Job Title: PCN Mental Health and Wellbeing Coach
Hours: Part Time - 22.5 hours, including occasional Saturday working
Number of Posts: 1
Salary: £28,000 – £35,000 pro rata depending on experience
Location: Perry Vale/ Sydenham
Reports to: Practice Manager, PCN Clinical Director
Overview
Aplos Health PCN was founded in 2019 and consists of four practices in the London Borough of Lewisham - Sydenham Green Group Practice, The Vale Medical Centre, Wells Park Practice and Woolstone Medical Centre. We provide care to a patient population of 50,000. We are very proud of our forward-thinking PCN and strive to develop innovative pathways and services for our patients.
Job Purpose
We are looking for experienced Mental Health Coaches or Practitioners who can provide strategic support to the mental health provision in the PCN and work with our various providers and stakeholder to ensure we have a cohesive systems and processes across the network.
The post-holder will support patients with low to medium level mental health needs. They will assess patients and provide brief psychological interventions or refer/signpost patients to the most appropriate service. You will need to be confident to work independently but also to escalate patients who are in significant psychological distress or who have safeguarding concerns.
The post holder will provide services with support from the practices and our MDT Team and work collaboratively with other colleagues across the health, social care and the third sector to provide patient-centred, integrated care. You will also work closely with our existing health and wellbeing coach and form a team. Depending on experience and scope of practice the post holder will also provide services to our adolescent clinic, supporting young people aged between 11-19yrs olds with low mental health needs.
Job Responsibilities
- Support patients with low or medium level mental health needs, in 1:1 or group sessions, in person or remotely.
- To provide brief personalised support to individuals, their families, and carers to ensure that they are active participants in their own healthcare and to empower them to take more control in managing their own health and well-being, to live independently and to improve their health outcomes through the following:
- Providing interventions such as self-management, education, and peer support
- To actively signpost patients to the correct healthcare professional.
- Supporting people to establish and attain goals set by the person based on what is important to them, building on goals that are important to the individual
- Working with the social prescribing service to connect them to community-based activities which support their health and well-being.
- To coach and motivate patients through multiple sessions to identify their needs set goals and support them to implement their personalised health and care plan.
- Develop links with local mental health services, social care and voluntary organisations to support patients’ health and well-being holistically.
- Attend practice clinical and/or multi-disciplinary team meetings and report to the monthly PCN meeting when requested to the monthly PCN meeting when requested
- To liaise with the practices and, where practicable, to standardise processes across the PCN.
- To receive referrals and directed patients from triage services and other clinicians.
- To maintain accurate clinical records of all patient consultations and related work.
- To promote health coaching and social prescribing amongst the PCN and networked practices and to support colleagues to improve their skills and understanding of personalised care.
- To support in the delivery of enhanced services and other service requirements on behalf of the PCN.
Miscellaneous
Support delivery of QOF, incentive schemes, QIPP and other quality or cost effectiveness initiatives
Assist with the gathering of statistics and information when required, as requested by Health Professionals and Practice & PCN Management
Any other delegated duties considered appropriate to the post
Safeguarding:
The post holder will be expected to undertake safeguarding training (Children and Adults) appropriate to their role and adhere to policies and procedures relevant to the area they work in.
Confidentiality:
In the performance of the duties outlined in this Job Description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, Practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the Practice and PCN as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential.
Health & Safety:
The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others’ health, safety and security as defined in the Practice Health & Safety Policy, to include:
- Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks
- Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills
- Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards
- Reporting potential risks identified
Equality and Diversity:
The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:
- Acting in a way that recognizes the importance of people’s rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with Practice & PCN procedures and policies, and current legislation
- Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues
- Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.
Personal/Professional Development:
The post-holder will participate in any training programe implemented by the Practice/PCN as part of this employment, such training to include:
Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development
Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.
You will be required to keep a record of the patients are seeing for audit purposes.
DBS Enhanced Security Checks
Employment is subject to DBS enhanced security checks to be completed and passed as part of our essential job requirement criteria. You will have the opportunity to inform us of any past or current convictions during the application and interview stages. Failure to notify us will classify your job application as inaccurate and may led to immediate termination of your contract.
This list of responsibilities is not exhaustive
Key competencies for the Post
The post holder will need to be able to demonstrate the following competencies as part of their daily work.
Essential
- Relevant qualification in health and social care
- Good communication skills and ability to build rapport with patients
- Self-motivated and an ability to work independently
- Good IT skills
- Clear, polite telephone manner
- Effective time management
- Demonstrate personal accountability, emotional resilience to work well under pressure and with patients with distress
- Experience in a Physical Activity / Sports Development/ Health area within the public, voluntary or private sector
- Experience of working with groups
- Positive attitude, self-motivated and able to motivate others
- Commitment to being highly responsive and accessible to general practices (A&I)
- Self-aware and diplomatic
- Credibility with clinicians and managers – able to gain respect, trust and co-operation quickly
- Flexibility to work outside of core office hours
- Evidence of continuing professional development
- Completed and passed DBS enhanced checks
Desirable
- Undergraduate psychology qualification or trained Health & Wellbeing Coach
- Counselling or psychotherapist qualification
- Good clinical system IT knowledge of EMIS
- Experience working in a primary care or community setting
- Evidence of a CPD portfolio
- Skilled in the use of a range of service improvement tools
- Experience with alcohol or drugs intervention
- Working in partnership with professionals from a range of backgrounds
- Broad knowledge of general practice
- An appreciation of the new NHS landscape including the relationships between individual practices, PCNs and the commissioners
- Smoking cessation training (or working towards completion)
- Experience in health and nutrition work with patients
- Access to own transport and ability to travel across the locality on a regular basis
Please note that this vacancy does not meet the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) eligibility requirements for a Skilled Worker visa. As a result, Aplos PCN is unable to provide visa sponsorship or issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for this role.
Pay: £28,000.00-£35,000.00 per year
Benefits:
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Lewisham, Greater London: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Experience:
- Mental Health Coach or similar: 1 year (preferred)
Work Location: In person
