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Primary Care Mental Health Practitioner

The closing date is 06 August 2025

We are a developing service and our aim is to transform the way mental health support is delivered in North East Essex. We are a team that respect and value diversity, and innovation and have the passion to constantly evolve our practice, always striving for better.Our ambition is to deliver a first class offering to people in their communities and we want you to be a part of that ongoing vision. This will include working closely with the North East Essex Health and Wellbeing Alliance. The Alliance brings together local authorities in North East Essex (Colchester and Tendring) with other commissioners and providers of health and wellbeing services, such as the NHS, County Council Social Services, and the voluntary and community sector, working together to tackle not just ill-health, but the causes of ill-health by having joint goals of reducing inequalities and creating healthy, resilient communities for everyone. As part of Live Well we promote healthy living in communities and families across Colchester and Tendring to improve physical and mental well being

Main duties of the job

To improve the lives of people with mental ill health by minimising the impact of their condition through the delivery of excellent services to promote recovery and wellbeing? To be compassionate in meeting the needs of patients and their cares

To work closely with Primary Care and Community health care colleagues within the locality regarding the mental health needs of their adult practice population? To be professionally accountable and responsible for patient care.? To promote social inclusion, community access and participation through the provision of patient care? To provide timely and time effective triage calls to patients and identifying patient's holistic needs. Including liaising with other services.? To provide follow-up support for the Mental Health Practitioners and General Practitioners within your PCN and? To promote at all times a positive image of people with mental ill health

About us

EPUT are looking for motivated staff who shares our Trust values of Care, Learn and Empower. In return, EPUT can offer you a range of benefits and development including;

• Season Ticket Loans
• NHS discounts for staff
• Excellent Training facilities and opportunities
• Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
• The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
• Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
• Day One Flexible Employer

The Trust supports and actively encourages flexible working for all employees. We offer many options and you are encouraged to ask the recruiting manager what is possible for this role. If appointed, you will have the opportunity to apply for a flexible working request from the first day of your employment

Join our Staff bank

What is Staff Bank?

Our EPUT NHS staff bank is an entity managed by the trust that hires clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals to take on shifts at our trust hospitals and community settings. Here at EPUT we maintain our own bank of specialist staff to ensure that we are able offer safe and effective care at all times.

All our permanent staff are automatically enrolled onto the staff bank however this does not mean you have to work any additional shifts, but the option is there for you if you wish.

If you are joining our Trust in a fixed term role, please indicate on your New Starter Paperwork that you wish to join our staff bank.

Job responsibilities

Promote and maintain safety, privacy and dignity of all patients in the delivery of patient centred care, recognizing and respecting differences including spiritual and cultural beliefs Act, wherever applicable, in accordance with the Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act and associated policies and procedures Responsible for recognising the potential for or signs of patient self-harm, abuse or neglect, including poor clinical practice reporting all such concerns and taking all reasonable steps to protect the patient. Responsible for identifying and reporting concerns regarding the safeguarding of children who may be at risk Responsible for ensuring the highest professional standards and attitudes towards the care of patients are maintained and that care is delivered in accordance with evidence based practice at all times. Patients have a range of mental health conditions of mild to moderate severity (including issues relating to child abuse), they may have difficult family situations and may demonstrate behaviours that challenge at initial assessment, or as a result of unexpected changes during program of therapy Undertake a comprehensive triage of referred patients, including those with complex needs and use clinical judgement and analysis to sign post to appropriate services, or to retain within the primary care mental health service for time-limited intervention Support patients and their families / carers in the community, providing advice and liaising with other support services to co-ordinate individual support packages Develop, implement and evaluate intervention / care plans as part of the multi-disciplinary team, statutory and non-statutory agencies and with the involvement of the patient and where appropriate, their carer or family Ensure that intervention / care plans are based on current risk assessment evidence based practice, critical thinking and whole system support requirements that take account of relevant physical, social, cultural, psychological, spiritual, generic and environmental factors Undertake risk assessments in accordance with Clinical Risk assessment and Management policy, devising and implementing actions and intervention plans which take the risk formulation into account Where applicable, monitor patients mental health medication, identifying concordance/non-concordance, effectiveness and side effects, liaising with the prescriber as necessary Provide health education and advice on health promotion to patients and their carers Responsible for decision making and coordination in a crisis situation, where necessary seeking advice and guidance from other relevant professionals Demonstrate safe breakaway techniques in the management of violence and aggression as required

Person Specification

Knowledge

• Detailed understanding and knowledge of Mental Health practice and procedure policy.
• Evidence of, and ability to contribute to the development of services as part of a wider team.

Knowledge

• Demonstrate practical experience of staff/student Supervision
• Experience of working with other agencies.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust