Specialist Perinatal Mental Health - Duty Clinician

NHS; Aylesbury; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading health service provider in Aylesbury is seeking a Duty Clinician with expertise in perinatal mental health. The role involves managing referrals, conducting assessments, and ensuring high-quality patient care. Ideal candidates will have relevant qualifications, a compassionate approach, and the ability to work in a multidisciplinary team environment. Benefits include ongoing training and excellent career opportunities.

Benefits

Excellent opportunities for career progression

27 days annual leave plus bank holidays

NHS discount

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Minimum of two years of experience, including community and mental health work.
• Experience working within a multidisciplinary team.
• Good knowledge of community services and perinatal mental health.

Responsibilities

• Accept and triage new referrals.
• Conduct and arrange initial assessments.
• Respond to duty calls and manage risks.

Skills

Communication skills

Teamwork

Problem-solving skills

Adaptability

Education

Professional Qualification

Professional Registration

Postgraduate education related to the client group

Job description

Specialist Perinatal Mental Health - Duty Clinician

Are you a Registered Mental Health Nurse, Social Worker or Occupational Therapist with a passion for perinatal mental health and looking for a rewarding role?

We are looking for an experienced and self-motivated Duty Clinician to join our duty team. We want to expand our duty service, offering timely assessments and supporting referrers.

Buckinghamshire Perinatal Mental Health Team is community-based, forward thinking service, committed to the delivery of quality patient service that is dynamic to meet the needs of our service users. Our Team is commissioned to work with women/birthing people pre-conceptually, in pregnancy and postnatally where there are mental health concerns.

Please note this is a fixed term role which will end on the 31st December 2026.

Main duties of the job

Main duties of duty clinician/worker will include:

• Accepting and triaging all new referrals received by the team.
• To communicate /liaise effectively with relevant referring partners and other agencies.
• Arranging and carrying out initial assessments.
• Sign-post patients to relevant services for support (if required)
• To implement and /or participate in step-up care measures with patients/partners in conjunction with other agencies.
• Reviewing patients requiring short-term input from the team.
• Responding to all duty calls during working hours and putting in place appropriate actions to address identified risks.
• To ensure that any identified immediate risks are appropriately responded to and a proportionate risk management strategy is actioned, with input from the multidisciplinary team members.
• Discuss new referrals /assessments at Clinical Multi-Disciplinary Team Meeting every week.

About us

Oxford Health is a great place to work and to be able to showcase the best of yourself when making an application please read the "candidate guide to making an application" and ensure your supporting statement is tailored to the role you are applying for and addresses any essential criteria.

As a Trust we provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and Northeast Somerset. Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people's homes, delivering care as close to home as possible. Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive: "Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team"

Our values are:"Caring, safe and excellent"

At Oxford Health we offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:

• Excellent opportunities for career progression
• Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and development
• 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
• NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers
• Lease car scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Mental Health First Aiders
• Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists may apply)
• Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team

Job responsibilities

We are based at The Whiteleaf Centre in Aylesbury and have another Base at Saffron House in High Wycombe, providing assessments and treatment for the above-mentioned group of patients.

Perinatal mental health is currently high on the national agenda and our service is part of the South East Perinatal Mental Health Clinical Delivery Network, contributing to regional development.

You will need to be able to work effectively as a member of a multi-disciplinary team, respecting the input of all the professions and professionals within this.

The successful candidate will need to:

• Have a positive attitude and passion for perinatal mental health services.
• Have an understanding of perinatal mental health and its impact on service users.
• Be proactive, flexible and adaptable in order to meet the needs of our diverse service and the changing demands associated with community perinatal mental health service.
• Be committed to delivering high quality care.
• Be familiar with current legislation, guidelines and processes that may affect the way in which mental health care is delivered.
• Be prepared and able to travel across the Aylesbury Vale and Chiltern areas of Buckinghamshire.
• Be able to use professional skills to support and motivate colleagues and service users.

If you are successfully recruited into this post you will have access to regular supervision, internal and external training opportunities.

There will be opportunity to contribute to the development and delivery of training to professionals involved in the care of women during the perinatal period whilst being supported in your own development and training.

Excellent communication, organisational and liaison skills are essential to ensure that the links and relationships already developed by the team are maintained to deliver a high quality and responsive perinatal mental health service.

We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support their application. We kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of their experience and must take care to ensure the use of AI tools does not generate an application that does not accurately reflect their knowledge, skills and values.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Professional Qualification
• Professional Registration
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development
• Post graduate education specifically relating to client group (Post basic qualification in community care/ research awareness/ management)

Further Training

• To have excellent English verbal and written communication skills
• To show evidence of sound problem solving skills
• To be able to work collaboratively as part of a team

Experience

• To have appropriate experience minimum of two years which should include community and working with mental health.
• To have experience of working within a multidisciplinary team
• To have a good knowledge and interest in community care and have specific clinical expertise in mental health
• To understand and have experience of Risk Management
• To have an understanding of Perinatal Mental Health services and interdisciplinary working
• To have a good knowledge of community services
• Community work with perinatal clients with mental health needs.
• To have experience of supervising student placements.

Personal Qualities

• To be able to manage in a stressful working environment and with emotional or aggressive patients/or carers
• Adaptable and flexible
• Able to use own initiative when appropriate
• Team player
• Reliable

Contractual Requirements

• To comprehend and work within the Trust policies of data protection, equal opportunities, Health & Safety and to meet the diverse needs of patients
• Able to travel to undertake work and have the capacity to carry equipment relative to your post
• Able to comply with Manual Handling policies and guide lines
• Ability to travel between sites and to regional meetings

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.