Job Description

We provide initial assessments and support conversations for people who may require secondary mental health services. Working closely with GPs, voluntary sector organizations, and both primary and secondary care, we ensure that people receive tailored, compassionate, and effective care.



This role will have an increased focus on older adults. This will mean regularly taking the lead on older adults referred to our service and leading best practice and expertise in older adults amongst the team. Whilst this role will predominantly be focused on older adults referred to our service, there will remain a need to occasionally flex across adults of working age referred to our service as and when required.



This post is open to newly qualified social workers. In line with AWP trust policy all newly qualified social workers (NQSW) will be recruited initially at Band 5 level, regardless of advertised role banding. All NQSW's are expected to successfully complete their ASYE within 2 years of employment, unless there are exceptional circumstances in which case it may be extended for a further 2 years.



If you have been appointed to an advertised Band 6 role this will be an automatic progression, following confirmation of your successful ASYE completion. If you have been appointed to a Band 5 post you will then be eligible to apply for a subsequent Band 6 vacancy upon successful ASYE completion.



As a Primary Care Liaison Practitioner, your key responsibility will be to complete initial assessments and support conversations for people referred to our service, with a particular focus on older adults. This includes:



Assessing people's mental health needs through planned appointments and duty work.

Managing urgent and routine referrals.

Formulating safe, effective and person centred plans that connect people with appropriate support.

Working autonomously to make independent clinical decisions whilst ensuring robust risk management.

Liaising closely with primary care, secondary mental health services, and voluntary sector organisations.



We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust) a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.



We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.



Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.



At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.



To provide information, proportional assessment and sign posting to patients and their family and carers presenting with mental health problems/needs in community settings.



To foster strong collaborative and trusting working relationships with the referring agent/Primary Care Health Care Professionals underpinned by an educative and solutions focussed philosophy whilst providing them with credible clinical expertise.

This may include:

The promotion and use of additional standardised assessment tools.



Promoting the importance of working with, strengths and aspirations of the person referred.



The provision of succinct formulations and recommendations (inclusive of risk management advice).



Assessment of or advice on the impact of culture and diversity.



Consideration of the respective Primary Care HCP's confidence and capability in relation to The 10 Essential Shared Capabilities (best practice in Mental Health Care).



Best practice advice and support in a broad range of conditions for people with both functional or organic mental health needs.



Promotion and recognition of the needs of family and carer/s, including various support networks and third sector agencies.



Advice and support on evaluating risk from a positive risk taking perspective.



Support and clarity on formulations within a bio-psycho-social model, including people with medically unexplained symptoms.



Identifying and ensuring specialist involvement where required.



Advice on interventions and treatments required to enable positive change.



Support and advice within Safeguarding and public protection procedures where the issues are complicated by mental health problems.



Second opinion on complex capacity assessments.



To facilitate the development of safe and effective mental health care practice within the primary care setting.



To assist the primary care and secondary mental health teams in the delivery of safe and appropriate care planning processes.



To provide a prompt response to all referrals following jointly agreed procedures and within agreed time frames.



To provide concise and effective liaison and feedback to clinical staff within secondary mental health services and Primary Care teams including advice on effective and appropriate management strategies for those patients referred to the service.



To ensure where needed that people experience a seamless transfer into AWP provider/treatment services.



To make effective use of the standard liaison approach and structure for assessments according to the SBAR (Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation) format.



Following assessment, to provide short- term follow up of patients where appropriate.



To contribute evidence based expertise to multi-disciplinary team care planning processes.



To provide effective communication with service users, relatives and carers, Primary Care and Secondary health services.



To advise on medication management issues.



To ensure the active involvement of carers during all stages of the assessment process.



To provide a prompt response to requests for information and advice.



To ensure appropriate communication, both verbal and written, at all stages of the consultation process.



To promote positive attitudes, mutual understanding and collaboration between non mental health staff and mental health services, users, carers, voluntary agencies, primary care and social services.