Senior Mental Health Practitioner

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 6 Senior Mental Health Practitioner to join the Slough Community Mental Health Service at New Horizons. We are looking for an experienced, compassionate and autonomous practitioner who can work effectively with adults experiencing mental health problems. You will join a supportive multidisciplinary team of psychologists, CBT therapists, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, nurses and social workers. The role combines specialist assessment, recovery-focused care planning, treatment delivery and positive risk management, with opportunities to support service development and junior colleagues. The post is based at New Horizons, Pursers Court, Slough, with community work across a range of settings.

Main duties of the job

• Hold and prioritise a defined caseload, working autonomously with people who have serious and enduring mental health needs.
• Complete comprehensive mental health assessments, formulations, care plans, crisis plans and risk assessments.
• Coordinate and deliver evidence-based, recovery-focused interventions in service users’ homes, community venues and team premises.
• Work with the multidisciplinary team, carers, GP practices, local authority colleagues and partner agencies to develop coordinated packages of health and social care.
• Undertake relevant Care Act 2014 and safeguarding responsibilities on behalf of the joint NHS and local authority service.
• Participate in duty work, maintain accurate and timely Rio records, and contribute to clinical governance and service improvement.
• Provide clinical leadership, supervision and support to junior staff and students, including guidance on risk assessment and positive risk taking.
• Travel between Trust and community locations as required

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The “must haves” for this role:

For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification. Your application is your opportunity to demonstrate to us how you meet the requirements of the role. We recognise that AI tools can support accessibility, equity and confidence for applicants. However, it’s important that examples and responses given in your supporting statement genuinely reflect your own experience and abilities, as these will be explored further during the selection process. AI must not be used to provide misleading or false information during any stage of the application journey.

In addition to explaining how you meet the person specification, you must complete your employment history for at least the last five years. Any experience, skills or responsibilities referenced in your supporting statement should be evidenced within your employment history. Applications that do not include sufficient employment history to support the experience claimed may not be shortlisted.

We’re committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Stonewall Proud Employer, Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.

We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to call: Eunice Malahleka on 01753690950 or email: Eunice.Malahleka@berkshire.nhs.uk who’ll be delighted to help.

• A diploma or degree-level professional qualification and current registration to practise with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
• At least two years’ post-qualification experience of working with adults with mental health problems, including experience in community mental health services.
• Strong skills in specialist mental health assessment, formulation, treatment planning, risk management, report writing and recovery-focused interventions.
• The ability to work autonomously, manage and prioritise a complex caseload, contribute effectively within a multidisciplinary team, maintain high-quality electronic records and travel between sites.

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.