Mental Health Professional (Intake & Triage)

Location: Wellington Central Community Mental Health Team

Contract: Permanent, Full Time (1 FTE)

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is committed to building a health system that serves all New Zealanders.

About the role

Community Mental Health and Addictions Service is looking for an experienced registered health professional to join our intake team. You will be working with two other intake clinicians across three teams: Wellington Central, Wellington South and CADS community mental health teams. The role involves screening, triaging, and prioritising referrals received to our service. This includes self-referrals; both by phone and walk in’s, as well as written referrals from other agencies. 

About the Team/Service/ Location

We are looking for a person-directed, values-driven registered health professional. You will be expected to work autonomously and as part of the Intake Team, and wider teams. Our service has a strong, dedicated and supportive team culture, and an established Learning and Development Centre to tautoko your career development.  We also pride ourselves on having fun and celebrating ourselves and our professional milestones.

Our base is located in Mount Cook / Newtown, very close to central Wellington. The Wellington Locality includes Wellington Central Home Base, Wellington South Home Base, and Community Alcohol and Drug Services (CADS). This makes for a thriving, exciting work environment with staff across teams mutually supporting one another. We have a good working relationship with other services in the local community, and we routinely work closely with NGOs and primary care.

The Local Adult Specialist Mental Health and Addiction Service represents a change in the way we deliver services, and it is an exciting time to join us and help shape the way we work.

Our vision is for an integrated mental health and addiction service, with a focus on local delivery across the district.     

Our Local Adult Specialist Mental Health and Addiction Service principles:

• Principle 1: Grounded in Te Tiriti ō Waitangi | Whakapapa ki Te Tiriti ō Waitangi
• Principle 2: Informed by peers and those with lived experience | Ka whakamōhio e nga hoa me te hunga whai wheako ora
• Principle 3: A welcoming, person and whānau-led approach | He huarahi manaaki, tāngata me te whānau
• Principle 4: Timely access to services in the community | Te whai waahi ki nga ratonga i roto i te hapori
• Principle 5: A strengths-based, trauma-informed and recovery focused approach, using advanced therapy and evidence based holistic interventions | Mā te mōhio ka whai whakaaro

The service will follow consistent principles in design and Model of Care, but will have the flexibility to deliver locally appropriate services that will meet the needs of our communities and work in partnership with our local providers. The service seeks to eliminate inequities experienced by Māori, Pacific peoples, disabled people and other groups.

Over the next 12-18 months, we are moving to a locality development model. Each locality contains one or more ‘home bases’, staffed by  clinicians and support staff who provide a range of clinical and non-clinical services, contributing to functions that align with their capabilities, training, and expertise. 

These functions include:

• Primary Care and Community Transitions, focusing on working with local GPs and nurse practitioners to meet the needs of our tāngata whaiora and whānau from service entry to exit;
• First Response, including intake/assessment and providing a rapid response for tāngata whaiora and whānau experiencing acute mental health distress;
• Local Mental Health and Addiction, which consists of long-term case management using a tailored model to the community (e.g., the Flexible Assertive Community Team model/FACT) and other functions specific to the locality/home bases, including Focused Intervention and Advanced Therapies.

About you

• You will be a Registered Health Professional who is passionate about working in a way that is person-directed, trauma-informed, compassionate, and offers help and hope.
• You will work in a way that is holistic, integrated and collaborative, recognising people’s physical health and social needs and in partnership with primary care and non-government (NGO) providers.
• You understand the importance of cultural competence and equity, providing practice that is consistent with the spirit and intent of Te Tiriti ō Waitangi.
• You understand the importance of person-directed care and intentional peer support.
• You are mindful of the needs of our diverse population, for instance, Pacific peoples, refugee and migrant communities, disabled people/tāngata whaikaha, rainbow communities, and those living in rural areas/isolated from health services.
• You will be a registered mental health professional with a current Annual Practising Certificate.
• You must have a full and clean Driver's License and the ability to consent and complete NZ or international Police vetting (Vulnerable Children's Act 2015).

Working at Health New Zealand

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of New Zealand. We embrace a workforce that is diverse and inclusive so that we are better positioned to understand and service our community. We welcome applications from our diverse Māori, Pacific, disabled, and rainbow communities. 

How to Apply

To apply please click “apply now.”  All applications must be submitted through our online careers’ portal by 4th June. If you have any questions about the role, please contact Marianne.Lovgren@tewhatuora.govt.nz

We will review applications as received and may proceed with the recruitment process, before the closing date of this advert.