Primary Care Mental Health Triage Practitioner

at  Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

A vacancy has arisen within the South Westminster Community Mental Health Hub for a Band 6 Primary Care Mental Health Practitioner. Based in Victoria, we are a small and friendly team with a reputation for providing excellent care for our service users, professional growth and strong collaborative partnerships with our primary care and third sector colleagues.
Our Hub comprises the Victoria and West End Primary Care Networks, which work as distinct MDTs with the Triage Team functioning semi-autonomously as a central point for new referrals. The role is to screen referrals, undertake specialist assessments and facilitate service provision for people referred to the team. This may be within primary or secondary care or with an alternative provider within the third sector or a combination of both. Some referrals will require brief follow up by the triage worker whilst care is being arranged.
Although this post affords elements of hybrid working it is essentially a front-line post which involves face-to-face work with service users and their carers. The post holder will be responsible for making sound and autonomous decisions based on a thorough, holistic assessment of the person’s mental health needs and level of complexity.
We offer excellent training opportunities to all staff, including Open Dialogue training which is encouraged for all staff.
Our Hub operates Monday to Friday from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm however there are opportunities for flexible working.
This role involves assessment of patients presenting with mental health difficulties, a formulation of their needs and creative care planning to meet them working within a bio-psycho-social model. The role also requires liaison with agencies involved in their care, including GPs, Talking Therapies and other local organisations.
The post holder will be based at the South Hub Westminster office of the service and will work as part of a multidisciplinary team providing assessment and treatment to adult patients.
The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.
As part of a national move to primary care networks, community services in Westminster have been transformed to mental health ‘Hubs’. Set in inner London (North Westminster) the Hub is a health and social care-integrated community mental health team.
The working environment is very supportive, with an established team culture of shared responsibility for caseload management, appreciation of and respect for the core skills and contribution of all disciplines.
The Hub provides integrated care to adults presenting with a broad range of mental health issues, drawn from a culturally and socio-economically diverse population.
The model of care is designed on a concept of movement and journey through services, promoting fluidity between primary care and secondary care and with local third sector and voluntary organisations that will support people in their journey to Recovery.
To receive referrals from GPs and undertake comprehensive psycho-social mental health assessments to establish care needs.
To act as a contact point and provide a link/liaison role to GP practices with regard to patients with more complex mental health problems and/or co-morbidities
To screen non urgent GP Adult mental health referrals, identifying patients who are suitable for management in primary care according to agreed thresholds and with any adjustments to reflect MH resource available at individual practices
To facilitate onward referral and rapid access to mental health services and other agencies in line with agreed thresholds and shared protocols and criteria, and/or to provide support/advise referring GP on effective management
To ensure early detection and fast tracking of clients with severe mental health problems.
To provide appropriate short-term interventions for clients with more complex and severe, enduring mental illnesses (SMI).
To support the safe discharge case management of patients discharged from secondary care, with a focus on enabling GP practices to provide effective, continuing care and to ensure access to support in terms wider social and social inclusion/self-management needs.
To refer-on patients assessed as having common mental health problems to the primary care psychological therapy pathway or to external resources
To regularly meet with GPs and practice nurses in aligned practices with the Primary Care Network.
To facilitate, where necessary, the onward transfer of suitable clients from secondary care to primary care.
To develop and maintain a high standard of mental health professional care using a liaison model of nursing with a problem solving and evaluation approach.
To utilise a range of therapeutic techniques.
To understand the social factors which are relevant to mental health problems and to be aware of and respectful of the cultures, customs, values and spiritual/religious practices and beliefs of all clients, particularly those from minority ethnic communities.
To receive regular appropriate supervision, as agreed with the Mental Health Hub Manager.
To support the work of the Hub depot clinic if required as part of a rota

Please refer the Job description for details