light Card, NHS discount offers, and staff benefits.
• £8K relocation package if you move to Essex to join us (subject to terms and conditions)
• Season ticket loans are interest-free to cover the cost of travelling to and from work via tram, rail, or bus.

Work that wraps around your needs

• Flexible working: available from day one for most roles.
• Job share: Applications for job shares are welcomed.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1. To work jointly with care coordinators from CMHTs with a small complex and challenging caseload of pregnant women or those with an infant up to one year old.

2. Conduct both single handed and joint high quality mental health assessments as required to identify mental health needs for people referred to the Perinatal Mental Health Service.

3. Take responsibility for the management of a defined client caseload as identified in consultation with the Team Manager, Clinical Team Leader and team.

4. Utilise the Care Programme Approach (CPA) as defined within the Trust Policy and to act as Care Co-ordinator as required.

5. To ensure that all Trust Perinatal service users have a perinatal care plan, this is implemented. This may require attending and contributing to pre and post-birth meetings.

6. Ensure risks are effectively managed and interventions are effectively prioritised.

7. Maintain effective individualised care through the assessment of health and social care needs, planning, implementation and evaluation of care plans co-produced with service users.

Person specification

Education/Qualifications

• RMN qualification and evidence of current registration on Part 3 of NMC register or social worker or OT registered

Knowledge

• Safeguarding experience in both adult and child
• Community experience
• Previous Perinatal experience

Please be aware that, due to current allocation constraints, Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) are being prioritised for registered roles at this time.Important note: please ensure that as part of your application, you include professional references with business contact information covering your last three years of employment history. We are unable to accept personal or character references.

As a newly appointed employee, you are responsible for incurring the cost of your initial DBS check relevant to your post; the amount will be deducted from your first salary with the Trust.

Our Trust is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We particularly welcome applications from people with experience of using mental health services. We also hold the Disability two tick symbol and have made the pledge to commit to employing more people with learning disabilities, we encourage people with a disability to apply. If you require this application form in another format i.e. Braille or audio tape etc, please contact the Recruitment Department on 01375 364513 or email [e-mail] and we can arrange for this to be dispatched to you.

The Trust has the right to expire vacancies prior to the closing date if they so wish. The Trust makes every attempt to contact all applicants and we strongly advise that you check the email account which is registered with NHS Jobs regularly, we would advise however due to the high number of applications we receive that if you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expect all staff to undertake this commitment. Applicants will be subject to robust safer recruitment processes.

Important Notice: Recently the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2021 (the Regulations) which amended on 22 July 2021 and come into force on 11 November 2021 that anyone directly employed to work in a Care Home or who are required as part of their role to be deployed to a CQC registered care home are required to have had both their COVID vaccinations, unless they are exempt. This is therefore a requirement of this role and will form part of our pre-employment checks.

Please note -staff who are formally at risk within the organisation will be given priority in securing alternative employment. Should it come to light that a post being advertised by the Trust is considered ‘suitable alternative employment’ to an individual who is at risk, the recruiting manager will be advised and the post will be withdrawn from NHS Jobs.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.