Mental Health Practitioner
At a glance
- Band
- Band 6
- Contract
- Permanent
- Pattern
- Full-time, Part-time, Job share, Flexible working
- Hours / week
- 37.5
- Posted
- 02/09/2026
- Closes
- 16/09/2026
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 is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Mental Health Practitioner to join the MAIS service within Adult Mental Health Services. You will work in a registered-led multi-disciplinary team, delivering mental health assessments and recovery-focused interventions to service users and their carers in the community. The role involves managing a defined caseload, collaborating with other agencies, and providing specialist mental health support in line with Recovery and Trauma Informed Principles. You will also provide clinical advice to junior staff and contribute to training.
Essential criteria
- To participate in on- call structure. Ability to work flexible hours.
- Able to work alone and unsupervised following induction period
- Reflective, curious and creative in approach to patient care
- Responsible and self-motivated, tact, diplomacy and self-confident.
- Able to manage difficult and distressing situations effectively.
- Flexible and adaptable, ability to learn new skills and develop role.
- Display values of being kind, respectful, inclusive, ambitious, responsible and collaborative. commitment to the aims and values of the NHS combined with high personal integrity.
- Committed to developing and improving mental health services.
- Ability to frequently travel independently and in a timely manner between Livewell Southwest sites and community locations including areas not served by public transport.
- Specific skills
- IT skills
- Ability to prioritise workload
- Risk assessment and formulation skills, including safety planning.
- Robust and positive approach towards risk assessment
- Ability to work effectively under pressure.
- Ability to prioritise and reprioritise work to meet clinical demand.
- Ability to identify and refer on for unmet need. Working effectively with patients who may have a variety of communication difficulties.
- Triaging referrals based on clinical urgency.
- Ability to manage environmental stress.
- Ability to work in a changing team.
- Articulate with a high level of communication skills.
- Ability to deal with high levels of emotional stress.
- Ability to sustain high levels of concentration.
Desirable criteria
- Staff appraisal skills
- Committed to developing new ideas and improving patient care.
- Physical healthcare skills
- Significant post-registration experience of working with people with complex mental ill health within the community, including those who may abuse drugs and/or alcohol
- Significant experience as a Key Worker/ or Home Treatment/Crisis worker
- Experience of working collaboratively with patients and their families/carers
- Previous experience of working at a level relevant to the role, post registration experience in acute mental health.
- Completing complex mental health assessments in a variety of different settings in the community and signposting to relevant services
- Relapse prevention and Recovery Principles
- Experience of working with people in high levels of distress
- Extensive post-qualifying experience of practicing low intensity CBT interventions with people with a range of mental health problems in a community mental health setting
- Experience of providing clinical supervision, mentoring, and teaching to students and other health professionals
- Experience of working in an acute inpatient unit
- Experience of working with older adults
- Experience of working with people with an offending background
- Experience of conducting basic physical health screening
- Previous experience of working in a community mental health setting.
- Evidence of developing and contributing to service development.
- Experience of change in health care.
- Collaborative working with peer support organisations
- Further post graduate training in relevant areas of professional psychology, mental health practice and/or research design and analysis.
- Experience working with a psychologist or MH professional
- Experience of managing or supervising junior staff.
- Managing a caseload of clients with a range of mental health presentation.
- One of the following:
- RMN/Dip HE/BSc Mental Health Nursing NMC Registration
- RGN/Dip HE/BSc Registered Nurse NMC Registration
- Occupational Therapy Degree HCPC Registration
- Social Work Degree HCPC Registration
- Paramedic Science Degree/BSc/Dip HE HCPC Registration Registered
- Post qualification experience/training in mental health and related issues.
- Clinical Supervision training
- Evidence of completion of statutory and mandatory training
- Mentorship qualification or equivalent experience.
- Non-medical prescriber or willingness to work towards this where appropriate.
- Leadership qualifications.
- (Occupational Therapist, Social Worker, Mental health nurse, psychological wellbeing practitioner)
- Evidence of post registration development.
- Clinical Risk Assessment.
- Safeguarding Adults and Children
- Clinical Governance
- Care program approach & person-centered framework
- Psychological models of care and treatment
- Sound working knowledge of Mental Health Act (1983), Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (2005).
- Understanding of National guidelines and initiatives related to provision of mental health services
- Understanding of the provision of mental health care and recovery services in the community.
- Specialist knowledge of mental disorders and their impact on physical health.
- CBT skills.
- Problem solving skills.
- Solution focused therapy skills.
- Physical healthcare skills.
- Motivational interviewing skills.
- DBT skills.
- Cognitive assessment skills.
- Microsoft Outlook.
- Culturally competent assessment and intervention skills
- SystmOne, Care First or other electronic records system also eCPA
- Additional requirements And behavioural attributes
- To participate in on- call structure. Ability to work flexible hours.
- Able to work alone and unsupervised following induction period
- Reflective, curious and creative in approach to patient care
- Responsible and self-motivated, tact, diplomacy and self-confident.
- Able to manage difficult and distressing situations effectively.
- Flexible and adaptable, ability to learn new skills and dev
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 5d ago · Closes in 10d
Plenty of time to prepare a strong application.
Full advert · preview
Livewell Southwest
Mental Health Practitioner
The closing date is 16 September 2026
Job summary
37.5
hours per week.
An exciting opportunity to work within MAIS service
as an a experienced Mental Health Practitioner within Adult Mental Health
Services. You will work within a registered-led multi-disciplinary Service delivering mental health
assessments and interventions providing outstanding care in the community for
Service Users.
As
a Community Mental Health Practitioner, you will have the opportunity to
provide a range of evidence based, recovery focussed interventions on both an
individual and group basis to service users and their carers. Additionally,
you will have the opportunity to work collaboratively with and provide
consultation to the wider support networks.
All Livewell Southwest staff are expected to able and willing to work across a 7 day service.
Job Share(s) Considered
"please note that this role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route, please refer to the Direct Gov website for more information with regards to eligibility"
Please note that Livewell may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline if a high number of applications are submitted. Therefore, we recommend you submit your application at the earliest opportunity
Main duties of the job
You will, as part of a Multi-Discip
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