Job overview
Mental Health Practitioner B6
This role will involve a number of elements which will support people with mental health conditions in the new integrated mental health teams. These roles will be key in providing professional nursing support to the new primary care network based teams and will provide mental and physical health support helping people to engage with their local communities and benefit from all the supports available locally. The post holder will be part of a multi-disciplinary team which will cover a Primary Care Network or locality and will work across networks to form a truly innovative and ground- breaking support structure.
The objectives of the services are:
·To consider an individual’s needs holistically – mental and physical health as well as social needs
·To provide early advice and guidance with signposting to the relevant services where appropriate therefore supporting individuals to make full use of community resources available
·To bridge the gaps that can appear between community mental health care and primary care, acute care, social services and support.
·To ensure easier access to the right level of care such as group programmes, therapy etc.
·For Care plans to be person centred – developed with the individual and others involved in their care
Main duties of the job
The Integrated Mental Health Team mental health nurse will have a number of key roles and will undertake the following duties:
Clinical
1.Provide holistic and specialist bio-psycho-social assessment for anyone experiencing mental health difficulties and offer specialist nursing assessment where required
2.Provide advice to primary care to help them provide better support to patients and to (where preferable) meet their mental health needs within a primary care setting.
3.Carry out robust risk assessments, working collaboratively with the patient and their carer to provide a plan that will support them remaining safe.
4.Provide access to a broad range of specialist psychosocial interventions for individual patients where needed.
5.Provide expert advice regarding the pharmacological treatment options available to mental health patients to patients and non-mental health professionals, seeking clinical guidance from the designated Consultant Psychiatrist/GP in relation to any specific prescribing advice.
Working for our organisation
West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.
Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ over 5,000 staff, of whom 59% are BME. Our turnover for 2024-25 is over £500m.
The Trust is rated as ‘Good’ overall by the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as ‘Outstanding’.
The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached
The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.
Person specification
Qualifications and Training
Essential criteria
1. Professional qualification in mental health - Mental Health Nursing (RMN) with current NMC registration
Desirable criteria
2. Educated to degree or Diploma level with other courses relevant to primary care mental health services e.g. CBT, Brief Solution Focussed Therapy etc.
3. RGN/physical health qualification
4. Evidence of recent and on-going relevant further professional development
Experience
Essential criteria
5. Demonstrable experience of post qualifying work in psychiatry.
6. Experience of supervising junior staff within own and/or other disciplines
Desirable criteria
7. Evidence of experience in a Band 6 position or equivalent
8. Other relevant post registration experience
9. Audit and research experience
10. Experience of teaching/training in a formal or informal setting
11. Experience of working in a primary care setting/ social care/ voluntary sector
Knowledge
Essential criteria
12. Knowledge of counselling skills/cognitive behavioural skills, psychosocial interventions
13. Knowledge of recovery approaches as used with those with mental health conditions
14. Ability to interpret research and apply to practice
15. Specialist knowledge of mental health conditions as well as their relationship to physical disorders
16. Assessment and treatment of Deliberate Self Harm
17. Risk assessment/management and crisis intervention skills
18. Use of psychosocial assessment methods
19. Higher level communication skills, both written and oral
20. Ability to engage challenging and/or acutely distressed patients in potentially hostile and/or antagonistic situations and use de-escalation techniques effectively
21. Sufficient clinical knowledge to be able to make autonomous decisions, based on an analysis of complex presenting problems and judgement about available options, with senior clinical support/supervision
22. Team/self management and organisation skills that enable a number of complex activities and clinical work to be undertaken, revising and adjusting these according to the needs of individual patients and the service
23. Computer literate
Personal Qualities
Essential criteria
24. Ability to frequently work under pressure and maintain intense concentration, particularly in unpredictable situations where there will be exposure to highly distressed and/or disturbed patients, often exhibiting challenging behaviours and the risk of physical violence
25. Ability to meet deadlines
26. Commitment to equal opportunities
27. Self-motivated, able to work autonomously and independently with confidence when required
28. Willing to use peer and group supervision creatively