Integrating New Workforce Roles: The Primary Care Mental Health Worker

1

• Integrating New Workforce Roles The Primary Care
  Mental Health Worker
• Roisin Rossiter Makala Balls

2
The Development of the Buckinghamshire Primary
Care Mental Health Service (PCMHS)

• The PCMHS was launched in April 2006, providing a
  service to individuals experiencing mild to
  moderate mental health difficulties.
• The PCMHS consists of three teams covering the
  three PCTs of Wycombe, Chiltern and South Bucks
  and Aylesbury.
• The three PCTs have now merged to form Bucks PCT.

3
The structure of the PCMHS

• The Buckinghamshire PCMHS consists of three
  individual teams, PCMHT, all similar in structure
  and adherence to the operational policy.
• The PCMHTs are comprised of the following work
  force roles Team Leader, Gateway Workers,
  Graduate Mental Health Workers, Support Time and
  Recovery Workers and Community Development
  Workers.
• Each role is distinct and the structure of the
  service provides a unique opportunity for the
  roles to co exist and function collaboratively to
  the benefit of the service user.
• The referral pathway within the PCMHS enables
  service users to receive varying interventions
  according to the diversity of individual need.

4
Structure of the PCMHS
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Team Leader

• Managerial responsibility for respective team.
• Dual role as a Gateway Worker.
• Offer supervision to STR and CDW.
• Carry a small caseload of clients with more
  complex difficulties.
• Reports to service lead.

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Gateway Workers (GW)

• Providing assessment and treatment.
• Liaising with agencies, education and health
  promotion, signposting.
• Carry a caseload of more complex cases.
• Provide supervision for other team members.
• Receive group peer supervision.
• Hold assessment clinics in GP surgeries and
  health centres.

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Graduate Mental Health Workers (GMHW)

• Provide CBT based interventions for individuals
  with mild to moderate mental health difficulties.
• Utilise a variety of mediums group, one-to-one,
  email, telephone, CCBT, bibliotherapy.
• Attend individual and group supervision with a
  clinical psychologist.
• Audit and research.
• Project work.
• Liaising with other organisations.
• Meet with clients in GP surgeries.

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Support Time and Recovery Workers (STR)

• Social interventions.
• Assisting clients with aspects of the guided
  self-help e.g. graded exposure.
• Support with emotional, financial and housing
  issues.
• Assist with the delivery of group interventions.
• Sign posting clients to appropriate services and
  support agencies.
• Meet with clients in community settings and
  clients home.

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Community Development Worker (CDW)

• Engaging individual/groups into the PCMHS.
• Community engagement and partnership working.
• Reducing barriers to social inclusion.
• Targeting black and ethnic communities, socially
  disadvantaged groups (gypsy and traveller
  communities).
• Project work.
• Attend group and individual supervision with the
  service lead.

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Overview
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Patient Pathway 1
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Patient Pathway 2
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Patient Pathway 3
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Project Work

• Saunderton Lodge (hostel accommodation for
  homeless individuals).
• Example of link working between GMHWs, GW, STR
  and CDW.
• GMHW and CDW liaison to produce health promotion
  material.
• CDW and GW liaison to arrange informal mental
  health promotion talks/drop-in
• STR workers providing support to CDW with
  implementation of project.

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Conclusion

• Advantages
• Disadvantages
• What next?
• Questions?