Job vacancy: Mental Health Practitioner, Sussex Partnership NHS FoundationTrust, Hellingly

Job summary

Main area: Mental Health
Grade: NHS AfC: Band 6
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref: 354-PC-20681

Employer: Sussex Partnership NHS FoundationTrust
Employer type: NHS
Site: Woodside
Town: Hellingly
Salary: £38,682 - £46,580 per annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 31/08/2025 23:59

Mental Health Practitioner

NHS AfC: Band 6

Come and join us

We're looking for people who share our values (compassion, accountability and optimism) to help us provide high quality care to the patients, carers, families and local communities we serve. We specialise in providing NHS mental health and learning disability services.

So what can we offer you in return?

We're an organisation which puts people first. We'll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. We'll help you learn, acquire new skills and gain further experience to support your career development. And we'll provide the opportunity for you to bring your fresh ideas to work about how we can do things differently and continue improving.

You will also be joining a health and care system committed to working together to do the best we can for the communities we serve. Above all, at Sussex Partnership you'll have the chance to make a difference to the lives of the patients, carers and families across our communities.

As a Trust we are committed in making a difference. Your development is important to us, so don't forget to ask us during interview what opportunities we can offer. We can offer fully funded lifelong learning opportunities such as an apprenticeship from GCSE to Masters level.

If you like the sound of that, then come and join our team.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

We are looking for self-motivated, energetic, and creative clinicians. You will have substantial, transferable mental health experience (whether inpatient or community), and up to date professional registration from a core mental health profession.

Your interventions will be vital to preventing deterioration in previously stable patients, supporting people to transition to the right services, and supporting GPs and voluntary sector colleagues to provide safe, evidence-based mental health support. The team supports blended working options within the needs of the service, and of service users.

These roles will be important to the transformation of community mental health service in West Sussex, and will help to ensure that gaps in service between GPs, the voluntary sector, and secondary tier services can be bridged. We are therefore looking for practitioners who can build partnerships, and can work flexibly, adaptively, and creatively in growing and developing these locally focussed teams.

Interviews will be held w/c 17th March.

Please note: this role is open to Nursing, OT and Social Work core mental health professions with current registration on the NMC, HCPC or SWE registers. Counselling and Psychotherapy applicants without these core profession qualifications or registration will not be shortlisted.

Please see the attached Job Description for full details and responsibilities.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

Registered Mental Health professional qualification and registration (Must be one of: Social Work, Mental Health Nursing, Occupational Therapy)

Desirable criteria

Post Registration Study to Masters level in a relevant field or equivalent experience
Formal qualification in psychological intervention, such as CBT, EMDR or Counselling

Experience

Essential criteria

Extensive post-qualifying experience of clinical work with people with a range of mental health problems
Experience of partnership working within and across various different statutory and non-statutory teams and agencies
Experienced in conducting clinical assessments, including risk assessments
Experience of providing low intensity psychological interventions including, provision of self help, behavioural activation, solution focused, guided self help, and a CBT informed approach using a range of delivery models, telephone, face to face , individual and workshops

Desirable criteria

Experience of working with people with drug issue including alcohol issues
Experience of providing clinical supervision
Experience of working with people who experience mental health issues across all age and disability ranges

Sussex Partnership NHS FT is committed to supporting a diverse workforce that reflects our communities. Our workforce is currently under-represented from Black and Minority, Ethnic and disabled communities and we would welcome applications from these communities.

We regret that we are unable to advise candidates if they have not been shortlisted. If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date please assume that you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

In the event of an excessive number of applicants the Trust reserves the right to close this vacancy earlier than indicated.

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust takes its responsibilities for the safeguarding and protection of children and young people and vulnerable adults very seriously and expects this of all its employees and bank workers. The Trust works with adult and children’s social care to ensure that the integrated service has systems in place to equip staff and bank workers with the knowledge and skills to recognize abuse, and take action to safeguard and protect vulnerable adults and children and young people. It is expected that all staff and bank workers familiarise themselves with the appropriate structures and policies and with the Sussex child protection and safeguarding procedures and the Sussex multi-agency policy and procedures for safeguarding vulnerable adults and undertake the relevant essential training and further training appropriate to their role.

Successful candidates are normally offered salaries at the bottom of the relevant salary range. However, where previous or equivalent NHS experience in a similar role can be demonstrated and evidenced, this may be taken into consideration when setting the starting salary.

Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - Bronze

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: Lisa Hoole
Job title: EWS Team Leader
Email address: [email protected]
Telephone number: 07584395288

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Job summary

Employer heading

Mental Health Practitioner

NHS AfC: Band 6

Job overview

Main duties of the job

Working for our organisation

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

Desirable criteria

Experience

Essential criteria

Desirable criteria

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

Documents to download

Further details / informal visits contact

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