Job overview
Mental Health Practitioner (nurse) B6 – Primary Care Network (PCN)
This role forms a key part of the developing integrated mental health offer within Hounslow Primary Care Networks (PCNs). The post will support people with a range of mental health conditions -both serious mental illness (SMI) and common and complex mental illness (CCMI) - and will contribute to a holistic, accessible and community-focused primary care mental health service.
Working as part of an innovative multidisciplinary model between Hounslow PCNs and West London NHS Trust’s MINT services, the Mental Health Practitioner will help deliver joined-up care, early intervention, improved navigation, and better outcomes for local residents. The post holder will work autonomously within GP practices while being clinically supported by a PCN Senior Mental Health Practitioner, and will collaborate closely with GPs, pharmacists, social prescribers, PCN clinicians, and wider community and voluntary sector partners
Main duties of the job
The objectives of the service are to:
•Take a holistic view of an individual's needs, considering mental health, physical health, social factors, community networks, and personal strengths.
•Reduce unnecessary long assessments and duplicated history taking by improving shared working and streamlined pathways.
•Provide early advice, intervention and brief psychosocial support within primary care, helping people access the right service at the right time.
•Strengthen the interface between primary care, community mental health (MINT), acute services, local authority teams and the voluntary sector.
•Improve access to evidence-based mental health interventions, psychological support and community resources in a timely and coordinated way.
•Support safe, seamless transfers of care between MINT and primary care, with rapid access back into services where needed.
The Mental Health Practitioner will be responsible for the following key functions:
Clinical responsibilities
•Provide holistic, specialist bio-psycho-social and mental state assessments for patients in primary care, including SMI and CCMI annual reviews.
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
Essential criteria
1. Professional qualification in mental health e.g. Occupational Therapy, Social Work or Mental Health Nursing (RMN) with current NMC/HCPC registration or Psychology as accredited by the BPS. Professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council
2. A recorded/registered qualification in one of the following – psychology, nursing, social work, occupational therapy, arts therapy and registration with the appropriate body for that profession
Desirable criteria
3. Educated to degree or Diploma level with other courses relevant to primary care mental health services e.g. CBT, Brief Solution Focussed Therapy etc.
4. RGN/physical health qualification
5. Evidence of recent and ongoing relevant further professional development
6. Attendance at specialist short courses relevant to the post (e.g. MBT or DBT, Trauma Informed Care, Group Approaches)
Experience
Essential criteria
7. Experience of work in the NHS, PCNs or outreach work, or local engagement work (e.g. youth worker, mentoring, peer support etc.), experience of working in voluntary sector, working in community groups.
8. Experience of working in General Practice
9. Experience of working with Complex Emotional Needs (previously termed Personality Disorders)
10. Work with client groups with serious mental health problems: omental health care and/or oworking with carers and/or odelivering therapeutic group interventions and/or oworking in MDTs and/or
11. Work in multi-cultural settings and work with interpreters
12. Mental health issues as a service user or carer
Desirable criteria
13. Evidence of experience in a Band 5 position or equivalent
14. Experience of case finding
15. Experience of working in GP
16. Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team
17. Experience of conducting audit, evaluation or research
18. Other relevant post registration experience
19. Work with behaviours that challenge services
20. Experience of teaching/training in a formal or informal setting
21. Experience of working in a primary care setting/ social care/ voluntary sector
22. Experience of supervising junior staff within own and/or other disciplines
Knowledge
Essential criteria
23. Basic understanding of health care systems and structures: staffing, roles and responsibilities, the role of hospitals, primary care and community care
24. 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
25. Knowledge of counselling skills/cognitive behavioural skills, psychosocial interventions
26. Knowledge of recovery approaches as used with those with mental health conditions
27. Work with people from a wide range of backgrounds
28. Contain and work with organisational stress and able to hold the stress of others
29. Manage effectively exposure to distressing/highly emotional circumstances
30. Manage effectively verbal aggression from service users, families, etc. and the risk of physical aggression
31. Respectful and collaborative approach to service users, families, carers, colleagues and other professionals
32. Able to negotiate and ability to handle confrontation effectively and professionally
33. Ability to engage challenging and/or acutely distressed patients in potentially hostile and/or antagonistic situations and use de-escalation techniques effectively
34. Assessment and treatment of Deliberate Self Harm
35. Risk assessment/management and crisis intervention skills
36. Use of psychosocial assessment methods
37. Higher level communication skills, both written and oral
38. 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
Desirable criteria
39. Ability to interpret research and apply to practice
40. Specialist knowledge of mental health conditions as well as their relationship to physical disorders
41. Understanding of NHS England’s plans with regard to Primary Care Networks.
Skills
Essential criteria
42. Computer literate
43. Being able to work flexibly across local environments
44. Awareness of diversity of cultural norms and being able to respond to this appropriately
45. Concentrate intensely for a substantial proportion of working time, during client contact, teaching/supervision sessions, team meetings, preparing written work etc.
46. Use IT packages – word processing, e-mail and internet, Excel and Access
47. Ability to use or learn NHS clinical systems
48. Work cross-culturally and/or in different languages
49. Work to professional guidelines
50. Accept accountability for own work, and of working towards defined results
51. Plan, organise and prioritise own workload
52. Record and report on clinical information as required
Other Requirement
Essential criteria
53. Ability to build effective relationships and collaborate across teams
54. Work as part of a team spread across multiple locations operating with a matrix structure
55. Ability to work effectively, timely and independently
56. 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
57. Ability to meet deadlines
58. Commitment to equal opportunities
59. Ability to accept constructive feedback
60. Personal experience of a mental health condition