Job summary
- Main area
- Slough MHICS
- Grade
- Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 371-MHS494-B
- Employer
- Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- New Horizons
- Town
- Slough
- Salary
- £45,753 - £52,067 per annum (inc. of HCAS)
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 28/11/2024 23:59
Employer heading
Primary Care Mental Health Practitioner (ARRS Scheme)
Band 7
Job overview
Day-to-Day the successful applicant will be employed by the Trust (BHFT), but based within GP surgeries, seeing primary care patients and working on primary care systems, but with a specific mental health focus. That being so, patients coming into primary care with mental health difficulties – rather than having a 10-minute appointment with a GP – will have a 15-30 minute appointment with a senior Mental Health Practitioner (Nurse, Social Worker or Occupational Therapist).
Most ARRS Mental Health practitioners see 14 patients on a normal day. Equally, there is no caseload, nor CPAs, nor funding applications for packages of care, nor management responsibilities – so the ancillary tasks that come with secondary care roles are certainly less.
The ARRS project has been running for about two years now, and it’s been an enormous success – patients are happy with the service, GP colleagues are happy as mental health needs are dealt with in primary carer more efficiently – and the ARRS Mental Health Practitioners who like the role really like it, but equally it’s not for everyone. If you really enjoy patient contact and fast-paced work, this would suit you down to the ground, but obviously with that comes less flexibility around things like home-working, working hours, managing your own diary etc.
Main duties of the job
As above, day-to-day the successful applicant will be physically based within GP surgeries. Each Primary Care Network (PCN) has about 4 GP surgeries, and ARRS workers usually spend a day in all the surgeries on rotation.
Your clinics, like GPs’ clinics, are populated by Surgery receptionists. Appointments are split between initial appointments (generally 30 mins) and follow-ups (15 mins). Key tasks involve mental state examinations, liaising with secondary services and Talking Therapies, making onward referrals.
If you’re a Non-Medical Prescriber and/or have an ‘Advanced History Taking’ qualification, that would be ideal (but is not necessary). Respectively these would enable you to initiate first-line pharmacological treatments for Anxiety and Depression (the most common presentations in primary care; and ascribe formal diagnoses.
Most applicants don’t have these qualifications, which is absolutely fine, but it means a little bit more GP contact/oversight is required when it comes to initiating and monitoring treatments in Primary Care.
You’ll have access to all the same training and CPD materials and opportunities as any other clinician involved in the trust, and your line manager and clinical supervisor will be based within BHFT.
Working for our organisation
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated ‘outstanding’ by the CQC, we’re committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire.
We value diversity and are proud to be a Stonewall Top 100 Employer. We work hard to create an inclusive environment where you’ll be supported by friendly and professional colleagues to flourish.
Our values at Berkshire Healthcare:
- Caring for and about you is our top priority
- Committed to providing good quality, safe services
- Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions
We welcome people who share these values to come and work for us.
Benefits of working for us include:
- Flexible working options to support work-life balance
- 27 days’ annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
- Generous NHS pension scheme
- Excellent learning and career development opportunities
- ‘Cycle to Work’ and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
- Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
- Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
- Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
- Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
- Free parking across Trust sites
If you share our values and would like to come and work for us, please submit your application as soon as possible as we'll occasionally close roles early that have a high number of applications.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The “must haves” for you to be considered for this role:
-
A core qualification (Mental Health Nurse, Social Worker, or Occupational Therapist) with current registration.
-
At least 2 years’ experience in statutory Mental Health Services in the community,
-
At least 1 years’ experience at Band 6 level (or equivalent).
For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification. We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted. For further application tips – see the help with your application document attached once you click apply.
If you’re someone who shares our passion for excellence and care, you belong at Berkshire Healthcare!
We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants where required.
Person specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Current professional registration: Registered Mental Health Nurse, Social Worker, Occupational Therapist or equivalent
- Evidence of relevant post registration training and development in particular motivational interviewing, brief solution focussed interventions, cognitive and behavioural approaches and psychosocial intervention
Experience
Essential criteria
- Minimum 5 years post registration experience in working with people with mental health needs.
- Community experience in mental health services for adults and older age adults with severe / significant mental illness
- Experience of providing a range of evidence based interventions to people with a variety of mental health problems and serious mental illness
- Considerable experience in the assessment and management of clinical risk. Experience in physical health assessment for people with mental health needs.
- Experience of effective collaborative working in partnership to deliver holistic health and social care outcomes.
Skills/Abilities
Essential criteria
- Able to demonstrate commitment to high quality care and service provision
- Advanced understanding of the mental health needs of adults.
- Recognise peoples’ right to privacy and dignity, treating every person with respect
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Daniel Payne
- Job title
- Senior Community Services Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01753690950
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