Job overview

Are you looking for a challenging and rewarding role within frontline mental health crisis care?

The Mental Health Single Point of Access (MH SPA) is seeking experienced Band 6 Crisis Care Practitioners to join our dynamic and supportive team in London.

This is a unique opportunity to work within a fast paced, high pressure crisis service supporting patients across both the MH SPA and NHS 111 Mental Health service. The role combines telephone triage, complex clinical decision making, face to face community assessments and support to junior colleagues, offering excellent exposure to a broad range of acute mental health presentations.

As part of our service, you will play a vital role in supporting individuals experiencing mental health crisis, often managing high risk, complex and emotionally demanding situations requiring rapid assessment, sound clinical judgement and confident decision making.

This is an excellent development opportunity for clinicians wishing to strengthen their crisis assessment, risk management and autonomous practice skills within a senior clinical role.

We are proud to offer a supportive and collaborative working environment, with strong peer support, reflective practice and leadership oversight in recognition of the emotionally demanding nature of crisis work.

Main duties of the job

As a Crisis Care Practitioner, you will provide urgent mental health assessment and intervention for individuals contacting the service in crisis, whether for themselves or others.

The role involves:

• Managing complex and high risk triage calls, undertaking robust mental health and risk assessments in time-sensitive situations
• Completing face to face community assessments for patients requiring urgent in person review
• Formulating risk management and crisis plans to support safe and effective patient care
• Working autonomously to make clinical decisions within a fast paced environment
• Liaising with partner agencies including GP’s, police, ambulance services, emergency departments and community mental health teams to coordinate safe care pathways
• Supporting and guiding junior staff with clinical decision making and risk formulation
• Managing referrals effectively to ensure patients access the most appropriate service and unnecessary hospital admissions are avoided
• Maintaining accurate, contemporaneous clinical documentation and records
• Contributing to service improvement and ongoing development of crisis pathways

This role requires clinicians who are resilient, adaptable and able to remain calm and professionally curious under pressure. Successful applicants must be confident managing competing demands, uncertainty and emotionally challenging situations whilst maintaining compassionate, patient centred care.

Working for our organisation

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.

Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and   Hammersmith & Fulham).  We employ over 5,000 staff, of whom 59% are BME. Our turnover for 2024-25 is over £500m.

The Trust is rated as ‘Good’ overall by the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as ‘Outstanding’.

The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.