Primary Care Mental Health Practitioner (ARRS Scheme) | Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

ARRS’ stands for ‘Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme’, which in practice means that Primary Care Networks (small groups of GP surgeries) can combine resources with the NHS Trust to fund specialist positions like this.

Day-to-Day this means that the successful applicant will be employed by the Trust (BHFT), but based within GP surgeries, seeing primary care patients and working on primary care systems, but with a specific mental health focus.

That being so, patients coming into primary care with mental health difficulties – rather than having a 10-minute appointment with a GP – will have a 15-30 minute appointment with a senior Mental Health Practitioner (Nurse, Social Worker or Occupational Therapist).

Being employed by the Trust and very much plugged into the wider Mental Health service structure, the idea is that patients can quickly and seamlessly step-up to specialist secondary mental health services when needed, and also step back down to primary care.

Although the successful applicant won’t be doing 40 appointments per day like a GP does, these are still very busy roles in fast-paced environments. Most ARRS Mental Health practitioners see 14 patients on a normal day. Equally, there is no caseload, nor CPAs, nor funding applications for packages of care, nor management responsibilities – so the ancillary tasks that come with secondary care roles are certainly less.

As above, day-to-day the successful applicant will be physically based within GP surgeries. Each Primary Care Network (PCN) has about 4 GP surgeries, and ARRS workers usually spend a day in all the surgeries on rotation.

Your clinics, like GPs’ clinics, are populated by Surgery receptionists. Appointments are split between initial appointments (generally 30 mins) and follow-ups (15 mins). Key tasks involve mental state examinations, liaising with secondary services and Talking Therapies, making onward referrals.

If you’re a Non-Medical Prescriber and/or have an ‘Advanced History Taking’ qualification, that would be ideal (but is not necessary). Respectively these would enable you to initiate first-line pharmacological treatments for Anxiety and Depression (the most common presentations in primary care; and ascribe formal diagnoses.

Most applicants don’t have these qualifications, which is absolutely fine, but it means a little bit more GP contact/oversight is required when it comes to initiating and monitoring treatments in Primary Care.

You’ll have access to all the same training and CPD materials and opportunities as any other clinician involved in the trust, and your line manager and clinical supervisor will be based within BHFT.

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated ‘outstanding’ by the CQC, we’re committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire.

We value diversity and are proud to be a Stonewall Top 100 Employer. We work hard to create an inclusive environment where you’ll be supported by friendly and professional colleagues to flourish.

• Caring for and about you is our top priority
• Committed to providing good quality, safe services
• Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

We welcome people who share these values to come and work for us.

• Flexible working options to support work-life balance
• 27 days’ annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
• Generous NHS pension scheme
• Excellent learning and career development opportunities
• ‘Cycle to Work’ and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
• Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
• Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
• Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
• Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
• Free parking across Trust sites

If you share our values and would like to come and work for us, please submit your application as soon as possible as we'll occasionally close roles early that have a high number of applications.

1. A core qualification (Mental Health Nurse, Social Worker, or Occupational Therapist) with current registration and minimum five years’ experience post qualifying.
2. At least 2 years’ experience in statutory Mental Health Services in the community,
3. At least 2 years’ experience at Band 6 level (or equivalent).

If you really enjoy patient contact and fast-paced work, this would suit you down to the ground, but obviously with that comes less flexibility around things like home-working, working hours, managing your own diary etc.

For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.

Please note the PayScale currently in use is Agenda for Change 2023/2024. We will update the 2024/2025 PayScale once confirmed.

Interviews are due to be held on 22 October 2024.

We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.

Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.

We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to call: Polite Tshuma on 07890610570 or email: Polite.Tshuma@berkshire.nhs.uk who’ll be delighted to help.

Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.

This advert closes on Sunday 6 Oct 2024