HR AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
A leading mental health trust found a way to fast-track high-flying graduates into top non-clinical posts to deal with the common problem of vacancies going unfilled. Stephen Watkins of Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust explains.
T
wenty two graduates have been offered jobs with Barnet, Enfield and Harin-
gey Mental Health NHS Trust as part of a pilot to strengthen and improve the service as well as give university graduates a foot on the career ladder.
Mental health is often seen as the poor cousin of the National Health Service, at- tracting a smaller budget than its counter- parts in primary care and secondary care.
This,
together with the stigma mental health still attracts, sees the service often struggle to fill vacancies, irrespective of the ups and downs of the job market.
Skills shortage
This is best illustrated in the current short- age of psychotherapists and psychiatrists, despite the fact that the average UK sal- ary for a psychotherapist is £43,000 and £53,000 for a psychiatrist.
An additional hurdle facing those wanting to pursue a clinical career in mental health is the need to be professionally registered.
This involves several years of practical work experience, additional training and qualifications and proof of professional competence.
In response, the trust looked at the most practical way of fast tracking high quality candidates into the NHS in non-clinical roles to strengthen the overall quality of the workforce.
It targeted graduates across the UK in a series of adverts posted on NHS Jobs after discovering large numbers were not follow- ing their preferred career options because of rising unemployment.
The trust swung into action with counter- parts in Camden and Islington to stop the exodus as well as solve its own staffing di- lemma.
Changing perceptions
The trust’s project leader Michael Benson said: “Some people have odd notions about mental health. They sometimes feel awk- ward, ill-at-ease or even fearful around in- dividuals with mental health problems.
44 | national health executive Jul/Aug 11 Richard Hazlett and Alum Khan
“It’s a mirror a lot of us don’t want to look into and our reference points are often negative and misinformed. Thankfully, perceptions are changing because mental health is increasingly impacting on our all lives whether it is personally or through someone we know.
“One in four of us will suffer poor mental health during our lives and the dramatic rise in conditions like dementia means most of us know someone with a mental ill- ness. That familiarity, however painful, can only help raise awareness and break barri- ers down.”
Sixty graduates with science and health de- grees signed up for the scheme and recently completed a one-year placement which in- volved working three days a week in the trust and two days at Middlesex Univer- sity on a postgraduate diploma in mental health.
The graduates progressed from a band 3 to band 4 pay scale on being offered full-time positions.
Rewarding work
Richard Hazlett, 25, signed up for the scheme after completing a three year course in herbal medicine in an effort to strengthen his hand in applying for medi- cal school.
He said: “I didn’t get the grades at school
“The profession also offers a wide variety of often interesting and well paid roles, good career progression and a job that will al- ways be in demand given the fact that inci- dents of mental health are increasing.”
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I wanted so have been working my way to medical school via a different route. I was interested in this area of the NHS because me brother suffered a bout of mental ill- ness when he was younger. You are closely mentored to start with and work in various areas of the trust to gain a wide experience base.
“I eventually settled with the early inter- vention team who deal with psychosis like bi-polar disorder and schizophrenia at St Ann’s Hospital in Tottenham. The work is rewarding because you are working one- to-one with people and I now have my own caseload.”
Manager Alam Khan added: “It was obvi- ous from the start that Richard had the right stuff. The graduates all have good verbal and written skills, are culturally sen- sitive and quick enthusiastic learners. You can’t really ask for more than that.”
A potential downside is that highly moti- vated graduates will use their experience as a springboard to bigger and better things outside mental health and may leave the service quickly.
It’s a risk the trust is prepared to take.
Mr Benson added: “We’ve seen a gap in the market and provided a bridge that is mutu- ally beneficial for both sides. The graduates get an opportunity to work in a profession related to their degree and we get strong candidates.
“I think another important point to make is that an increasing number of people are disillusioned with their jobs because they don’t feel they are making a difference in the world.
“Contribution is a very powerful but under- rated need and working in mental health you can see the difference you make to peo- ple’s lives.
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