Mental Health and Work Specialist WorkWell Norfolk

Hosted by

NPC and working within the WorkWell Norfolk service, the Mental Health and Work

Specialist provides the specialist mental health challenges find, return to,

and keep in paid work as part of their recovery within the WorkWell

Multidisciplinary Team (MDT). Mental health is the most common primary reason

for a fit note locally, and depression affects nearly half of people with

repeated fit notes, so most WorkWell participants will have a primary or

co-existing mental health need. The postholder assesses mental health need and

risk, delivers brief, work focused interventions, and advises the ANP and Work

and Health Coaches so that participants are supported safely and plans address

psychological as well as physical and social barriers to work.

As a part-time post (0.4

WTE), the role is designed to make a small amount of specialist time go a long

way: a limited direct caseload of participants who need clinical mental health

support input, alongside case consultation, supervision and training that build

the confidence and skills of the wider team. The role suits an experienced,

registered mental health professional who works autonomously, understand the

challenges faced by people with enduring mental health challenges, manages risk

confidently and enjoys teaching and supporting non-clinical colleagues.

1. Key Responsibilities

1.1 Mental Health Assessment and Risk Management

• Undertake mental health

assessments for participants identified at triage, by Work and Health Coaches

or at MDT as needing clinical mental health input, jointly with the

participant's Work and Health Coach wherever possible so the participant only

tells their story

once.

• Understanding of mental health recovery,

secondary mental health services, and the challenges faced by people with

severe or enduring mental health issues

• Assess and manage risk where

participants express thoughts of suicide or self-harm (which is not an

exclusion criterion), agreeing safety plans and advising whether WorkWell is

the most appropriate service at that time.

• Advise the ANP and SPOA on triage

decisions for referrals with significant mental health need, within the one

working day triage standard on working days, with agreed arrangements for

clinical cover on non-working days.

• Where a participant's needs go

beyond a low-intensity offer, arrange a warm handover to the right service (for

example NHS Talking Therapies, community mental health or crisis services) and

follow up so that support is integrated into their WorkWell plan.

• Deliver care for accepted

participants in partnership with their GP and/or existing mental health worker,

keeping them informed of assessment, risk and outcomes.

• Recognise neurodiversity and

learning disability and adapt assessment and support accordingly.

1.2 Brief, Work-Focused Interventions

• Hold a small, time-limited

caseload [indicative size TBC] of participants needing clinical mental health

intervention within the WorkWell model of approximately eight weeks.

• Deliver evidence-based,

low-intensity psychological interventions, one to one or in groups (for example

CBT-informed approaches, behavioural activation, anxiety and stress management,

sleep and self-management support).

• Focus interventions on work:

confidence and anxiety about returning, managing symptoms in the workplace,

disclosure and conversations with employers.

• Contribute the mental health

elements of the participant's personalised care plan and SMART goals, embedding

Making Every Contact Count (MECC).

• Advise participants, coaches and

(with consent) employers on reasonable adjustments, phased returns and changes

of duties for people with mental health conditions.

• Where professionally eligible and

assessed as competent, certify fit notes (Med3) for participants under WorkWell

care in line with DHSC and DWP guidance, updating the clinical record and

informing the GP.

• Use outcome measures (including

EQ-5D and the Attitudes to Work and Health questionnaire) to review progress

and inform discharge.

1.3 MDT Contribution and Case Consultation

• Attend the WorkWell MDT,

providing the mental health perspective on case discussion, risk, onward

referral and discharge decisions.

• Offer case consultation to Work

and Health Coaches between MDT meetings, helping them continue to support

participants with mental health needs within their competence.

• Review complex or stalled cases

where mental health is a barrier to progress and recommend next steps.

• Prioritise limited clinical time

with the ANP, balancing direct caseload, consultation, supervision and training

so the role has the greatest impact across the six Norfolk neighbourhood areas.

1.4 Supervision, Training and Education

• Provide clinical supervision and

reflective practice to Work and Health Coaches on the mental health aspects of

their work, including the low-level interventions they deliver under

supervision of a registered clinician.

• Design and deliver training for

the WorkWell team on mental health awareness, risk conversations, safety

planning and when to escalate.

• Support education for employers

and system partners on mental health and work, a priority identified by

employers in the ICB's engagement survey.

• Advise on the content of

condition-specific self-care resources used by the team.

1.5 Clinical Governance, Records and Partnerships

• Work within the WorkWell clinical

governance framework so that assessment, intervention and discharge are

clinically safe, evidence based and in line with professional standards.

• Maintain accurate,

contemporaneous clinical records, including updates to the participant's GP

record (SystmOne or EMIS), in line with the relevant professional codes, UK

GDPR and NPC information governance policies.

• Identify and escalate

safeguarding concerns for adults and children, applying the Mental Capacity

Act, in line with ICB and NPC policies.

• Report incidents and contribute

to learning in line with the NPC Patient Safety Incident Response Framework

(PSIRF) Policy.

• Build working relationships and

clear referral routes with NHS Talking Therapies (including its employment

advisers), Individual Placement and Support services, community mental health

and crisis services, and VCFSE mental health providers.

• Feedback themes on unmet mental

health need and gaps in local provision to the ANP and Clinical Lead to inform

service improvement and ICB commissioning.

2. Communication and Stakeholder Engagement

• Communicate sensitively and

effectively with participants experiencing distress, and with carers and

families where appropriate.

• Liaise with GPs, mental health

services and other professionals about participants' care, risk and outcomes.

• Explain mental health need and

its impact on work in plain language to non-clinical colleagues and, with

consent, employers.

• Contribute mental health

information to service reports, audits and evaluation as required by the ANP

and WorkWell Service Manager.

2.1 Other Responsibilities

• Working with the ANP, WorkWell

• Contribute to the development of

WorkWell pathways, protocols and risk procedures for participants with mental

health needs.

• Take part in clinical audit,

including the quarterly Clinical Triage Audit where mental health cases are

sampled.

• Participate in own clinical

supervision and maintain professional registration and revalidation.

• Work flexibly within contracted

hours to meet service need, by agreement.

Undertake other ad hoc duties as requested by the ANP or WorkWell

Service Manager.

Norfolk Primary Care (NPC) is a Community Interest Company (CIC)

delivering clinical services across the Norfolk & Waveney region. Our

membership consists of GP practices within the area. NPC's purpose is to:

• Sustain the delivery of Primary

Care by supporting workforce development and improving patient access.

• Strengthen and enhance Primary

Care by working with, and on behalf of, local practices to drive quality

improvement.

• Support practices in addressing

key challenges such as workload pressures, GP recruitment, best practice

sharing, and opportunities for at scale working.

• Respond to the evolving landscape

of Primary Care by helping ensure services meet the needs of the local

population.

• Provide benefits to patients,

clinicians, administrative teams, and practice organisations across Norfolk.

• Work collaboratively within the

wider health system to deliver patient care in innovative, solution focused

ways

Essential: - Substantial post-registration experience in primary care, community or NHS Talking Therapies mental health settings; - Assessing and managing people with common mental health problems, including depression and anxiety; - Suicide and self-harm risk assessment and safety planning; - Delivering brief, evidence-based psychological interventions, one to one and/or in groups; - Working autonomously within a multidisciplinary team and contributing to MDT decisions; - Supervising, teaching or supporting non-clinical or unregistered staff; - Applying safeguarding procedures and the Mental Capacity Act in practice

Desirable: - Supporting people with mental health conditions to stay in or return to work; - Working with employers, occupational health or employment advisers; - Working with neurodivergent people and people with a learning disability; - Use of GP clinical systems (SystmOne and/or EMIS); - Knowledge of local mental health services and pathways in Norfolk; - Delivering training to professionals or employers

Essential: - Confident, autonomous clinical decision making and risk management; - Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including with people in distress; - Ability to teach, supervise and build the confidence of non-clinical colleagues; - Ability to prioritise limited part-time hours across caseload, consultation and training; - Clear, accurate and timely clinical record keeping; - Good IT skills, including clinical systems and Microsoft Office; - Ability to manage own emotions and be resilient in a demanding environment; - Flexible, collaborative approach to working in a new and developing service

Desirable: - Group facilitation skills; - Motivational interviewing or health coaching techniques; - Understanding of the relationship between work and health

Essential: - Registered mental health professional with current registration (e.g. Registered Mental Health Nurse (NMC), Occupational Therapist or Practitioner Psychologist (HCPC), or Social Worker (Social Work England); - Degree or diploma level professional qualification in the relevant discipline; - Post-registration training in brief psychological interventions (e.g. CBT-informed approaches); - Safeguarding adults and children training at Level 3; - Evidence of continuing professional development

Desirable: - Postgraduate qualification in psychological therapy (e.g. CBT, PWP) or BABCP accreditation; - Clinical supervision qualification or training; - Fit Note and Work and Health e-learning (e-LfH); - Training in vocational rehabilitation, IPS or employment support; - Suicide prevention or safety planning training (e.g. STORM, ASIST)