SCMHP - Assessment and Brief Intervention

Job summary

We are looking for an experienced, enthusiastic mental health professional to join our team on a 12 month fixed term / secondment maternity cover basis completing assessments from GP's/external agencies and providing brief interventions to our client group.

This role is embedded in the CMHF (community mental health framework) with the aim of providing primary care assessment and liaison to reduce demand on GP services and develop local community links.

We need someone with good assessment skills, who can work across a wide range of agencies and is skilled at developing and maintaining links with a wide variety of statuary and non statuary services. The person will need to be able to work independently. You will be supported by the core team leadership and be part of the wider community team for MDT support.

Main duties of the job

• Assessing patients within primary care
• Providing signposting and brief interventions as required
• Stepping up to secondary care as required
• Developing sustainable working relationships with primary care and other external agencies
• Attending MDT meetings within primary and secondary care as required

About us

About Devon Partnership Trust

We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.

We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader Employer.

Details

• Date posted: 29 May 2026
• Pay scheme: Agenda for change
• Band: Band 6
• Salary: £39,959 to £48,117 a year
• Contract: Fixed term
• Duration: 1 years
• Working pattern: Full-time
• Reference number: C9369-26-0401
• Job locations: Leatside Surgery, Babbage Road, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 5JA, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities

Communication and Working Relationship Skills

• Work closely and co-operatively with others to ensure safe and timely provision of evidence based interventions.

Impart highly complex and sensitive information to:

• Patients and families/carers re assessment, care planning, treatment and review
• Multi-disciplinary teams to ensure the provision of consistent well-coordinated care
• Primary care teams regarding client care
• External agencies also involved in the provision of care e.g.: voluntary and private sector, police, social services, housing, employment etc.

Service user/carer groups

• Provide and receive information some of which may be contentious, sensitive and highly complex to and from individuals and their families/carers, where there may be barriers to understanding.
• Demonstrate the ability to communicate in a way that is empathic and reassuring whilst employing negotiating techniques to gain co-operation from highly complex individuals.
• Promote and maintain an effective multi-disciplinary/multi-agency approach to care.
• Develop links with both statutory and non-statutory services with a particular focus in areas of high deprivation, and provide consultation and advice to front line workers and where appropriate offer joint assessments.
• Establish and maintain good working links with other mental health care providers within the locality, both statutory and non-statutory.

Analytical and Judgemental Skills

• Ensure that patients are effectively linked to services that will meet their needs.
• Analyse and interpret complex clinical information and patient presentation to determine appropriate needs led plans of care, which have taken into consideration a range of possible options.
• Ensure the continuous re-evaluation of individuals needs and clinical risk situations and use clinical judgement to formulate the most appropriate clinical plan.

Planning and Organisational Skills

• Contribute to the on-going mapping, review and further development of local services that provide access for people with mental health problems.
• Plan own workload and the workload of junior colleagues to ensure that care is provided in the most high quality and cost efficient manner, prioritise and make adjustments as appropriate.

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment and Therapy

• Working within a locality service and through participation in the local referral and care pathway, provide clinical assessment and appropriate triage with a view to risk assessment, risk management, safeguarding, sign posting, treatment or onward referral in response to identified patient need.
• Provide front line assessment to clarify the service most beneficial to the patient. This assessment may be undertaken jointly with other statutory or non-statutory members of staff.
• Where referrals indicate, work jointly with the core mental health services, specialist mental health teams and non-statutory teams to support prompt assessment and where clinically indicated, appropriate treatment plans.
• Design, develop and provide service information about the options available to patients.
• Following assessment, where indicated, provide treatment using effective, evidence based brief interventions as appropriate.
• Work closely with others, providing advice and guidance, where required, along with a more in-depth holistic mental health assessment if this is indicated. This will include a care plan linking patients into additional services, if required. The aim being to support people to address issues that may be impacting on the effectiveness of the therapy that they are receiving.
• Provide joint case reviews and care planning, should this be required, for patients with a diagnosis of severe mental illness whose illness has stabilised. Ensure that information and progress regarding patients are communicated promptly and accurately to other team members and relevant organisations whilst having due regard for confidentiality.
• Promote/deliver culturally appropriate, non-discriminatory enhanced mental health care services which are outcome orientated and recovery focused.
• Promote inclusion of patients, carers, families and communities in all areas of practice. Provide information and support to family members and/or people who undertake a caring role for the people who use our services as appropriate.
• Ensure that the requirements of the Mental Health Act 1983 and Mental Capacity Act 2006 are met and that patients rights under the Acts are upheld.

Responsibility for Policy and Service Development Implementation

• Maintain knowledge of all Devon Partnership NHS Trust clinical and non-clinical policies. The post holder may be required to comment on policies, procedures or possible developments.
• Works within codes of practice and professional guidelines.
• Represent the team on specific projects and initiatives within service and Devon Partnership NHS Trust as required.
• Participate in the design and delivery of training to other services, organisations
• In conjunction with the Service Manager, develop efficient pathways of care.
• Ensure an integrated approach to care.

Responsibility for Finance, Equipment and Other Resources

• Ensure care is provided in the most cost-effective and high quality manner and identify unmet needs.
• Responsible for the safe use of any equipment.
• To contribute to financial governance through knowledge and appropriate resource management of allocated prescribing budget for service, in collaboration with clinical lead and medical colleagues.

Responsibility for Human Resources, e.g. Supervision, Training, HR Advice and Management

• Participate with the formal and informal education of learners of all professions.
• Assist with the formal and informal education activities for patients and carers.
• Participate in the development of educational materials for patients.
• Assist in the selection, monitoring and supervision of other members of the team, when required.
• Participate in regular clinical and managerial supervision with peers and clinical/management supervisors.
• Participate in the annual appraisal.
• Maintain an awareness of current practice developments in mental health and implement appropriate changes in practice in accordance with this.
• Maintain an up-to-date awareness of developments relating to own particular profession and participate in activities to ensure continued professional development.

Responsibility for Information Resources and Administrative Duties

• To provide and maintain appropriate statistics and records of own work, including database recording, clinical outcome measures and data on audit standards.
• Ensure all clinical records are maintained to a high standard with due regard to Devon Partnership Trust policy and appropriate professional guidance.
• Ensure service compliance with Devon Partnership NHS Trust policy regarding information governance.

Responsibility for Research and Development

• Ensure that all clinical activities are evidenced based.
• Contribute to local audits and monitoring, thus ensuring that locality information can be contributed to the wider picture of mental health services across Devon Partnership Trust.
• Contribute to R&D as appropriate to role and service delivery.

Freedom to Act

• The post holder is a lead specialist in area or team. They work autonomously within professional codes of practice and guidelines and clearly defined occupational policies.
• Work is managed rather than supervised.