Community Connector – Mental Health Professional, East

Service

General Practice Integrated Mental Health Service (GPIMHS) and Mental Health Integrated Community Services (MHICS)

Community Connector – Mental Health Professional

Service Manager

East Guildford

Full time – 35 hours

Catalyst is a non‑profit organisation working with people who are dealing with issues associated with their mental health and wellbeing, and/or drug and alcohol use. We believe in peoples’ ability to change and are proud of our non‑judgmental ethos.

NHS England recently announced a new transformation fund to be allocated to pilot sites within 12 Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships/ Integrated Care Systems across the country to test new and integrated models of primary and community mental health care. Surrey Heartlands Health and Care Partnership is one of these successful pilot sites.

Extended appointments with mental health experts from the NHS, social care and specialist third sector organisations, plus access to therapies, physical health checks and pharmacists, are just some of the wider expertise patients will be able to access in their local GP practice and in the community under new ways of working.

Patients will be able to explore the situation affecting their wellbeing – whether that is an ongoing mental or physical health problem, loneliness, debt, or other issues. They can then be guided to appropriate resources that may help, including talking therapies, benefits advice, or an introduction to a local community group.

The role of the Community Connector is fundamental to the development of these innovative new teams and mental health services based within networks of GP Practices (Primary Care Networks – PCNs). The role will support the ongoing development and mobilisation of integrated primary care mental health services.

Providing a primary care mental health service within this context refers to:

• First level of intervention
• Ease of access
• A multidisciplinary approach working with a range of professionals across PCN’s inclusive of GP’s, Practice nurses, Mental Health Practitioners, Pharmacists and Clinical Psychologists
• Coordinating and supporting patients to access a wide range of community services and resources including social care, housing, family, debt and employment counselling that support maintaining good health and wellbeing

Overall, the primary care mental health service will:

• Be the first port of call for GPs in seeking support for managing their patients with mental health presentations
• Provide and promote early triage, assessment and formulation of need and care plans, to inform treatment and/or onward bridging to community resources
• Support and improve access to evidence based interventions for people with serious mental illness
• Help people to focus on achievable goals and access local community resources
• Provide brief therapeutic interventions
• Support completion and delivery of actions identified in physical health checks for people with serious mental illness

This post is subject to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check at an enhanced level. Please note past drug and/or alcohol or criminality history will not necessarily discount you from undertaking this role.

• Work jointly with the Mental Health Practitioner in conducting assessments, including risk assessment, and to work with patients to support them in identifying their socially determined needs and goals, provide self‑management tools and facilitate the development of personal support plans.
• Provide a range of motivational and structured psycho‑social interventions.
• Promote independence through an enabling asset based approach that draws on individuals’ strengths, preferences and ‘natural’ support networks.
• Establi…