Advanced Practitioner

Job overview

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust is establishing a new Mental Health Urgent Treatment Centre (MH UTC) on the Maudsley Hospital site. This is a flagship development and will serve as a dedicated access point for adults presenting in acute mental health crisis. The MH UTC Centre aims to provide a safer, quieter, trauma-informed alternative to Emergency Departments for individuals who do not require physical health intervention but require urgent mental health assessment.

The model is based on national learning from Mental Health Crisis Assessment Centers (MHCAS), local experience from liaison services, and extensive co-production with people with lived experience. The Centre will operate 24/7, providing rapid triage, assessment, short-stay observation, and collaborative safety planning. It has capacity for up to 10 patients, including private assessment rooms.

MH UTC will:

Provide 24/7 nurse-led assessment and stabilisation of adults experiencing acute mental health crisis.

Serve as an alternative to EDs for patients medically fit for psychiatric assessment.

Support safe waiting, risk assessment/management, collaborative formulation, and early intervention for those in a mental health crisis. Bridge directly into community- and voluntary-sector supports such as Southwark Community Sanctuary and Crisis Plus services.

The Centre’s environment is designed around privacy, dignity, de-escalation, sensory safety, and culturally competent trauma-informed care.

Main duties of the job

The service acts as a key hub in the urgent care pathway, offering an alternative to emergency departments for specialist mental health assessment and intervention.

This is a shift-based role following a rotational pattern of long days and nights to maintain safe 24/7 coverage. The post holder will demonstrate strong interpersonal, communication, and de-escalation skills, working effectively in a high-pressure environment with acutely distressed or challenging individuals

This post is for a Band 7 Advanced Practitioner within the Mental Health Urgent Treatment Centre (MHUTC), providing senior clinical leadership within a 24/7 urgent mental health service. The role involves assessing, managing, and supporting people experiencing acute mental health crises who are referred from services including A&E departments, Community Mental Health Teams, Health Based Place of Safety and Home Treatment Teams.

The role requires a blended skill set, incorporating principles of advanced psychiatric liaison nursing, physical health assessment, collaborative working, and strong clinical leadership. The post holder will provide line management, supervision, support, and professional development to junior staff, ensuring high standards of care and consistency across the service.

The post holder will work flexibly to support service delivery outside normal hours and maintain safe, effective, and responsive care.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To provide specialist screening at the point of referral.

Provide timely assessments for people in crisis with moderate to severe mental health needs.

Refer patients as appropriate to Primary/Secondary care teams or services in collaboration with GPs, working in partnership to ensure seamless, integrated pathways.

Interpret results holistically, prioritising, analysing, reviewing, and adjusting care packages while managing conflicting professional opinions.

Develop crisis/contingency plans with patients/families, incorporating risk assessment and positive risk-taking; act as an advocate to enable management of disability, loss, and change.

Complete Risk Assessment from the completed screening; including autonomous decisions around discharge and/or onward referral and sign-posting to primary care/ mental health services.

Act as a senior clinician in the MHUTC; providing advice, clinical support and senior review where necessary.

To liaise effectively with services and service providers both inside and outside of the Trust (including CMHTs, Police, Ambulance, Social Services, GPs and Hospital staff).

The post holder will co-ordinate streaming and triaging patients to the Mental Health Urgent Treatment Centre by liaising with PLNs, ARC staff for efficient  patient flow throughout the Emergency Department.

Participate in teaching and training of staff within MHUTC

Co-ordinating the pathway and patient flow throughout the Emergency Department.

Consistently apply effective decision making and problem solving skills, including but not limited to ability to prioritise workload, ability to assess and manage mental health crises, ability to manage conflict, ability to work in a high pressure environment and ability to communicate across a range of services and professionals especially those working in acute trust.

Maintain confidentiality by ensuring that information is only shared with those who need to know.

Demonstrate a high level of interpersonal skills, self-awareness, leadership skills and empathy in all communications