Detailed Job Description and Main Responsibilities

The post will involve the responsibilities laid down under the following key headings:

Clinical

• 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 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 Triage Team Manager.
• To support the work of the depot clinic if required as part of a rota.
• To undertake risk assessments, according to Trust policy.

Communication and Liaison

• To act as a mental health resource to the respective GP practices by offering advice and support for the management and care of clients with mental health difficulties.
• To provide overall liaison between primary and secondary care for clients known to mental health services. This may involve liaising with key mental health professionals in Harrow and other mental health services well as with social services and other agencies.
• To participate in Mental Health Triage professional team meetings.
• Recommend and facilitate admission for clients when it is clinically indicated.
• Identify any conditions, which may affect the mental, emotional or physical well-being of clients or family and refer to appropriate agencies.
• Establish and maintain working relationships with individuals and agencies working in the field of mental health.
• Provide written reports about clients to referrers and other relevant agencies.

Person Specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Current Professional Qualification in Mental Health Nursing.
• Registration must be live with UK NMC professional body.
• Evidence of post registration training and CPD.

Desirable criteria

• Training in Psychosocial Interventions or Thorn Family Therapy/Work training
• Other relevant training, e.g. psychosocial interventions

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience of working in multidisciplinary mental health team with clients with acute/severe and enduring mental health problems
• Extensive post-registration experience

Desirable criteria

• Work with clients with acute/severe and enduring mental health problems who are homeless/rootless
• Work with people experiencing mental health crisis
• Supervision of students and junior staff.
• Audit and research
• Working with people who use substances
• Teaching

Skills

Essential criteria

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including report writing and presentations / IT skills.
• Ability to assess, plan, implement and evaluate a comprehensive care package for the identified client group, using a wide range of resources.
• Able to develop a comprehensive programme of intervention and support for the identified client group and their families

Desirable criteria

• Skills in leadership: ability to motivate others, use initiative and manage change.
• Basic counselling and group work skills.

Other

Essential criteria

• IT and Digital Competence- confidence in using electronic patient records, remote triage tools, and digital communication platforms.

Desirable criteria

• Training in staff wellbeing