
Job requirements
Essential
5 listedRequirements the employer expects applicants to meet.
- Skills
Good written/verbal communication skills
- Experience
Previous experience working as a registered Mental Health Professional
- Experience
Evidence of well developed clinical skills in assessing and treating adults with complex mental health needs
- Experience
Experience of multi-professional collaboration including working in partnership with other statutory and voluntary organisations. Experience of setting, monitoring and evaluating standards of care.
- Qualifications
Professional Registration - RMN, HCPC, Social Worker, Etc
Desirable
2 listedAdditional qualities the employer would prefer.
- Experience
Knowledge of current National Prison Health Quality & Performance Indicators
- Experience
Working knowledge of current issues/agendas facing prison/offender healthcare Experience Working within prison or secure settings
Job overview
Are you ready to unlock your potential within a challenging, creative and fast paced work environment? Do you want to work with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past?
Due to our ongoing success as the healthcare provider at HMP Guys Marsh, we are currently expanding opportunities due to additional commissioned services. We are currently looking for a compassionate, knowledgeable and motivated Mental Health Practitioner to join our friendly team at HMP Guys Marsh on a 12 month FTC covering maternity leave.
Our healthcare team have a real impact on promoting health and well-being to those in prison and we pride ourselves on using skills and strategies that instil hope for patients future resettlement back into the community. We directly deliver Mental Health, Physical Health, Pharmacy and Clinical Substance Misuse in an integrated healthcare delivery model to provide effective and responsive care to improve wellbeing and support better outcomes in the future.
As part of our mental health team, you will enjoy all the benefits of NHS AfC employment (inc pension) with the opportunity to work within a forward-thinking service, who encourage career and personal development to all staff to increase their clinical and interpersonal skills.
**Important Sponsorship Information for this post: We are currently unable to offer a certificate of sponsorship for this post**
Main duties of the job
As a Mental Health Practitioner you will be providing specialist mental healthcare to offenders and working as part of the Mental Health In-Reach Team, plus wider mental health services. You will be required to work in a psychologically minded way with offenders in achieving their agreed goals and quality health outcomes.
Our Mental Health Team provide specialist interventions at primary and secondary care level including; referral management, screening assessment, triage, evidence-based interventions, care planning and risk assessing, plus one-to-one and group-work facilitation.
Our Mental Health Practitioners manage a mixed and challenging caseload and are required to perform robust assessment, screening and interventions to offenders with learning disabilities and mental health conditions. You will contribute to alternatives to inpatient admission and assisting with early discharge through the implementation of high intensity interventions and complex case management arrangements.
One of our key aims is to ensure continuity of care for an offender on ordinary location and reduce the length of stay, both in relation to prison inpatient services and external NHS/independent in-patient services. You will work closely with community mental health teams to ensure appropriate sharing of information, continuity of care and the Care Programme Approach for all offenders as necessary.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- To communicate effectively on a range of issues that are often complex in their nature and in complex situations.
- Participate in the annual appraisal reviews and demonstrate reflective practice through the Knowledge and Skills Framework
- To maintain comprehensive and timely electronic clinical records ensuring confidentiality is maintained at all times.
- Provide supervision, mentorship & leadership for junior staff.
- Take all necessary care in the working environment, adhering to relevant health and safety policies.
- Participate and positively contribute to the services integrated clinical governance arrangements
- Carry out administrative tasks as directed including research, audit, data, and activity statistics.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION, PLEASE READ:
All applicants must be willing to undertake National Security Vetting in order to work in a Prison Setting. This will be completed as part of the pre-employment checks through Oxleas and the prison vetting team.
You will need to provide:
Proof of right to work documentation
Proof of ID, needs to include 1 photographic ID
Proof of address documentation
Non-UK passport holders will need to have correct documentation (right to work in the UK) and a Home office Share code.
Address History:
5 years address history will be needed.
Applicants that are not UK Passport holders who provide less than 5 years UK address history will need to provide a Police Certificate which must be in English from where they resided previously.
Applicants who are UK Passport holders who have lived abroad for a period of more than six months during the last three years will need to provide a certificate of good conduct or an overseas police check in English from the countries resided in or visited.
In order to assist you in obtaining a Police Certificate, guidance can be sought from:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants
If the country you have resided in is not listed here, you can obtain the necessary information by contacting the relevant Embassy or High Commission for that Country. Their contact details can be found on the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website (http://www.fco.gov.uk/en).
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.
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Mental Health Practitioner with Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust in Dartford, England. It is listed as a Band 6 Mental health practitioner role. The advertised salary is £39,959 - £48,117 pa inc. The contract type is Fixed term: 12 months (12 Month FTC). The application deadline is 16 Nov 2026.
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