Mental Health Advanced Practitioner
Kerri is currently working as an Advanced Practitioner in Mental Health within Primary Care at Graham Road Surgery, Weston-Super-Mare.
Kerri is a registered Mental Health Nurse by professional background.
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Kerri works at Level 7 across the four pillars of Advanced Practice
| Clinical | • Lead and support the clinical team regarding evidenced based mental health care. • Lead and support the clinical team regarding management of Gabapentinoids and controlled drug |
| Leadership | • Team manager across two GP surgeries. • Lead mental health nurse across two GP surgeries. • Creation of Gabapentinoid policy and standard operating procedure (SOP) for service. |
| Education | • Gabapentinoids full training plan for the service. • Supporting a colleague to enrol in a MSc psychology course at university. • Team appraisals and supervision with discussions and education around medication and mental health management. • Monthly mental health newsletters to upskill colleagues. |
| Research | • Gabapentinoid research-based evidence for policy and SOP. • Completion of ACPMH course to upkeep knowledge. • Substantive professional Gabapentinoid project to analyse and enhance change within practice through team collaboration and education. |
What inspired you to become an advanced practitioner?
I initially qualified as a mental health nurse in 2008. I worked in substance misuse services for approximately 5 years before undertaking advanced practice, and this included undertaking non-medical prescribing in 2017. I have always wanted to keep increasing my knowledge & understanding to continuously improve my clinical practice for the benefit of my patients. Working within primary care offers a unique challenge and requires you to keep pace with change to offer the best service to patients with mental health needs.
My practice manager at the time encouraged me to embark on my advanced practice journey and I enrolled in the MSc course at Plymouth university as this was the first university to offer a specific advanced practice mental health programme in the South West.
Feedback from a Patient: “Thank you for listening to me and being part of saving my life. This medication has been just amazing and the first step to my life blooming. Thankyou”
How would you describe your role as a trainee Advanced Practitioner?
As a Mental Health Advanced Practitioner, I work across two primary care surgeries as a clinical leader and also lead a team of four support workers. This role within primary care is a niche role which builds on my mental health nursing experience and adds the knowledge and skills I have developed across the pillars of advanced practice.
Mental health care at an advanced level offers patients a pathway incorporating expert mental health patient care. This is particularly important within areas of deprivation and health inequalities, bridging the gap between primary mental health and secondary service care.
You can also incorporate your specialism into this practice for the benefit of patients. My prior experience working with substance misuse has been vital in my current practice around controlled drugs management and de-prescribing, with a positive impact around gabapentin prescribing within the practice.
Feedback from a Colleague: “I have worked in many GP practices where there is no in house mental health team, and I can honestly say that having Kerri leading a mental health team within our practice makes a massive difference to the overall needs of the service. Her leadership of this team benefits not only our patients by providing an outstanding service but it is also a huge support to all other members of the multidisciplinary team especially GPs.”
How has your role changed and enhanced service delivery?
Since starting my role, I have developed the structure of the mental health team in a way that fits with the needs of our patients. I completed my MSc advanced practice programme via the apprenticeship route, so my final dissertation was in the form of a practice development project. This project has since allowed me to set-up a controlled drug task group, where I have led the development of a standard operating procedure (SOP) and a service policy. This was identified as a service need during a CQC inspection and has helped us make improvements to our practices.
What was the most enjoyable part of your training?
Development of self-confidence within my role, learning to think about care and patient pathways from a critical perspective to be able to begin to make improvements, support from my student cohort along the journey. As well as learning about myself and pushing those boundaries.
Feedback from a Colleague: “Having a RMN with vast experience of substance and alcohol misuse lends itself very well to the demographics. I feel she has contributed greatly to improving the service offered to our Patients. Having Kerri in situ I feel has made a noticeable positive difference to the care provided and to our patient’s overall experience, working on gabapentinoid reduction has and continues to have real world benefits to our patient group as well as educating other staff around long-term safety, wellness and MH outcomes.”
What benefits to Advanced Practitioners bring to patients and your service?
Often primary care works within the medical model, however mental health care requires a more holistic approach. Advanced Practitioners can remove the pressure from the GPs and secondary mental health services by providing overall holistic care for the patient, based on local population needs. As primary care is often the front-line service for patients seeking mental health support, we have the time, practical experience and academic knowledge to critically assess patients’ needs, not just from a biopsychosocial perspective but also their spiritual needs.
Patients often appreciate the time and understanding we offer. The service we offer benefits from extended appointments, allowing patients to feel validated regarding their mental health needs, which is further supported with follow-up appointments to build that critical relationship, as well as our up to date knowledge of local service provision and resources.