Mental Health Nurse

The Primary Care Gambling Service (PCGS) is seeking a trained Mental Health Nurse with some experience supporting patients affected by gambling harm or addiction.

Gambling harm can affect anyone, not only the person who gambles, but also their families, friends, and wider communities. It can impact mental health, relationships, finances, and overall well-being. Services like the Primary Care Gambling Service (PCGS) support individuals experiencing gambling-related difficulties and those affected by someone else's gambling, helping them access early intervention and specialist care.

Main Duties of the Job

• Provide evidence-based mental health and addiction interventions for patients who suffer from gambling harm.
• Case manage a group of patients who may or may not be in active treatment elsewhere.
• Internal and external oversight of non-clinical care coordinators.
• Prepare reports for external agencies (including regulators).
• Effectively manage risk and share concerns with the wider team, and report back to a lead clinician as necessary.
• See patients in active addiction and support them towards a gambling-free lifestyle.
• Contribute towards wider PCGS activities and projects as requested.
• Work with the medical and clinical directors in the stop gambling service.
• Provide appropriate clinicians with summary information on a regular basis for team meetings/report writing/occupational liaison, and provide these yourself where you are the lead clinician.
• Work as part of a multidisciplinary team which includes primary care GPs, operational lead, psychiatrists, and therapists.
• Be required to work a mixture of social and unsocial hours, including evening sessions and Saturday clinics, as well as potentially working across several different sites.

Job Responsibilities

• Undertake mental health assessments and formulate a plan of care.
• Provide mental health follow-up, management, and treatment functions to patients referred to the PCGS.
• Support patients in their recovery from ill health or related gambling issues.
• Promote health through interventions, empowering patients, offering appropriate health education, information, and advice to patients, relatives, carers, and relevant supporting agencies.
• Challenge and improve current practice where appropriate, ensuring practice is evidence-based.
• Work closely with PCGS lead clinicians ensuring complex cases are supported and managed appropriately.
• Assist in the use of relevant information technology to collate accurate and timely information as and when required by commissioners.
• Work appropriately with key stakeholders (internal and external), attending meetings as required and contributing to the decision-making process.
• Provide expertise on assessment, management, and care planning for patients who have complex/mental health problems and/or problematic gambling addiction.
• Refer patients with complex needs to the most appropriate NHS service or another provider.
• Provide a first port of call for all patients with a gambling issue in the absence of a lead clinician.
• Assist in outcome screening as required.
• Offer guidance to the admin team surrounding clinical queries that cannot be handled directly by the administrative team.
• Present concise and accurate written and/or verbal information at regular team meetings relating to treatment being delivered and the patient's response.
• Maintain accurate records of all episodes of care.
• Manage risk and understand points of escalating for this risk.
• Work with other members of the team to raise the profile and understanding of the PCGS.
• Work closely with GPs in SE London to raise their awareness of gambling addiction/problems.
• Contribute to the writing and publication of articles and research about the work of the programme.
• Assist with the organisation and delivery of multi-disciplinary education and training.
• Contribute to identifying the professional needs of core team members and assist with making recommendations for meeting those needs.
• Promote the use of health promotion and referral protocols with stakeholders.
• Contribute to the agenda of the PCGS Educational Strategy to assist with the development of educational programmes for organisations, staff, patients, relatives, and carers.
• Be familiar with the prevalence and epidemiological data for PCGS in relation to mental health, substance misuse, and alcohol.
• Understand the Regulatory framework within which the PCGS service will work.
• Link in with formal mechanisms to share good practice in the PCGS and elsewhere, sharing knowledge, skills, and clinical expertise.
• Support securing external contracts as necessary.
• In the course of employment, have access to confidential information relating to PCGS business and exercise due consideration in the way such information is used.

Person Specification

• Qualifications:

+ Registered with the NMC. + Evidence of continuing professional development.

• Experience:

+ Experience of working in mental health and/or addiction. + Experience of working with, or commitment to, sick health professionals. + Experience of producing reports, assessments, and presentations involving highly complex information. + Experience of providing, receiving, and processing sensitive or contentious information and communicating this effectively. + Experience of building and developing effective working relationships and networking with senior professionals. + Personal clinical supervision.

• Skills, Abilities, and Knowledge:

+ Able to utilise different and innovative modalities to consult with patients, including text, email, and Teams. + Knowledge of the needs of problem gamblers, including knowledge of relevant epidemiology, assessment, treatment, and prognosis. + Understanding of help-seeking behaviour and access to healthcare by problem gamblers. + Be aware of the full range of treatment models for the management of different mental health problems. + Have a knowledge of behavioural, medical, social, and psychological factors that are particularly prevalent in problem gamblers. + Have an awareness of boundary issues when dealing with problem gamblers-patients. + Understanding of the roles of other health professionals. + Understanding of the professional regulation and standards for nurses. + Be able to raise the issue of mental health problems sensitively either in response to a particular presentation or opportunistically. + Able to refer problem gamblers to appropriate treatment services. + Able to minimise risk of mental health problems/addiction in self and support personal wellbeing. + An ability to work in an integrated multi-professional team.