Job summary
- Main area
- Mental Health
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 6
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Flexible working patterns will be considered however, working Fridays and Mondays will be essential.)
- Job ref
- 354-AE-21322
- Employer
- Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Cavendish House
- Town
- Hastings
- Salary
- £39,959 - £48,117 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 01/09/2026 23:59
- Interview date
- 08/09/2026
Employer heading
Community Mental Health Nurse
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
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
The East Sussex Rehabilitation Pathway provides inpatient and community rehabilitation for individuals with complex mental health needs, offering both short- and long-term support.
This community-based role focuses on delivering long-term rehabilitation interventions as a Lead Practitioner, supporting service users for up to three years. The team holds medical responsibility, working collaboratively to promote recovery, independence and meaningful outcomes.
You will work with adults (18+) with complex and enduring mental health needs, most often severe mental illness such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or bipolar disorder. Service users are supported and motivated to engage in their recovery journey.
Who We Support
We work with individuals who:
- Require more intensive support than standard community services
- Have experienced barriers to recovery and ongoing functional difficulties
- Are transitioning from high-support settings to greater independence
- Need focused community input to support discharge from inpatient care.
Working for our organisation
Our services provide compassionate, specialist mental health care to individuals experiencing a range of conditions, including psychosis, depression, anxiety, dementia and personality disorders. Alongside this, our specialist learning disability services deliver both community and inpatient care for people with complex and often unmet health needs.
We are proud to offer a number of highly specialised services for individuals with complex health and social care needs. Care is delivered across a range of settings, including people’s homes, clinics, hospitals, GP surgeries and prisons. We support children, young people and adults of all ages, working collaboratively with partners to ensure a holistic and person-centred approach to care.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
This is a full-time position within a dynamic community mental health team.
The post holder will act as Lead Practitioner for a caseload of approximately 15 patients, supporting individuals with severe and enduring mental health difficulties, often presenting with complex comorbidities, dual diagnosis, and elevated levels of risk to self and/or others.
The role includes providing clinical supervision and support to junior staff, contributing to their development within a supportive learning environment.
You will take an active role in the assessment and formulation of new referrals, ensuring timely and comprehensive care planning. In addition, you will participate in shift coordination, promoting safe and effective day-to-day service delivery, and contribute to the duty system, supporting urgent and unplanned work across the team.
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
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.
Application numbers
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Sarah Longworth
- Job title
- Team Lead
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07933511823
- Additional information
If I do not answer please leave me a voicemail and I will return your call as soon as I am able.
List jobs with Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust in Nursing and Midwifery or all sectors






