Job description

Job responsibilities

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

To deliver community mental health support, symptom management, triage and care navigation to clients through Primary Care Networks in Leeds.

We are part of a primary care mental health service (Leeds Mental Wellbeing Service), commissioned by Leeds CCG. This exciting partnership delivers an integrated service offering mental health support for people with common mental health problems. Together, we help thousands of people in Leeds to increase their resilience and live their best lives within their community.

This role is an exciting opportunity for mental health/wellbeing practitioner to work within primary care (GP surgeries and community health centres) to provide symptom management, triage and care navigation to patients referred by their GPs.

Predominantly working as part of an integrated team, the post-holder will provide telephone triage and face-to-face assessment and decision-making support to ensure that patients with common mental health needs gain access to the most appropriate pathway and intervention.

ROLE DESCRIPTION

Referrals, Triage and Assessment

1. Accept referrals of patients with chronic and/or mild to moderate common mental health problems (predominantly anxiety, depression, and OCD) via agreed protocols within the GP Practice.

2. Use SystmOne/EMIS/ Care Director patient management system (after training) and any paper-based systems as appropriate to record referrals, assessments and outcomes.

3. Identify, assess and manage cases where complexity and/or severity are present, including triaging referrals and signposting to appropriate mental health and crisis

4. Use therapeutic skills where appropriate to help patients to contain and manage acute emotional distress, where it does not pose a risk.

5. Develop an understanding of the particular issues presented, including any complicating social factors (physical health, employment, housing, substance misuse etc), the patients sense of what support would be helpful and realistic, and the patients readiness to engage with connecting services.

Caseload Management and Interventions

6. Work with a caseload of individuals with chronic mental health needs, (offering between 25 and 30 appointments per week at 30-50 minutes per appointment) and reach agreed activity levels set within the service and ensure treatment delivery remains accessible and convenient.

7. Use a range of techniques and interventions to support patients with mental health needs to self-manage their symptoms, and encourage behavioural and lifestyle change, while working within boundaries of professional training and competence.

8. Respond to unpredictable situations of risk and manage these in a safe, professional and holistic manner, utilising appropriate risk assessment, relapse prevention interventions and risk management plans.

9. Facilitate patients to use/develop their own resources and support networks (family/friends); provide extra support for patients to manage symptoms through behavioural and lifestyle changes, and by accessing a wide range of existing psycho-educational, peer-support and wellbeing groups within Leeds, to self-initiate positive behaviours and to gain problem-solving skills.

10. Build knowledge of relevant local community networks and support individuals to access these where appropriate (including but not limited to IAPT, Secondary Care Mental Health services, Social Prescribing service and local Voluntary Sector mental health provision).

11. Help patients to develop skills and build confidence in their ability to regulate their emotional state and make appropriate choices that promote mental wellbeing; encourage patients to self-initiate positive behaviours and to gain problem-solving skills.

12. Attend multi-disciplinary meetings relating to referrals or clients in treatment, where appropriate.

13. Work closely with the GP practice and other members of the team ensuring appropriate communication, including discharge notes, and be available to support practice staff with queries about referrals and suitability, offering consultation, advice and decision support to primary care colleagues.

Professional Practice

14. Ensure the maintenance of standards of practice according to the employer and any regulating, professional and accrediting bodies (e.g. BACP, UKCP, BPS), and keep up to date on new recommendations/guidelines set by the Department of Health (e.g. NHS plan, National Service Framework, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence).

15. Keep up to date all records in relation to CPD and ensure your personal development plan maintains up-to-date specialist knowledge of latest theoretical and service delivery models/developments.

GENERAL

1. To provide information and advice about Touchstones services to managers, teams, and other people/agencies with an interest in the organisation's work.

2. To undertake out of hours work as required by the service.

3. To be inducted, supervised, performance managed and appraised in line with the organisations performance management policies and procedures.

4. To be responsible for personal learning and development where appropriate and undertake training, both mandatory and optional, to increase knowledge, skills and awareness.

5. To be aware of and implement the general practices of Touchstones Health, Safety and Security policies and keep Managers informed about any serious and untoward incidents, safeguarding issues, health & safety concerns, financial issues, staff welfare.

6. To operate within the aims, policies and practices of Touchstone at all times and to be committed to and promote the organisations equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory policies.

7. To ensure information is dealt with in accordance with Touchstones policies around Confidentiality, Communications, Internet, Email and Telecommunications and steps are taken to ensure that confidential information is secure e.g. service user data.

8. To undertake any other duties as directed by the Manager, in line with the responsibilities of this post.

9. To contribute to the development of best practice within the service

10. Maintain up-to-date knowledge of legislation, national and local policies and procedures in relation to mental health and primary care services.

11. Work with managers and colleagues to identify manage and minimise risks within overarching risk management frameworks.

12. To be inducted, supervised, performance managed and appraised in line with the organisations performance management policies and procedures

Person Specification

Skills

Essential

• Excellent communication skills, verbal and written
• Ability to interact sensitively and effectively with clients
• High level of ICT skills, e.g. Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Publisher, PowerPoint). and video conferencing such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
• Excellent organisational skills to plan, prioritse and meet deadlines. Effectively work under pressure, work on own initiative without direct supervision.
• Effective case management and record keeping skills
• Can demonstrate sound clinical skills and ability to make clinical decisions, in line with professional standards, NICE guidelines and service protocols
• Commitment to the principles of coproduction and supporting others to deliver according to these principles, to empower clients to become actively involved in their own wellbeing
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including communicating clearly and concisely at all levels (both orally and in writing).
• Ability to manage safeguarding issues safely and appropriately
• Able to build and maintain relationships with others, both internal and external to the organisation, whilst maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.
• At least two years experience of working in a mental health setting with clients presenting with multiple and complex issues
• Experience of undertaking specialist mental health and risk assessments and formulation
• Experience of delivering appropriate therapeutic, risk management and relapse prevention interventions in a time-limited manner
• Experience of managing own caseload and time to meet service targets

Attitudes and Behaviour

Essential

• Commitment to Touchstones aims and values
• Solution-focused approach to work.
• Motivated and confident.
• Open to change and able to work flexibly in line with the needs of the service/organisation.
• Commitment to positive team leading and team working.
• Commitment to maintain confidentiality at Touchstone.
• Commitment to respecting diversity and anti-discriminatory/anti-oppressive practices.
• Commitment to personal responsibility, development, learning and reflective practice
• Willingness to be managed and supervised.
• Reliable and Resilient.
• Motivated and confident.

Qualifications

Essential

• A relevant qualification at NVQ Level 3 (e.g. NVQ Level 3 in Mental Health & Social Care) or equivalent (psychology graduate), and/or significant experience in mental health support work

Experience

Essential

• At least two years experience of working in a mental health setting with clients presenting with multiple and complex issues
• Experience of undertaking specialist mental health and risk assessments and formulation
• Experience of delivering appropriate therapeutic, risk management and relapse prevention interventions in a time-limited manner
• Experience of managing own caseload and time to meet service targets

Desirable

• Experience of working within a Third Sector organisation.
• Experience of working in a service with agreed targets for outputs and clinical outcomes
• Experience of SystemOne /EMIS or similar IT system for outcome and case- management recording

Equal Opportunities

Essential

• Must be able to recognise discrimination in its many forms and be willing to put into practice Touchstones Equality Policies.Must be sensitive to the needs of disadvantaged groups in the planning and delivery of services.
• A commitment to providing high quality services to the diverse communities.
• Must be able to communicate effectively with a broad range of diverse service users, management and staff, from both organisations and the community
• Evidence of a positive and proactive attitude, motivated and solution focused

Knowledge

Essential

• An understanding of anxiety and depression and how it may present in Primary Care services
• An understanding of the work of secondary care mental health services and complex mental health presentations
• An understanding of the relationship between employment/unemployment and mental health problems
• Working knowledge of medication used in anxiety and depression and other common mental health problems

Desirable

• An understanding of the principles underlying the Stepped Care model of mental health treatment
• Knowledge of existing services within the area

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Touchstone

Address

Touchstone I A P T

179 Haslewood Drive

Leeds

LS9 7RE