Mental Health Practitioners - Referral and Assessment Hub
At a glance
- Band
- Band 6
- Contract
- Permanent
- Pattern
- Part-time
- Posted
- 15/09/2026
- Closes
- 24/09/2026
Sponsorship verdict
This contract type is not eligible for Skilled Worker sponsorship.
NHS Trusts cannot issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for part-time, bank, locum, zero-hours, job-share or short fixed-term (under 12 months) contracts under current Home Office rules. This applies even when the wider Trust holds a Skilled Worker licence.
Role summary
This role involves screening referrals and conducting assessments within the Referral and Assessment Hub in Wigan. As a Mental Health Practitioner, you will determine the appropriate care pathway for service users, including allocation to statutory services or the VCFSE sector. You will also provide duty assessments at designated bases or agreed venues, potentially in-reaching into inpatient wards. The position is full-time, initially working Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm, with potential for extended 7-day coverage.
Essential criteria
- Post-registration experience of working in a multi-disciplinary Community Mental Health Team, Home Treatment Team or other statutory mental health community services
- Evidence of post-registration specialist training and development.
- Knowledge of eligibility requirements to access statutory mental health services
Desirable criteria
- Good knowledge of community assets, including VCFSE
- Previous experience in a clinical supervisory role
- NMP
- Professional qualification and current registration (Qualified RMN, OT or Social Worker)
- Post registration training relevant to mental health/leadership/management
- Other
- Able to travel around the Trust footprint
- Ability to work over a 7 day period, from 9am to 7pm
- Skills and Abilities
- Understand all Trust Policies and Procedures in community settings
- Understand the need to safeguard children and vulnerable adults
- Carry out all duties and responsibilities of the post in accordance with Equal Opportunities, equality and Diversity and dignity in care and work policies and principles
- Maintain high standards of quality in corporate and clinical record keeping ensuring information is always recorded accurately, appropriately and kept up to date
- Evidence of completing mental health assessments
- Contribute to the control of risk and to report any incident, accident or near miss
- Evidence of risk and safety planning skills
- Evidence of continued learning through CPD or development
- Take reasonable care of the health and safety of yourself and other persons
- Evidence of supporting a busy duty system
- Evidence of triaging referrals
- Evidence of Completing Biopsychosocial Assessments
- Evidence of working across multiple pathways
- Offer advice and consultation to members of the multi-disciplinary team based on solid clinical experience of mental health assessment
- Participate in and ensure provision of Clinical Supervision, both as Supervisee and Supervisor and an understanding of the Knowledge, Skills Framework under Agenda for Change
- Ensure compliance with policy, procedure, and protocol, in consultation with the Team Managers, other Senior Practitioners and Professional Leads
- Participate in multi-agency meetings e.g., Protection of Vulnerable Adults, Child Protection.
- Understand the Clinical Governance agenda and provide professional representation in local groups supporting consultation and implementation.
- Full understanding of the Care Programme Approach including the needs and rights of Carers.
- Understanding of current national policy and initiatives in relation to severe and enduring mental health issues.
- Good knowledge of assessment and triage of referrals
- Ability to formulate needs-led, recovery-focused care and pathway plans.
- Knowledge of risk assessment and risk management processes.
- Knowledge of relevant legislation including: Mental Health Act Mental Capacity Act Care Act Section 136 processes
- Support the Team Managers and other Senior Practitioners / Professional Leads in the daily operation of the Teams.
- Promote a learning environment for students
- Detailed knowledge of local community, voluntary and third-sector services.
- Communication
- Evidence of excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to build effective working relationships with service users, carers and partner agencies.
- Ability to communicate complex information and manage challenging or emotive situations.
- Experience of multidisciplinary team working.
- Experience of working across organisational boundaries with health, social care and voluntary sector partners.
- Governance
- Knowledge of safeguarding responsibilities.
- Understanding of information governance and confidentiality requirements.
- Commitment to maintaining accurate clinical records.
- Understanding of clinical governance and quality improvement principles.
- Experience of participating in audits, service reviews or quality improvement initiatives
- Experience of implementing national guidance into practice.
- Post-registration experience of working in a multi-disciplinary Community Mental Health Team, Home Treatment Team or other statutory mental health community services
- Evidence of post-registration specialist training and development.
- Knowledge of eligibility requirements to access statutory mental hea
Useful to know
Agenda for Change 2024/25 pays Band 6 at £37,338 – £44,962 a year, across England.
This advert: £39,959 – £48,117 — outside the standard scale; check for HCAS/London weighting.
Posted 0d ago · Closes in 10d
Plenty of time to prepare a strong application.
Full advert · preview
Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Mental Health Practitioners - Referral and Assessment Hub
The closing date is 24 September 2026
Job summary
As part of Community Transformation, we are changing the way we manage referrals. We have developed a Referral and Assessment Hub in Wigan and are looking to recruit three Mental Health Practitioners to support the screening of referrals and subsequent assessments within the Hub.
You will screen referrals to the Hub for people with mental health difficulties. Following your screening/assessment as a Trusted Assessor, you and your colleagues within the Team's MDT will determine the care pathway of the service user within mental health services, ensuring that the service user is allocated to the most appropriate service, including the VCFSE sector and Social Care.
You will provide duty assessments for the Referral and Assessment Hub at the designated base or at a venue agreed with the service user and carer. You will need to be able to travel across Wigan and Leigh. There may also be times when that duty assessment will require you to in-reach into the inpatient wards if a service user is an inpatient at the time of referral.
These posts are full time position and the working hours will be 9am-5.00pm Monday to Friday initially and over a flexible rota. Dependent on service need, the service may be extended i
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