Band 6 Specialist Mental Health Practitioner

Job overview

This new role of Specialist Mental Health Practitioner for Primary Care is fundamental to the development and leadership of innovative new teams and integrated mental health services based within Primary Care.

The role promotes and provides early assessment, treatment and improved access to evidence-based interventions supporting people contacting primary care for help with their mental health needs.

The Specialist Mental Health Practitioner role will help people over 18 years old, who are accessing support through primary care, to define achievable goals and access local community resources and receive an assessment of their mental health and care needs.

Areas of focus will include:

• Those with mental health needs that do not meet the access criteria for IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies provided through Vita Health) and do not meet the access criteria for secondary care.
• People with serious or significant mental illness (SMI) who are not under secondary care mental health services and require this.
• Those diagnosed with, or presenting with traits of, personality disorder who will benefit from being signposted to services who can best meet their needs
• Older adults with complex presenting issues.
• First contact with primary care.
• Facilitate mental health and ‘strengths-based’ support conversations in Primary Care and support the Primary Care Team in accessing appropriate level of services
• Promote understanding and confidence in the delivery of mental health care and collaboration with all agencies involved in the care of service users.