Number of positions : X3
Section : Programs – MhINT
Supervisor : Program Manager
Position location : X2 Pretoria and X1 EThekwini
Position Duration : Fixed Term Contract (March 2020 – September 2020)
Organizational Background:
The International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH) is a United States of America federally-funded project which supports the development of HIV / AIDS care and treatment training initiatives in 25 developing countries acutely impacted by the global AIDS epidemic. I-TECH is an initiative of the University of Washington Schools of Medicine and Public Health & Community Medicine. Its Central Office is headquartered in Seattle, Washington and it currently supports ten international offices, including one in Pretoria, South Africa.
I-TECH South Africa Goal:
I-TECH South Africa’s goal is to support the South African National Department of Health in strengthening national health systems to ensure delivery of high quality, sustainable health care services.
Commitment to Diversity:
I-TECH recognises that disparities in health around the globe stem from inequity. I-TECH South Africa encourages and supports the multiple identities of staff, faculty and students including, but not limited to, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, language, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, culture, spiritual practice, geography, mental and physical disability and age. I-TECH strives to become a local, national, and international leader in developing and maintaining increased representation and recognition of each of these dimensions of diversity among its faculty, staff, and students.
Brief Summary of Position:
MhINT is a programme that aims to support the integration of mental health care into the already existing primary health care systems. The vision of this programme is to improve overall health outcomes of chronic care patients through reducing symptoms of common mental disorders (including depression, trauma symptoms and alcohol use disorders) and improve patient adherence to chronic medication. The MhINT Quality Improvement Mentor will be part of the team that is responsible for working with UCT / KT and UKZN trainers to training nurses on MhiNT APC, CQI and also supporting DSP nurses to support PHC facilities in implementing mental health care integration using Continuous quality improvement (CQI) methodology. They will serve as a member of the multi-disciplinary team responsible for the integration of mental health care and contribute to developing strategies for strengthening referral systems, community support mechanisms and the health system to ensure ongoing improvement in quality of mental health care provided in PHCs.
The role of the MhINT Quality Improvement Mentor is critical to the adoption and entrenchment of the programme as part of routine care in primary care facilities. The CQI Nurses will DSP nurses to mentor facility based trainers in monitoring, evaluating and improving of the intervention and will support closely with PHC Supervisors in the targeted sub-districts.
The CQI Mentor’s role will include:
Provision of training support and mentorship to PHC Supervisors, Operational Managers, and data personnel at sub-district level on CQI and orientate them to essential tools for developing strategies to support embedding of the MhINT program
Provision of APC Mental Health trainings to district trainers and nurses working at the PHC facilities
Provision of mentoring and support to district trainers and DSPs supporting the nurses at the PHC facilities.
Supporting the formation of district and facility level quality improvement teams that will meet weekly to explore bottlenecks in implementation and develop innovative improvement plans to be tested in Plan-DO-Stud-ACT (PDSA) cycles
Supporting the PHC Supervisor in supporting Operational Managers and their respective clinics in reviewing and analysing implementation data for improvement
Leading learning sessions to disseminate successful implementation strategies across the district and collectively address common challenges to implementation
Providing routine feedback and reports to the UKZN/ ITECH implementation team as well as the DoH and other implementation partners
Participating in weekly programme updates and collaborate with the MhINT Registered Psychological Counsellor, Data Manager and Data Officer in strengthening the targeted sub-districts CQI capacity in relation to the MhINT programme
Working closely with the MhINT Registered Psychological Counsellor and MhINT APC Master trainer in analysing all implementation data
Work with DSPs and facility trainers to being taking creative and innovative actions where indicated, in order to enhance the primary health facilities’ capacity to integrate mental health care and provide quality service in line with the principles of the Ideal Clinic Realisation Manual
Assist the DSPs and facility trainers in the assessment of the performance of clinic services with respect to mental health integration with other clinical programmes using routine data as part of continuous quality improvement.
Specific Duties and Responsibilities:
Liaise with members of the DSPs and district mental health task team and facility management to compile a district level situational analysis and facility profiles
Orientate and mentor the PHC Supervisors to CQI tools and processes for monitoring the intervention at district and facility level
Collaborate with relevant DSPs, district and facility staff in developing a systematic framework for quality improvement of the facility’s implementation of the mental health integration programme’s psychosocial interventions
Participate as a member of the facility quality improvement committee and participate in continuous quality improvement and mental health promotion activities at the facilities as required;
Assist UCT / KTU and DSPs to identify training needs at targeted facilities and liaise with facility trainers and regional training centres/HAST Coordinator to develop training programmes and ensure training of all District nurses in updated APC guidelines;
Work in collaboration with the MhINT Registered Psychological Counsellor, Programme Manager and APC Trainer in orientating district, sub district and facility stakeholders to the MhINT programme
Work and liaise with the other sub-contracted developmental partners in implementation of the MhINT programme within the district;
Represent I-TECH in the sub-district and district and activities, as well as towards other relevant stakeholders at local level;
Attend the District Developmental Partners meetings and other activities as the need arises;
Support DSP to provide feedback on your activities at facility staff meetings and sub-district meetings as required
Provide the MhINT operational team with updates of your schedule and how you are managing in different facilities in your designated sub-district;
Contribute to general planning and strategic vision of the MhINT programme in collaboration with the programme team members;
Attend supervision sessions offered by the MhINT CQI Advisor and or MhINT programme manager
Providing the I-TECH MhINT programme manager, Program Director and broader MhINT team with weekly analysis of the programme implementation data
Submitting monthly reports on your training, mentoring and quality improvement activities to the MhINT programme manager
Plan and lead learning sessions within the implementation districts
Attend and take part in the learning community during MhINT team planning / top up training sessions
Perform any other duties as assigned for the project.
Required Education, Training & Experience:
A Nursing degree or degree in any social science qualification
Current registration with the SA Nursing Council
APC Master training will be an advantage
Fluency in English and widely spoken language spoken in the targeted districts
Training in / experience in Continuous Quality Improvement (advantageous).
Desired Qualities
Professional and respectful of other people
Excellent spoken and written communication skills
Systematic work approach with good organisation skills
Analytic and inquisitive
Enthusiastic, approachable and confident
Good problem management skills
Excellent time management skills
Ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines and take initiative
Willing to share knowledge, skills and expertise
Willing to travel extensively.
Application process:
Applicants are required to quote the relevant Position Title mentioned above when submitting their applications via email to [email protected] by 02nd February, 2020. No late applications will be considered. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Preference will be given to South African applicants.