Job summary
- Main area
- Mental Health
- Grade
- NHS AFC: Band 4
- Contract
- Fixed term: 12 months (This post is a training post for one year, with an agreement that the relevant team will then employ them in a substantive role following training.)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (one day a week will be at University as part of the MHWP training)
- Job ref
- 354-AE-21227
- Employer
- Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Cavendish House
- Town
- Hastings
- Salary
- £27,485 - £30,162 pa
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 11/11/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Trainee Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioner
NHS AFC: Band 4
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 AI is becoming part of daily life and you may choose to use it to help prepare your application. We welcome innovation but ask that anything you submit reflects your own abilities, experience and voice. AI can support how you describe your skills and experience, but it should never replace your own words as we want to get to know you.
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 excited to announce that we have been awarded funding from Health Education England to offer the opportunity to come and train with us at Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust (SPFT) as a Mental Health Wellbeing Practitioner (MHWP). Sussex Partnership is a mental health trust, offering care across Sussex to adults, older adults and children with mental health problems. The MHWP posts are new national roles based in our neighbourhood mental health teams. Those successful in the posts will be trained to offer psychologically-informed interventions to people in our NMHTs alongside our multi-disciplinary colleagues. You will be part of our psychological professions team, receiving high quality supervision and continued professional development and support. If you are successful in this post you will receive NHS funded training at Sussex University, and a salary with us at Sussex Partnership for the placement element of your training. The years training will then equip you to apply for qualified MHWP posts within our trust.
Please note, you cannot train or apply for another NHS England training (including clinical psychology training) within two years of taking on an MHWP role
It is hoped the interviews will be held on 17th and 24th Nov 2025
Main duties of the job
There has been recent national recognition that MHWP posts can play a key role in the provision of psychological therapies in our NMHTs. These are multi disciplinary teams that work with people in the community and you will be providing intensive short term therapeutic interventions within the context of the wider team. There are 3 posts which will be located in different teams in Mid Sussex, Worthing and Hastings. Two posts are in the Dementia and Older People's Mental health (Worthing and Haywards heath) part of the service and the Hastings post is Specialist adult. These teams work with a range of presenting mental health issues. You will all be interviewed as one cohort, but it will be possible to express a preference for a placement location at interview stage. We will be offering a centralised recruitment process where candidates who are successfully shortlisted will be invited to a single interview. Successful candidates will then be offered a post based on their preferences.
Working for our organisation
Sussex Partnership is a fantastic Trust to work for and the psychological professions are highly valued. Our teams are welcoming and enthusiastic about providing the best possible care for people who access our services. Sussex is a beautiful county with good transport links, vibrant urban communities, rural areas and tourist attractions, including the Coast and the South Downs. The Trust has been rated by the CQC as Good overall and Outstanding for care.
Supervision and wider professional support will be offered to all successful candidates. A specialised induction programme is also available and successful applicants will also be able to attend training that is offering at the Trust.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
This is a training role within the NMHTs. The post-holder will be enrolled in a graduate certificate or postgraduate certificate training delivering the national curriculum for Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioners. The post-holder will attend all elements of the programme of study and progress successfully through assessments of competence and attainment. In the remaining part of the week they will work as a trainee in the service, under close supervision and regular course assessment of practice competence. They will work within the limits of their experience and assessed competence for their stage of training:
• To work alongside service users, families, carers and multi-disciplinary team members to co-ordinate care, supporting collaborative decision making about care and treatment.
• To deliver a set of wellbeing-focused psychologically-informed interventions, aligned to cognitive-behavioural principles, based on the best evidence available, that address problems often experienced by people with severe mental health problems.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Batchelor's degree at 2:2 in any subject for entry toPostgraduate route
- Enrolled on a programme of study for a graduate certificate (Level 6) or postgraduate certificate (Level 7) delivering the national curriculum for mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioners (Adult Specialist Mental Health)
Knowledge/Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of work interacting with the public
- Experience working as part of a team
- Experience of analysing and communicating complex information verbally and in writing
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
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.
Application numbers
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Claire Tredgett
- Job title
- Psychological Professions lead
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07738756980
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