The practitioners were first introduced in October 2020. This was as part of the Community Mental Health Transformation programme. The programme aims to transform the way people living with mental health illnesses are supported in their local communities.
What the mental health practitioners do
The Trust worked closely with Primary Care Networks to introduce mental health practitioners into GP surgeries. The practitioners help to reduce caseloads for GPs by providing timely support and advice.
Commenting on the move Faye Nesbitt, team manager, said: “We know that a large proportion of cases seen in GP surgeries can involve mental health needs. This can take up a considerable amount of GP time.
“The practitioners can see people with a severe mental illness or complex emotional needs who are too complex for talking therapies but do not meet the thresholds for secondary care services.
“They can also reduce the need for referrals to secondary mental health services. This is by offering early interventions and working with other services and community-based organisations to address people’s wider needs and to provide alternative support.”
There are now over 30 practitioners working into 14 Primary Care Network’s across Tees Valley. Since the introduction of the first practitioners in October 2020 only 4.1% of the 40,000 patients seen have needed to be referred into secondary mental health services because of the new roles.
A patient’s view
Jayne received support from Heather, a mental health and wellbeing practitioner working in the Tees Valley Primary Care mental health team. She explains: “When I first accessed the service I wasn’t in a good place. Then I met Heather. As we built a rapport I found it so easy to talk.”
Walter, who also receives support from Heather added: “I feel relaxed using the service. We meet in a neutral place and talk on a one-to-one basis. I’ve found my mental health has stabilised and remains buoyant.”
This short video explains how the roles have been working in Tees Valley and highlights patients that have benefitted from the service.
