Mental Health Practitioner

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key responsibilities

Clinical assessment and intervention

• Carry out holistic bio psychosocial assessments of adults referred with common mental health problems, for example anxiety, depression and work-related stress by telephone, video or face to face.

• Complete a structured risk assessment at every contact. Escalate urgent risk the same day through the crisis, safeguarding and GP pathways, and record the decision and rationale.

• Agree a time limited, work focused plan with each patient, typically an assessment and up to three follow up contacts. Draw on evidence based approaches such as motivational interviewing, behavioural activation, problem solving, guided self help and graded return to work.

• Use validated outcome measures at agreed points PHQ 9, GAD 7 and the Work and Social Adjustment Scale to track progress and inform decisions.

• Refer or signpost to NHS Talking Therapies including employment advisers, community mental health teams, Access to Work, the Enable Social Prescriber and voluntary sector services, and follow up that the referral was received.

• Provide clear, concise feedback to the referring clinician and the patient's GP, including any recommendations on medication for the prescriber to consider. The post holder will undertake comprehensive mental health assessments and make referrals through agreed pathways.

• The post holder is not expected to independently request diagnostic investigations unless specifically authorised through professional registration, local policy and competency assessment.

• Where clinical investigations are indicated, recommendations will be communicated to the patient's GP or an appropriately authorised clinician for consideration.

• The post holder will work within the limits of their professional competence and seek advice from the Enable Clinical Lead where required.

Work and health

• Complete workability assessments and workability plans for patients whose main barrier to work is their mental health, within the standard appointment time potentially 50 minutes

• Identify workplace factors that affect mental health, using recognised frameworks such as the HSE Management Standards, and recommend practical adjustments, phased return, amended hours or duties, workplace adaptations.

• With the patient's explicit agreement only, communicate with employers to support adjustments and a sustainable return to work.

• Where your registration permits and once signed off as competent by the Clinical Lead, assess fitness for work and issue fit notes in line with DWP guidance. Registered Mental Health Nurses and Occupational Therapists are legally able to certify fit notes.

• Meet the service turnaround standards for fit notes and workability plans, raising early any capacity pressures that put them at risk.

Multidisciplinary working and advice

• Act as the mental health lead within the Enable team, giving same-day advice to Occupational Health Nurses, the ANP and other colleagues on mental health presentations and risk.

• Take part in multidisciplinary case discussions and present complex cases.

• Develop and deliver short training sessions for the team on mental health, risk, and work focused conversations.

• Build working relationships with local mental health services, NHS Talking Therapies, the participating practices and voluntary sector partners so that referral routes in and out of Enable are clear.

Records, data and governance

• Keep accurate, contemporaneous clinical records in EMIS, using the agreed Enable templates and codes, and use AccuRx and Florey questionnaires as the service requires.

• Record the data items needed for the DWP evaluation fully and on time. Data accuracy is a condition of the pilot's funding.

• Check that each patient's consent and eligibility for the service and for DWP data sharing are in place before completing a workability plan, and follow the Enable privacy notice.

• Report incidents, near misses and safeguarding concerns through MBPCC processes, and take part in audit, case review and service evaluation.

Service development

• Help design and refine the Enable mental health pathway, including triage criteria, referral thresholds and escalation routes, as the pilot moves from the first two practices to all practices in both PCNs.

• Feed patient experience and clinical learning into pilot meetings and DWP reporting.

• Contribute to written protocols, patient information and the final pilot evaluation.

Professional development

• Maintain professional registration and meet NMC or HCPC standards and revalidation requirements.

• Attend monthly clinical supervision and annual appraisal, and use reflective practice to improve your work.

• Complete MBPCC mandatory training and the DWP fit note training for healthcare professionals.

Working relationships

Internal

• Enable Clinical Lead

• Enable Operational Lead

• Enable team including: Advanced Nurse Practitioner and Occupational Health Nurses

• Enable administrative team

External

• Patients, and their families and carers with the patient's agreement

• GPs and staff at participating practices in Barrow and Mid Furness PCNs

• NHS Talking Therapies, including employment advisers

• Community mental health teams and crisis services

• Employers, with the patient's explicit agreement

• Department for Work and Pensions and the pilot evaluators

• Voluntary sector, Access to Work and local support services

General responsibilities

• Safeguarding - Follow MBPCC and local multi agency safeguarding procedures for adults and children, and complete safeguarding training at the level required for the role.

• Information governance - Handle all personal and patient information in line with UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, the Caldicott Principles and MBPCC policy. Share data with the DWP only as set out in the Enable privacy notice and data sharing agreement.

• Health and safety - Take reasonable care of your own health and safety and that of others, follow the MBPCC lone working policy, and report hazards and incidents promptly.

• Infection prevention and control - Follow infection prevention and control policies when seeing patients face to face.

• Equality, diversity and inclusion - Treat patients and colleagues with dignity and respect, challenge discrimination, and make reasonable adjustments so that the service is accessible to everyone.

• Professional conduct - Work within the NMC Code or HCPC Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics, and within the limits of your own competence.

• Flexibility - This job description reflects the role at the start of the pilot. Duties may change as the service develops, in discussion with the post holder.

Job responsibilities

Key responsibilities

Clinical assessment and intervention

• Carry out holistic bio psychosocial assessments of adults referred with common mental health problems, for example anxiety, depression and work-related stress by telephone, video or face to face.

• Complete a structured risk assessment at every contact. Escalate urgent risk the same day through the crisis, safeguarding and GP pathways, and record the decision and rationale.

• Agree a time limited, work focused plan with each patient, typically an assessment and up to three follow up contacts. Draw on evidence based approaches such as motivational interviewing, behavioural activation, problem solving, guided self help and graded return to work.

• Use validated outcome measures at agreed points PHQ 9, GAD 7 and the Work and Social Adjustment Scale to track progress and inform decisions.

• Refer or signpost to NHS Talking Therapies including employment advisers, community mental health teams, Access to Work, the Enable Social Prescriber and voluntary sector services, and follow up that the referral was received.

• Provide clear, concise feedback to the referring clinician and the patient's GP, including any recommendations on medication for the prescriber to consider. The post holder will undertake comprehensive mental health assessments and make referrals through agreed pathways.

• The post holder is not expected to independently request diagnostic investigations unless specifically authorised through professional registration, local policy and competency assessment.

• Where clinical investigations are indicated, recommendations will be communicated to the patient's GP or an appropriately authorised clinician for consideration.

• The post holder will work within the limits of their professional competence and seek advice from the Enable Clinical Lead where required.

Work and health

• Complete workability assessments and workability plans for patients whose main barrier to work is their mental health, within the standard appointment time potentially 50 minutes

• Identify workplace factors that affect mental health, using recognised frameworks such as the HSE Management Standards, and recommend practical adjustments, phased return, amended hours or duties, workplace adaptations.

• With the patient's explicit agreement only, communicate with employers to support adjustments and a sustainable return to work.

• Where your registration permits and once signed off as competent by the Clinical Lead, assess fitness for work and issue fit notes in line with DWP guidance. Registered Mental Health Nurses and Occupational Therapists are legally able to certify fit notes.

• Meet the service turnaround standards for fit notes and workability plans, raising early any capacity pressures that put them at risk.

Multidisciplinary working and advice

• Act as the mental health lead within the Enable team, giving same-day advice to Occupational Health Nurses, the ANP and other colleagues on mental health presentations and risk.

• Take part in multidisciplinary case discussions and present complex cases.

• Develop and deliver short training sessions for the team on mental health, risk, and work focused conversations.

• Build working relationships with local mental health services, NHS Talking Therapies, the participating practices and voluntary sector partners so that referral routes in and out of Enable are clear.

Records, data and governance

• Keep accurate, contemporaneous clinical records in EMIS, using the agreed Enable templates and codes, and use AccuRx and Florey questionnaires as the service requires.

• Record the data items needed for the DWP evaluation fully and on time. Data accuracy is a condition of the pilot's funding.

• Check that each patient's consent and eligibility for the service and for DWP data sharing are in place before completing a workability plan, and follow the Enable privacy notice.

• Report incidents, near misses and safeguarding concerns through MBPCC processes, and take part in audit, case review and service evaluation.

Service development

• Help design and refine the Enable mental health pathway, including triage criteria, referral thresholds and escalation routes, as the pilot moves from the first two practices to all practices in both PCNs.

• Feed patient experience and clinical learning into pilot meetings and DWP reporting.

• Contribute to written protocols, patient information and the final pilot evaluation.

Professional development

• Maintain professional registration and meet NMC or HCPC standards and revalidation requirements.

• Attend monthly clinical supervision and annual appraisal, and use reflective practice to improve your work.

• Complete MBPCC mandatory training and the DWP fit note training for healthcare professionals.

Working relationships

Internal

• Enable Clinical Lead

• Enable Operational Lead

• Enable team including: Advanced Nurse Practitioner and Occupational Health Nurses

• Enable administrative team

External

• Patients, and their families and carers with the patient's agreement

• GPs and staff at participating practices in Barrow and Mid Furness PCNs

• NHS Talking Therapies, including employment advisers

• Community mental health teams and crisis services

• Employers, with the patient's explicit agreement

• Department for Work and Pensions and the pilot evaluators

• Voluntary sector, Access to Work and local support services

General responsibilities

• Safeguarding - Follow MBPCC and local multi agency safeguarding procedures for adults and children, and complete safeguarding training at the level required for the role.

• Information governance - Handle all personal and patient information in line with UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, the Caldicott Principles and MBPCC policy. Share data with the DWP only as set out in the Enable privacy notice and data sharing agreement.

• Health and safety - Take reasonable care of your own health and safety and that of others, follow the MBPCC lone working policy, and report hazards and incidents promptly.

• Infection prevention and control - Follow infection prevention and control policies when seeing patients face to face.

• Equality, diversity and inclusion - Treat patients and colleagues with dignity and respect, challenge discrimination, and make reasonable adjustments so that the service is accessible to everyone.

• Professional conduct - Work within the NMC Code or HCPC Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics, and within the limits of your own competence.

• Flexibility - This job description reflects the role at the start of the pilot. Duties may change as the service develops, in discussion with the post holder.