Welcome from our Chief Executive

Our organisation is expanding and we're looking for people with the right values, skills and/or potential to join us. We need people with energy, expertise, enthusiasm to help us provide the very best possible specialist NHS mental health and learning disability care. This involves helping us achieve our strategy to improve the quality of life for the communities we serve through People, Prevention and Partnerships.

So what can we offer you in return?

We're an organisation which puts people first. We'll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. We'll help you learn, acquire new skills and gain further experience to support your career development. And we'll provide the opportunity for you to bring your fresh ideas to work about how we can do things differently and continue improving.

You will also be joining a health and care system committed to working together to do the best we can for the communities we serve. Above all, at Sussex Partnership you'll have the chance to make a difference to the lives of the patients, carers and families across our communities.

If you like the sound of that, then come and join our team.

Job overview

The Bognor Assessment and Treatment Service (ATS) is a community mental health team supporting people living with severe and enduring mental illness. Mental Health Liaison Practitioners (MHLP) are part of Assessment and Treatment Service and work as liaison between the ATS and GP Surgeries. The post holder will work within GP surgeries and will be the liaison and link between primary care and secondary care services.

We are looking for 2 experienced Band 6 Mental Health Practitioner (Nurse, Occupational Therapist, Social Worker or Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner) to work within GP Surgeries to provide 6- 8 sessions of CBT informed or psycho educational intervention to people with mild to moderate mental health problems. The successful applicant will also be responsible for completing initial assessments and liaising with GP's, Increased Assessed to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services, local agencies and signposting to third sector and Pathfinder services.

To protect the health and safety of our staff/workers, patients, and those attending our sites, we encourage our workforce to get fully vaccinated against COVID.

Main duties of the job

Working as an MHLP includes:

• Working autonomously to a defined caseload of clients diagnosed with mild to moderate mental health problems. This will include offering specific interventions such as psycho-education, CBT informed sessions and short term recovery focused interventions
• You will complete initial assessments and work closely with our referrals coordinators, GP's and other agencies.
• Your interventions will be a pre-defined offer of 6-8 sessions.
• You are welcome to co-facilitate groups if you have an interest in this area.

Working for our organisation

What you will receive from us:

• We are a friendly and supportive team that meets regularly to ensure you feel safe and supported.
• We offer several MDT meetings per week to ensure support is available for complex case discussions.
• You will receive regular managerial supervision and be offered the opportunity to supervise junior staff.
• You will also have access to regular clinical supervision and support from our Community Leads
• We actively encourage people to think about their development and career goals, and will support you to complete further training.

This post offers the Trust's £2000 Golden Hello for band 5 or 6 Nurses, or a relocation package up to a maximum of £2000 (subject to terms and conditions).

We encourage flexible working. We know that a positive work/ life balance brings about huge health-related benefits, which has a positive impact on the care we provide. Please speak to us about flexible working, for example, home-working, part time hours, flexible start/ finish times or anything else. If it works for you and works for the role, we'll do our best to make it happen.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To work as part of the secondary care mental health service, acting as a link clinician to primary care teams. Clinical work will be carried out within primary care settings.

To work with GPs and primary care teams, specifically colleagues in IAPT (Time to talk), providing support, advice, consultation and shared care for adults, regardless of age and diagnosis, presenting with a functional mental illness, to enable safe management of clients within primary care.

To work in partnership with GPs and other primary care colleagues around individual patients and to work jointly with them to develop care plans for the client.

To assess individuals with complex presentations, prior to referral to secondary care and if required, directing them into the appropriate specialist service within secondary care ensuring they are not passed
between services.

To maintain a close working relationship with local secondary care teams, keeping them informed of developments within primary care.

To build up professional relationships within Primary Care to allow effective development of care pathways within localities.

To work closely with secondary care colleagues, using their expertise where necessary, to ensure an appropriate response, particularly, but not exclusively from medical colleagues.

To ensure and keep updated a comprehensive knowledge of local resources and services available and how to access these and provide this information to practices and specialist teams as requested.

To provide comprehensive and accurate information on the role of the Primary Care Mental Health Liaison Practitioner, local resources and services to GPs, primary care teams, secondary care teams,
service users and third sector agencies.

To work to early intervention principles and provide assessments for service users with more complex presentations identified in consultation with GPs.

To organise, provide and coordinate formal and informal training to GPs and primary care teams on topics relating to mental health as agreed with GPs and PBCs, in order to further enhance the skills of the staff in the diagnosis and management of mental health disorders.

Person specification

ESSENTIAL
Essential criteria

• Registered Mental Health qualification or equivalent
• Up to date Registration
• Post Basic Courses / relevant Study Days
• Evidence of CPD

Experience
Essential criteria

• post-qualifying experience of clinical work with people with a range of mental health problems
• Experience of partnership working within and across various different statutory and non- statutory teams and agencies
• Experience of successfully managing a caseload and prioritising clinical work
• Experience of providing a range of clinical interventions to people with a variety of mental health problems.
• Experience of working consultatively with professionals
• Experienced in conducting clinical assessments, including risk assessments.

Sussex Partnership NHS FT is committed to supporting a diverse workforce that reflects our communities. Our workforce is currently under-represented from Black and Minority, Ethnic and disabled communities and we would welcome applications from these communities.

We regret that we are unable to advise candidates if they have not been shortlisted. If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date please assume that you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

In the event of an excessive number of applicants the Trust reserves the right to close this vacancy earlier than indicated.

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust takes its responsibilities for the safeguarding and protection of children and young people and vulnerable adults very seriously and expects this of all its employees and bank workers. The Trust works with adult and children's social care to ensure that the integrated service has systems in place to equip staff and bank workers with the knowledge and skills to recognize abuse, and take action to safeguard and protect vulnerable adults and children and young people. It is expected that all staff and bank workers familiarise themselves with the appropriate structures and policies and with the Sussex child protection and safeguarding procedures and the Sussex multi-agency policy and procedures for safeguarding vulnerable adults and undertake the relevant essential training and further training appropriate to their role.

Successful candidates are normally offered salaries at the bottom of the relevant salary range. However, where previous or equivalent NHS experience in a similar role can be demonstrated and evidenced, this may be taken into consideration when setting the starting salary.