Go back Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
Senior Primary Care Mental Health Practitioner
The closing date is 04 August 2025
The delivery of an enhanced Primary Care Team as part of a new approach to the delivery of Mental Health Primary Care services in Mid Essex. This unique team will be based in Mid Essex Locality. The post will be based in General Practice, working with existing Primary Care teams to triage, manage and follow up patients registered with GPs in the area.
This innovative approach allows for new roles to complement the existing traditional General Practice roles to manage more patients at the point of contact. The team's skill mix has been designed based on a local population needs assessment and will consist of Clinical Pharmacists, Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Physicians Assistants, Community Psychiatric Nurses.
This is an exciting new role for a Primary Care Mental Health Practitioner to lead and shape the way forward in the delivery of Community Mental Health Services. The post will be hosted by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) with day to day management within Primary Care.
Main duties of the job
As a Primary Care Mental Health Practitioner you will be highly skilled and motivated and be part of the Enhanced Primary Care team, at the forefront of establishing this innovative development in Primary Care Mental Health Services. As a highly competent and proficient practitioner, you will be able to work autonomously and be confident in your ability to provide evidence based Psychological and non-Psychological treatments for common mental health disorders.
Proactive in your approach to collaborative working, you will be based in the Locality. The team will offer a range of interventions over a period of up to 6 months over 6-8 sessions, to include but not limited to; active mental health monitoring, guided self-help, brief interventions focusing on motivation, structure, sleep hygiene, mindfulness and the administration of depot injections for those patients discharged from Secondary Care. The team will also offer medication initiation. The Primary Care Mental Health Practitioner will work with the wider local network (e.g. NHS TT/CVS) to ensure early "help" interventions and proactive care and treatment is delivered at the Primary Care level.
About us
EPUT are looking for motivated staff who shares our Trust values of Care, Learn and Empower. In return, EPUT can offer you a range of benefits and development including;
* Season Ticket Loans
* NHS discounts for staff
* Excellent Training facilities and opportunities
* Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
* The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
* Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
* Day One Flexible Employer
The Trust supports and actively encourages flexible working for all employees. We offer many options and you are encouraged to ask the recruiting manager what is possible for this role. If appointed, you will have the opportunity to apply for a flexible working request from the first day of your employment
Join our Staff bank
What is Staff Bank?
Our EPUT NHS staff bank is an entity managed by the trust that hires clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals to take on shifts at our trust hospitals and community settings. Here at EPUT we maintain our own bank of specialist staff to ensure that we are able offer safe and effective care at all times.
All our permanent staff are automatically enrolled onto the staff bank however this does not mean you have to work any additional shifts, but the option is there for you if you wish.
If you are joining our Trust in a fixed term role, please indicate on your New Starter Paperwork that you wish to join our staff bank.
Job responsibilities
Create a single path within the sphere of their responsibility and work closely with other Community Mental Health teams, the Urgent Care Pathway and Inpatient Services to provide a seamless service in order to aid the Patients recovery and Well-being plans in the community.
Work in conjunction with the GP, Primary Care team and Consultant Psychiatrists to ensure that patients are supported in the most appropriate clinical practice environment from a Multi-disciplinary perspective.
Ensure safe Clinical Practice takes place, maintaining Care Quality Commission standards at all times and in line with the NHS Constitution.
Triage and assess patients and facilitate them receiving the most appropriate support for their needs ensuring people are not passed around the system.
Manage and deliver effective and safe services which support the key elements of Clinical/Practice governance.
As the Primary Care model develops, the post holder will focus on leading the teams to introduce ways of continuously improving the quality of their services and safeguarding and high standards of care by creating an environment in which excellence will flourish.
Provide and undertake detailed Physical Health investigations such as ECGs and offer basic interpretation of the results for the purpose of medication initiation.
Be responsible for the completion of full and comprehensive Assessments (Physical and Mental Health) where possible and provide complete person centred care planning for services users requiring Physical Health related aspects of care with the support of the Multi-Disciplinary Team.
Ensure appropriate reporting within clinical records by following good practice guidelines and professional codes of conduct for example, NMC (UKCC) guidelines for records and record keeping.
Communicate any relevant information to the MDT as required within handovers, meetings and other forums as required.
Person Specification
Education Qualifications
* Registered Mental Health Nurse (RMN
* Non Medical Prescriber or willing to train.
* Venepuncture trained/ ECG trained interpretation of results
* Physical health screening
* Risk management/suicide prevention training
Knowledge
* Experience of working in a community mental health setting
* Literate in IT/Computer Skills
* Ability to navigate and use System one
* Experience of working in the primary care setting
Personal Qualities
* Ability to work under pressure and contain and manage stress of oneself and others
* Self motivated work effectively within a team
Corporate
* To hold a full UK driving licence
* Use of a car for work purposes
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.
Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
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