Mental Health Triage Clinician

Mental Health Triage Clinician / Kaitautoko tāngata whai ora

Are you:

• passionate about the health and well-being of our community?
• an experienced registered mental health practitioner under the HPCA Act?
• an exceptional communicator who enjoys supporting new ways of working?

About us

Pegasus Health supports many aspects of health and wellbeing in Canterbury. We provide services and support to general practices and community-based health providers to deliver quality health care to patients.

We work in partnership with our communities, general practices and other health providers to improve the health and wellbeing of people in our communities, all while aiming to make Canterbury the best place to receive and provide care.

Working with our communities, means being committed to the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and working in a bicultural manner to improve equitable access and outcomes for Māori. We're committed to improving equitable access and outcomes for Pacific, CALD, LGBTQI+ and other priority populations.  

About the Role

The Pegasus Mental Health Team works in collaboration with General Practice teams, the patient, family, whānau and the wider community, to provide the best pathway of care for patients with psychological difficulties and/or mental illness.  The role of Triage Mental Health Clinician manages a centralised triage process and co-ordinates the best pathway of care for patients referred by their General Practitioner.  

We offer flexibility in this role; however, the primary focus is triage. If you wish to maintain a patient-facing role with therapy, we can accommodate up to one day per week for this. The Triage Clinician function requires a minimum of 0.6 FTE.

What you will be doing

• Identify key issues of the referred patient via phone assessments and define what is required. The information will be used to assist in forming a plan for treatment.
• A resource for patients and General Practice to gain knowledge about and establish contact with community agencies and support services.
• Where there are more serious mental health concerns or risk factors, liaising with the patients General Practitioner as to a referral to and from psychiatric services.
• All work is carried out within the guidelines of the documented triage pathway

·  The role will also have active involvement in service planning/development initiatives.

What you will bring

• HPCA Act Registration: You must be registered under the HPCA Act and hold full registration with no limitations.
• Experience: Proven experience in both primary and secondary care settings.
• Therapeutic Skills: Expertise in therapeutic conversations and interventions.

• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to develop relationships and work collaboratively with a wide variety of people
• a high level of cultural competence with an understanding of (or active interest in) and commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles and biculturalism.
• established relationships or ability to build relationships within Maori, Pasifika and wider community networks
• the ability to work autonomously and as part of the wider team
• enthusiasm and passion about improving healthcare

As part of keeping everyone healthy and safe, we require all new employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

What we offer / What's in it for you

• Be part of a people-centred health service
• Opportunities for professional growth
• Collaborative and inclusive culture
• Range of wellness benefits including a wellness subsidy, free after-hours medical care
• Flexible-working options.  We are happy to discuss potential flexible options for this position at the interview stage.  Some flexibility around start time could be considered for the right candidate.

For information about the role please contact  Liane Shields, Operations Team Lead,

Liane.Shields@pegasus.health.nz

For further information about Pegasus Health visit: www.pegasus.org.nz