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Job summary

Main area
Mental Health
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 6
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
354-AE-21302-2
Employer
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Wellbeing Centre
Town
Eastbourne
Salary
£39,959 - £48,117 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
22/06/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust logo

Occupational Therapist/Nurse - Mental Health - Thinking Well

NHS AfC: Band 6

Come and join us

We’re looking for people who share our values of compassion, accountability and optimism to help us provide high quality care for the patients, carers, families and communities we serve. We specialise in NHS mental health and learning disability services and we’re proud to make a difference every day.

At SPFT we put people first. We’ll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. You’ll have opportunities to learn, grow and gain new experiences to support your career, with access to lifelong learning and professional development.

We actively promote flexible working and understand how important work life balance is, especially in healthcare. Whether it’s part time hours, hybrid working or flexible start and finish times, we’ll explore what works for you and the role.

We recognise that tools like AI are becoming part of everyday life and you may choose to use them when preparing your application. We welcome this, as long as what you submit reflects your own experience, skills and voice. AI can be helpful for structuring or refining your answers, but it should not replace your own examples or create content that isn’t based on your real experience.

Our recruitment process is designed to get to know you, and we’ll explore your examples further at interview, so it’s important your application genuinely represents what you bring. You can read more about using AI in applications and interviews on our recruitment process page.

We’re shaping a workplace where ideas are encouraged, technology supports you and everyone has a voice in how we improve. If that sounds like the kind of organisation you want to be part of, we’d love to hear from you.

Job overview

We are looking for a resilient and enthusiastic Occupational Therapist or Mental Health Nurse to join our East Sussex Personality Disorder Service: Thinking Well. 

This post would be an ideal opportunity for someone with a passion for working with people who have complex emotional needs and personality disorder. We are a supportive team with a commitment to reflective practice, formulation and co-production. We offer a group-based programme, so we are looking for someone who is confident facilitating psychoeducational & clinical groups. Some of the groups we have run are Emotion Regulation, Recovery through Activity; SUN (Service user network), SCM informed skills and MBT (Mentalization Based Treatment) Groups. There will be an opportunity for training & development in these areas.

This service is located in Lewes Well Being Centre on a Monday, Bexhill Well Being Centre on a Tuesday, Eastbourne Well Being Centre on a Thursday. The team has a work base at the Woodside Annexe in Hellingly, which is sometimes used for team meetings or administrative purposes, and travel expenses are calculated from this base. The post holder to be willing to travel across East Sussex.

The post is 37.5hrs, but open to discussion regarding flexible working.

This post offers the Trust's £2,000 Golden Hello or Relocation Incentive for Band 6 Nurses & Practitioners, (pro rata and subject to terms and conditions; please see attached Protocol Document for full details).

Main duties of the job

This is a varied role that involves Nurse/ OT assessment, formulation, and interventions, as well as safety planning, consultation, reflective practice and training the team and other agencies to work with personality disorder. You will be well supported in individual supervision and team reflective practice sessions to take up this role. 

Please see job descriptions for OT and Nurse posts.

Working for our organisation

We’re a large NHS Mental Health Trust in South East England. We’re looking for people to help us provide high quality services for the patients, carers and local communities we serve.

We want patients and staff to recommend our organisation as a place where they would be happy for their friends and family to be treated. You can help us do this by bringing your skills, experience and commitment to Sussex Partnership.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated our services good, following their most recent inspection, and outstanding in the caring domain

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To provide occupational therapy interventions for referred clients using evidence based, client centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions. To promote and develop the role of Occupational Therapy within the clinical area. To act as a care coordinator if appropriate

The role of Community Nurse is to work in partnership with service users in the designated care group with complex health presentations, developing their care plans and recovery plans to enable them to lead fulfilling lives. They will demonstrate an understanding of clinical interventions relevant the care group to include education, care plans and discharge planning, working closely with carers, families and partner agencies to facilitate this. The post holder will work at all times to promote the safety and the well being of service users and their families/carers. The post holder will assess, plan and implement care, and provide specialist nursing advice and carry out specialist nursing procedures. They will provide clinical supervision to staff and students.

Please see job descriptions for OT and Nurse posts for further information.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Registered Nurse with current registration [mental health/LD/Adult], appropriate to the job role
  • Completion of Mentorship Course/ENB equivalent
  • Evidence of continuous professional development

Knowledge/Experience

Essential criteria
  • Significant post qualifying experience in the relevant care group
  • Experience of working alongside people with complex health problems in the designated care group
  • Experience of supervising staff
  • Experience of providing a range of clinical interventions to people in the designated care group with a variety of health problems
  • Experience of working consultatively with professionals
  • Experience of conducting clinical assessments including risk assessments
  • Experience of partnership working within and across various statutory and non statutory teams and agencies
  • Experience of working within the CPA process
  • Understanding of clinical governance
  • Previous experience of working in the community

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoNo smoking policyDisability confident leaderDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - BronzeCare quality commission - GoodArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardStep into healthPride In Veterans

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Emma Clifford
Job title
Clinical Service Manager East Division CEN Pathway
Email address
[email protected]
Additional information

For further details / informal visits please contact: 

Emma Clifford [Community Service Manager for the CEN pathway (complex emotional needs) including Thinking Well]

E-mail: [email protected]

Dr Dave Kirkpatrick [Principal Psychologist and Clinical Lead for Thinking Well]

 E-mail: [email protected]

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