Job description
Job Description
Job Title:
Mental Health Community Connector
Salary Range:
£22,000-£27,000 depending on experience
Reporting to:
Service Manager
About Us
Greater Peterborough Network is a fast growing and ambitious at scale NHS primary care provider. We work closely with our partner GP Practices to help support patients to access high quality healthcare and support in the community. We are a dynamic and responsive team who pride ourselves on our can-do attitude. We embrace and encourage flexible working and good work life balance. We are excited to be advertising this role as the successful candidate will be joining us a time of significant growth with several exciting projects lined up for 2023/24.
Job Summary
The Mental Health Community Connector will be part of a new team providing additional capacity to GP practices to support patients with a range of mental health needs across the geographical area of the North of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough. The successful candidate will join a team of up to twelve community connectors who will assess and support patients who are experiencing complex mental health issues and are not in secondary care to explore their needs, understand what matters to them and be assisted to access community-based services and support.
Job Purpose
The team of Community Connectors will work in partnership with GP practices across the North of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, attending MDT meetings, promoting the service to the broad range of roles in Primary Care. In addition to patient contact, you’ll liaise and communicate with patient advocates, community mental health teams, adult social care, local authority, and voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations involved in the wellbeing of your caseload and communities.
Overview of Role
- Motivate, coach, empower and encourage people to take positive action to improve their mental health and wellbeing, by connecting with others, attending groups, promoting self-care, volunteering, accessing advice and information and support services.
- Develop trusting relationships by giving people time and focus on ‘what matters to me’, working together to co-produce a personalised Care and Support Plan to improve health and wellbeing.
- Manage and prioritise your own caseload in accordance with the needs, priorities and any urgent support required by the referred individuals and have a strong awareness and understanding of when it is appropriate or necessary to refer people back to other health professionals/agencies, where their need is beyond the scope of the role.
- Work with individuals in a supportive, holistic way to address practical and psychological barriers, such as lack of transport, low confidence, and social isolation, introducing or reconnecting people to community groups and statutory services.
- Help to identify wider issues that impact on health and wellbeing, such as debt, poor housing, unemployment, loneliness, and caring responsibilities and help people to maintain or regain independence through living skills, adaptations, enablement approaches and safeguarding procedures.
- Where appropriate, introduce people to community groups, activities, and statutory services including the personal health budget.
- Be proactive and work in partnership with GP practices to build relationships and bring together professionals working with patients you are supporting to ensure a personalised care approach
- Work in conjunction with community mental health teams to reduce pressure on services, improve health outcomes and enable a holistic approach to care by clear referral pathways.
- Use judgement and experience in helping to determine the relevant urgency of or requests for information received from patients and other external organisations.
Knowledge, Skills, and Experience:
· Adhere to organisational policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safeguarding, lone working, information governance, and health and safety.
· You must be a good listener, have time for people and be committed to supporting local communities to care for each other.
· You should have experience of working positively with people facing social and emotional challenges.
· You should have great interpersonal skills and the ability to support people, community groups and local organisations.
· You will need to demonstrate a robust knowledge of confidentiality, data protection, safeguarding and boundaries in all aspects of your work.
Work as part of the team to seek feedback, continually improve the service and contribute to business planning.
Person Specification
Qualifications and Training
Desirable
Level 3 Health or Social Care qualification or working towards.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of supporting people with their mental health needs.
- Experience of working with adults and have an experience of supporting people’s wellbeing in a community setting.
- Experience of motivating, empowering, and supporting people to achieve their goals.
Skills, Ability and Knowledge
Essential
- Able to follow processes and systems, and with training develop action/support plans and outcome focused reviews.
- Excellent communication skills, able to negotiate, build relationships, advocate for people, and inspire others.
- Resilient and confident, able to work in a busy environment with colleagues under pressure and champion the service to health professionals.
- Ability to learn and implement systems, policies, and processes.
- Good IT skills and experience of using a database and accurately able to enter sensitive data.
- Driving licence and access to a car.
Desirable
Ability to speak a more than one language
Behaviours and Values
Essential
- You must be a good listener, have time for people and be committed to supporting local communities to care for each other.
- You should have experience of working positively with people facing social and emotional challenges.
- Recognises the limits of own authority within the role.
- Seeks and uses professional support appropriately.
- Outgoing, energetic, and positive about improving the wellbeing of others and their community.
- Highly motivated and resourceful.
- Adaptable, flexible with a can-do attitude.
- Able to maintain high standards of diplomacy and understands the principle of confidentiality.
- Accepts responsibility and accountability for own work and can define the responsibilities of others.
- Able to establish positive relationships and mutual respect with people at all levels.
- Ability to contribute effectively.
- Can demonstrate a flexible approach.
- Has realistic knowledge of personal strengths and areas for development.
The post-holder is required to travel independently across the county when required, to meet staff and attend meetings etc. a valid driving licence and own car is a must.
This post requires an Enhanced and satisfactory Disclosure and Barring check.
Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Permanent
Salary: £22,000.00-£27,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Employee discount
- On-site parking
Schedule:
- 8 hour shift
- Day shift
- Monday to Friday
Licence/Certification:
- Driving Licence (required)
Work Location: On the road