Job summary
First Contact Mental Health appointments provided to patients registered at our four practices. Offering initial review, onward referral to external service providers, appropriate prescribing eg SSRIs and follow-up appointments. This is a new position within the PCN structure and would work alongside existing mental health services offered. Although we would welcome candidates with previous Mental Health experience, this is not necessarily required. We would be looking to support this role with appropriate training opportunities, enabling successful candidates to develop specialist skills within this area. There would be regular support from the member practices and the local community mental health trust.

Main duties of the job

• Assessing patients experiencing mental health concerns in a primary care setting. This will be face to face in clinic or via telephone consultation but will not include home visits
• Making professional, autonomous decisions in relation to presenting problems, whether self-referred or referred from other health care workers within the organisation
• Assessing the mental health care needs of patients with undifferentiated and undiagnosed problems
• Onward referral to secondary care eg CMHT and/or voluntary sector organisations such as the Recovery Education Centre and Access Wellbeing Hub
• Developing care plans for health in consultation with patients and in line with current practice disease management protocols
• Providing advice, guidance and health education
• Recording clear and contemporaneous consultation notes to agreed standards

About us
Central Bournemouth PCN is comprised of four GP practices with approx 50k registered patients.

This post will be based at our PCN Hub at East Way Clinic where you will join a multi-disciplinary team of colleagues providing clinical and holistic services to patients within our network.

Details
Date posted: 21 August 2026
Pay scheme: Other
Salary: £12,500 a session
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Part-time, Flexible working
Reference number: A4120-26-0001
Job locations: 26-28 St Alban's Crescent, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH8 9EW, United Kingdom; East Way, BOURNEMOUTH, BH8 9PU, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
This post is intended to be a portfolio undertaking for a GP with a special interest in mental health. You will not see physical health concerns during these clinics and will instead only see patients for mental health appointments. The emphasis will be on first contact mental health and patients making initial presentations for emerging mental health concerns. Appointments will be longer than the standard 15 minutes to allow for in-depth and holistic conversations regarding mental health presentations.

You will see patients presenting with depression, low mood, stress, anxiety, psychosis, eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, personality disorder and/or addiction issues. Within appointments you will ascertain the best treatment or escalation plan which may include prescribing or onward referral to secondary care/voluntary sector services.

You will not see patients with learning disabilities or patients seeking ADHD/Autism Assessments. Patients with Autism/ADHD may be seen within these clinics for mental health comorbidities but will not be seen specifically for Autism/ADHD related problems. Patients requiring an annual serious mental illness health check are seen in a specialist clinic and this post is not expected to undertake these appointments.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Qualified GP
• MRCGP
• Vocational Training Certificate or JCPTGP
• Certificate of Completion of Training

Experience
Essential

• Full GMC Registration
• Appropriate defence indemnity
• Evidence of current validation
• Evidence of last appraisal
• Eligibility to practice in the UK independently
• Working in a primary care environment
• Ability to work autonomously and as part of an MDT

Desirable

• Minimum of two years as a salaried GP

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details
Employer name: St Alban's Medical Centre
Address: 26-28 St Alban's Crescent, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH8 9EW, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://stalbansmc.co.uk (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: PCN Manager, Romany Ross, romany.ross@dorsetgp.nhs.uk, 07493812149

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applicants must have current UK professional registration.