Consultant - to measure the implementation of specific activities within the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS)-funded project

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Purpose of the consultancy

The purpose of this consultancy is to measure the implementation of specific activities within the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS)-funded project “Strengthening the mental health system, improve access and services for vulnerable Jordanians and refugees” – second phase, July 2019.

Background

The added burden on health services in Jordan due to the influx of Syrian refugees extends to mental health (MH) services. Exposure to severely distressing events related to conflict, violence or displacement may undermine the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of refugees. In addition, many are suffering from pre-existing mental, neurological and substance use (MNS) conditions that require treatment and care. People suffering from crisis induced and pre-existing MH problems (including addiction) and intellectual disabilities are considered a vulnerable population and should be provided access to appropriate services and support. The providers of these services must be knowledgeable, skilled, well-trained and supervised.

Recently, WHO Jordan Country Office received further support from the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) to implement the project “Strengthening the mental health system, improve access and services for vulnerable Jordanians and refugees” – second phase, July 2019.

The overall goal of the aforementioned project is to “improve the health status of Jordanian host communities and refugees by strengthening the national mental health system, by promoting resilience, and by meeting humanitarian mental health needs.”

The project is aligned with the National Mental Health and Substance Use Action Plan (2018-2021), with the Regional Framework to Scale Up Action on Mental Health (EM/RC62/R.5) and with Strategic Development Goals (SDG) targets. It also builds on the previous project (first phase) activities’ and achievements.

The project consists of four Outputs:

Output 1. Strengthen mental health at the primary care level, to improve access to services and facilitate the downsizing of the standalone psychiatric hospital

Output 2. Strengthen mental health at the secondary level, to improve access to services and to facilitate the downsizing of the standalone psychiatric hospital

Output 3. Support mental health community awareness initiatives targeting both vulnerable Jordanians and refugees

Output 4. Strengthen the governance of the mental health system in Jordan

Planning and implementation of above-mentioned activities will be done in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) Head of Disabilities and Mental Health Directorate, Head of National Centre for Mental Health (NCMH), WHO Jordan National Mental Health Officer, WHO Jordan NCDs Coordinator and WHO/EMRO Regional Advisor for Mental Health and Substance Abuse.

To enable project implementation, WHO Jordan is seeking to contract an expert consultant to lead the design and implementation of capacity-building activities of healthcare providers on the provision of mental health and substance use services at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of care, as well as to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the availability of psychotropic medications in public health facilities nation-wide.

Planned timelines

Start date: April 1, 2021

End date: December 31, 2021

Work to be performed

Output 1: Build the capacity (including supervision) of healthcare providers at primary healthcare level on mhGAP-IG (48 days)

Deliverable 1.1 (3 days):

• Develop mhGAP training materials including powerpoint presentations, contextually and culturally appropriate practical exercises (role plays, case studies), and supporting materials such as agenda, handouts, and pre-/post-test(s).

• Submit the following documentation to WHO Jordan National Mental Health Officer: agenda, training materials.

Deliverable 1.2 (15 days):

• Conduct 3 mhGAP training courses (5 days each, 15 days total) targeting 75 MOH primary healthcare professionals (e.g. General Practitioners, family doctors, nurses). The training courses will include: communication skills, master chart, all mhGAP-IG modules including psychosis, bipolar disorder, epilepsy, behavioral problems, dementia, alcohol and drug use, with emphasis on depression, suicide, other emotional or medically unexplained complaints, and developmental disorders.
• Conduct supervising role plays and case studies for all the modules.
• Provide feedback and practical solutions to any challenges and queries about applying the skills and modules.

Deliverable 1.3 (30 days):

Upon completion of the above-mentioned training activities, the contractor will during his assignment:

• Conduct monthly supervision to 10 newly mhGAP trained PHC professionals; where s/he should dedicate about half day for each facility (will be selected in coordination with the MOH mental health focal point) with the aim of discussing challenging cases and for clinical, administrative and programmatic support - the supervision will be conducted as a hybrid between on-site visits and remote/virtual support on a monthly basis, and in a mix between individual sessions and small groups (5 days/month x 6 months) 30 days
• The mhGAP consultant will schedule the supervisory visits to facilities.
• The mhGAP consultant will apply WHO mhGAP Support and Supervision Guide throughout the supervision visit.
• mhGAP consultant will complete a summary report of the supervision activity.
• In total, the supervisor will conduct 5 supervision visits (6 months), where s/he will spend half day at each facility. Therefore, total number of days for this task will be (30 days)

Output 2: Build the capacity of healthcare professionals in the rational prescription of psychotropic medications and substance use evidence-based interventions (10 days)

Deliverable 2.1 (5 days):

• Develop all relevant materials for the training to mental health specialists at the National Center for the Rehabilitation of Addicts (NCRA) on the provision of substance use evidence-based interventions (2 days)
  • Materials including powerpoint presentations, contextually and culturally appropriate practical exercises (role plays, case studies), and supporting materials such as agenda, handouts, and pre-/post-test(s).
• Submit the following documentation to WHO Jordan National Mental Health Officer: agenda, training materials.
• Conduct 1 training course (3 days) targeting 10 specialists from the NCRA (to be nominated by the head of the National Center for Mental Health) including:
  • Conducting supervising role plays and case studies for applied skills development.
  • Providing feedback and problem-solving to perceived challenges and barriers to strengthen the implementation.

Deliverable 2.2 (5 days)

• Develop all relevant materials for the training to healthcare providers (GPs, family doctors, psychiatrists) on the rational prescription of essential psychotropic medications (2 days)
  • Materials including powerpoint presentations, contextually and culturally appropriate practical exercises (role plays, case studies), and supporting materials such as agenda, handouts, and pre-/post-test(s).
• Submit the following documentation to WHO Jordan National Mental Health Officer: agenda, training materials
• Conduct 1 training course (3 days total) targeting 25 healthcare providers including:
  • Conducting supervising role plays and case studies for applied skills development.
  • Providing feedback and problem-solving to perceived challenges and barriers to strengthen the implementation.

Output 3: Assessment of the availability of psychotropic medications (10 days)

Deliverable 3.1: Design an appropriate tool for the assessment of the availability of essential psychotropic medications, based on the WHO List of Essential Medicines and national equivalent (2 days)

Deliverable 3.2: Conduct the assessment of the availability of essential psychotropic medications at PHC centers integrating mental health through mhGAP (5 days). The assessment will include a survey sent to the managers of primary healthcare centers, via request from the head of primary healthcare in MOH

Deliverable 3.3: Perform analysis of the availability of psychotropic medicines, with recommendations for improving availability and coverage (3 days)

Output 4: Reporting

Upon completion of the above consultation period, the contractor will provide a technical report outlining:

• A summary of the consultation completed,
• Challenges
• Recommendations.

Required Qualifications

Education:

Master’s degree in Psychiatry;

Licensure for clinical practice

Strong technical expertise in WHO mhGAP package.

Desirable: Qualifications in public health (e.g. certification, master’s degree, doctorate);

Experience:

A minimum of 7 years of work experience

Skills / Technical knowledge

• Experience in providing direct and remote psychiatric care to patients;
• Experience in the training and supervision of multidisciplinary teams of mental healthcare providers (psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers)
• Good knowledge in the public mental health approach, prevention and treatment models in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS).
• Good knowledge of and experience with the Jordanian public health system at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of care (including the National Center for Mental Health), as well as related referrals system;
• Experience in development of evidence-based training materials and delivering training to general and specialist healthcare providers, including clinical supervision.
• Good report writing skills
• Experience with the UN system or other international organizations is an advantage.

Language

Proficiency in Arabic and English is required

Location

Jordan

Medical clearance

The selected Consultant will be expected to provide a medical certificate of fitness for work.

Travel (If travel is involved, a medical certificate of fitness for work will be required.)

All travel arrangements will be made by WHO – WHO will not be responsible for tickets purchased by the Consultant without the express, prior authorization of WHO. While on mission under the terms of this consultancy, the Consultant will receive subsistence allowance.

Visas requirements: it is the consultant’s responsibility to fulfil visa requirements and ask for visa support letter(s) if needed.

Remuneration and budget (travel costs excluded) Remuneration: national consultant (NOD level)

Additional Information section

• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
  Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• Renumeration is in line with WHO applicable consultant payment rates
• Successful candidates will be included in the roster for consideration for future contractual engagement via a consultancy, as they become available. Inclusion in the roster does not guarantee any future contractual relationship with WHO
• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
• If your candidature is retained for interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
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