Mental Health Practitioner Band 6

Job details

• Branch: Lisburn Area (SEHSCT)
• Location: LPCCC
• Salary: Band 6 (£38,682 - £46,580)
• Contract Type: Permanent
• Opening Date: 11/06/26
• Closes: Thu, 25 June 2026 @ 5:30 PM
• Interview Dates: To be confirmed

Notes

Important Information If you are submitting a manual application, please post it to: Recruitment Shared Services, Rosewood Villa, Longstone Hospital Site, 73 Loughgall Road, Armagh, BT61 7PR. Applications received after the advertised closing date/time cannot be considered, so please allow enough time for postage. “A waiting list may be created for similar posts that may arise while the waiting list is live, this may include temporary or part-time posts. This will be managed in line with the updated HSC waiting list principles effective from 1 April 2026. Where a part-time waiting list is required, one part-time waiting list will be created- regardless of any specific hours advertised, this waiting list will cover all future vacancies where part-time posts arise. A part-time post is defined as any post that has less than 37.5 hours per week.” Please remember to save or print a copy of the job description before submitting your application, as it will not be accessible afterwards. Flexible Working We welcome flexible working requests from day one. All HSC organisations offer a range of flexible working options. The options available for this post will depend on the requirements of the role. Find out more about flexible working options on our website.

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE Community Mental Health Practitioner,

Mental Health Assessment Centres

BAND Band 6

DIRECTORATE Adult Services, Mental Health Programme

INITIAL LOCATION LPCCC with required flexibility to

Cover Downpatrick and Ards areas as and

when required

REPORTS TO Team Leader/Care Co-ordinator

ACCOUNTABLE TO Community Mental Health Services

Manager

JOB SUMMARY

The Band 6 Community Mental Health Practitioner will work in any Mental Health Team as part of the overall delivery of Mental Health services within the South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust.

Mental Health Services are delivered twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, including Bank Holidays, in both hospital and community environments and the post holder will be expected to work flexibly to ensure the delivery of the service.

The Practitioner will work within a matrix organisation promoting effective inter-disciplinary and inter-agency relationships and acting as a link between clients, professionals and other services to ensure continuity of care.

As a member of the multi-disciplinary team, the Practitioner will provide skilled assessments and provide evidenced based interventions in a variety of settings to people with mental health problems, and their carers.

The successful applicant will be required to work in any part of the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust area within any mental health team or service as needs dictate.

“The focus of future mental health services will be based on the delivery of a comprehensive range of services, provided within a stepped care model that ensures that people with a mental health need receive services that are underpinned by the principle of recovery and aimed at achieving and maintaining the maximum level of functioning, independence, social inclusion”.

Bamford Action Plan

To accept appropriate referrals, undertake assessment of individuals' mental health and social needs and identify potential risks

To assess health and wellbeing needs and strengths and develop, monitor and review care plans to meet specific needs

To complete the Regional Risk Assessment

To consider the needs of children and other family members as part of the overall

To plan, deliver and evaluate skilled, evidence-based interventions in conjunction with the client and significant others in a community setting

To promote recovery and empower people to realise and maintain their potential in relation to health and wellbeing

To monitor and report on the effectiveness of interventions and contribute to multi-disciplinary review

To act as liaison between Professionals/Agencies ensuring the client receives continuity of service through clear and timely communication with all involved in their care

To liaise with the Mental Health Inpatient Unit, participating in discharge planning and providing follow-up where required

To educate and support Carers including assessing their needs and, where appropriate, take action to meet these needs

To liaise with the Client, Peer and Carer Advocates and contribute towards User and Carer participation in the delivery of services

To participate in the Assessment Centre and other rotas as required by the Service

KEY DUTIES / RESPONSIBILITIES

Clinical/Professional/Specific Managerial Responsibilities

To respond in a timely manner to referrals ensuring targets are met

To provide accurate written and electronic records, reports, statistical data and other associated documentation in accordance with Trust/Regional requirements and professional standards

To adhere to the provisions contained in the Mental Health (N.I.) Order 1986, other relevant legislation including The Children (NI) Order 1995, and to Trust policies and procedures

To act as Investigative Officer in accordance with Trust policies and procedures in respect of Safeguarding Adults

To consider the needs of children, where appropriate, and act accordingly

To maintain professional registration

To ensure personal accountability in accordance with their professional Code of Practice

To manage own workload and participate in identifying and addressing own development needs through Staff Appraisal and the Supervision Process

To maintain agreed standards and contribute to the Trust’s Governance Strategy

To provide consultation, advice and guidance to others in respect of the practitioners professional role

To take an active role in the team's academic programme and participate in mandatory training and the professional forums as part of Continuous Professional Development

Develop personal knowledge and skills to level 2-4 of the SBNI ‘Child Safeguarding Learning and Development Strategy and Framework’ (2020-2023).

To support and supervise students on placement

To represent the Agency as required, participating in meetings, attending courses and conferences

Generic managerial responsibilities both within an operational and strategic

context.

To identify and inform the management team of unmet need and gaps in services

To participate in research and audit including the evaluation of services and undertake projects when required

To adhere to Trust Policy & Procedures

GENERAL MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

The post holder will promote and support effective team working, fostering a culture of openness and transparency. The post holder will ensure that they take all concerns raised with them seriously and act in accordance with the South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust’s Raising Concerns Policy and their professional code of conduct, where applicable.

Co-operate fully with the implementation of the Trust's Health and Safety arrangements, reporting any accidents/incidents/equipment defects to his/her manager, and maintaining a clean, uncluttered and safe environment for patients/clients, members of the public and staff.

Adhere at all times to all Trust policies/codes of conduct, including for example

Smoke Free policy

IT Security Policy and Code of Conduct

standards of attendance, appearance and behaviour

Contribute to ensuring the highest standards of environmental cleanliness within your designated area of work.

Co-operate fully with regard to Trust policies and procedures relating to infection prevention and control.

All employees of the [org name] are legally responsible for all records held, created or used as part of their business within the [org name] including patients/clients, corporate and administrative records whether paper-based or electronic and also including emails. All such records are public records and are accessible to the general public, with limited exceptions, under the Freedom of Information act 2000 the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Employees are required to be conversant with the [org name] policy and procedures on records management and to seek advice if in doubt.

Take responsibility for his/her own ongoing learning and development, in order to maximise his/her potential and continue to meet the demands of the post.

Represent the Trust’s commitment to providing the highest possible standard of service to patients/clients and members of the public, by treating all those with whom he/she comes into contact in the course of work, in a pleasant, courteous and respectful manner.

This Job Description will be subject to review in the light of changing circumstances and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the individual works. Other duties of a similar nature and appropriate to the grade may be assigned from time to time.

It is a standard condition that all Trust staff may be required to serve at any location within the Trust's area, as needs of the service demand.

eHealth

The South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust has invested in eHealth to deliver better, faster, safer care to our community and is committed to supporting staff to utilise associated information systems that directly and indirectly inform care. Trust staff are therefore required to commit sufficient time to ensure that they acquire and/or retain the core technology skills required to support their role.

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PERSONNEL SPECIFICATION

JOB TITLE Community Mental Health Practitioner

Mental Health Assessment Centres

DEPARTMENT / DIRECTORATE Adult Services, Mental Health Programme

SALARY Band 6

HOURS 37.5 per week

Ref No: 55712306 May 2026

Notes to applicants

You must clearly demonstrate on your application form under each question, how you meet the required criteria as failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. You should clearly demonstrate this for both the essential and desirable criteria.

Shortlisting will be carried out on the basis of the essential criteria set out in Section 1 below, using the information provided by you on your application form. Please note the Trust reserves the right to use any desirable criteria outlined in Section 3 at shortlisting. You must clearly demonstrate on your application form how you meet the desirable criteria.

Proof of qualifications and/or professional registration will be required if an offer of employment is made – if you are unable to provide this, the offer may be withdrawn.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

SECTION 1: The following are ESSENTIAL criteria which will initially be measured at shortlisting stage although may also be further explored during the interview/selection stage. You should therefore make it clear on your application form whether or not you meet these criteria. Failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. The stage in the process when the criteria will be measured is stated below.

Factor

Criteria

Method of Assessment

Experience

Two years post-qualifying experience in Mental Health.

Shortlisting by Application Form

Qualifications/ Registration

Relevant professional qualification in Social Work, Nursing or Occupational Therapy. Have a live registration with the relevant body.

Shortlisting by Application Form

Other

Hold a current full driving licence which is valid for use in the UK and have access to a car on appointment. This criteria will be waived in the case of applicants whose disability prohibits driving but who have access to a form of transport approved by the Trust which will permit them to carry out the duties of the post.

Shortlisting by Application Form

SECTION 2: The following are ESSENTIAL criteria which will be measured during the interview/ selection stage:

Skills / Abilities

Work as part of a multidisciplinary team and demonstrate an awareness of the complex needs of this service user group

Ability to assess and plan the immediate care needs of service users with mental health difficulties and evaluate the impact and effectiveness of that care.

Interview / Test

Interview/Test

Knowledge

Evidence of post registration professional development

Evidence of ‘recovery-orientated’ practice and theoretical knowledge around mental health conditions and the mental health practice.

Application Form

Interview/Test

DESIRABLE CRITERIA

SECTION 3: these will ONLY be used where it is necessary to introduce additional job related criteria to ensure files are manageable. You should therefore make it clear on your application form how you meet these criteria. Failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted

Factor

Criteria

Method of Assessment

Experience

Evidence of post qualification training and/or qualifications in addiction or psychotherapeutic interventions.

Evidence of post-qualification training and/or development in a management or leadership programme.

Shortlisting by Application Form

To access a copy of the Access NI Code of Practice, please Click here

The South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust has guidance on the Recruitment of People with Criminal Convictions. To access a copy of this guidance, please Click Here

Protecting and using your information

To access a copy of the Trust’s Data Protection Policy Statement,

Click Here

As part of the Recruitment & Selection process it may be necessary for The Organisation to carry out an Enhanced Disclosure Check through Access NI before any appointment to this post can be confirmed.

THE ORGANISATION IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER

Successful applicants

may be required to attend for a Health Assessment

can expect to be placed at the minimum point of the pay scale, although a higher starting salary, within the range of the pay band may be available if the person appointed has experience relevant & equivalent to the post. Request for recognition of previous service with non-direct NHS/HSC organisations towards starting salary and incremental credit must be made via the Retained Recruitment team within 3 months from commencement of employment. Requests made after 3 months will not be considered. If the successful candidate is an existing HSC employee moving to a higher band, AfC Pay on Promotion will apply.

are able to request Flexible Working from the 1st day of their employment. A number of flexible working provisions are offered by all HSC Organisations including Full-time working, Fixed working patterns, Part-time working, Flexi-time, Compressed/elongated hours, Average hours working patterns, Term-time working, Job-share or Homeworking for some or all of the working pattern, depending on the role being undertaken. Successful applicants are encouraged to discuss with their manager what Flexible Working provisions may be available in the role they are taking up, prior to commencing employment, to help them achieve a positive Work/Life Balance

All staff are expected to display the HSC Values at all times