ARRS Mental Health Practitioner

Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust; Maidstone; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading NHS organization in Maidstone as a Mental Health Practitioner. You will work within Primary Care Networks to deliver high-quality mental health support, playing a vital role in transforming community services. With flexible working options and generous benefits, this position offers an exciting opportunity for experienced healthcare professionals.

Benefits

27 days annual leave for full time, increasing with service

New Hire Bonus of £1200

NHS discounts on travel, fashion, technology

Comprehensive induction programme

Flexible working arrangements

Qualifications

• Experience working with people with mental ill health in a community setting.
• Knowledge of evidence-based practice in mental health care.

Responsibilities

• Provide mental health support as part of the PCN Multi-Disciplinary Team.
• Deliver high quality mental health care in Primary Care settings.

Skills

Excellent assessment skills

Communication

Autonomy

Education

Current professional registration in healthcare or social work

Min of 3 years post qualifications

Job description

Main area ARRS Grade Band 6 Contract Permanent: Full and Part time positions available Hours

• Full time
• Part time

37.5 hours per week (Full and Part Time positions available) Job ref 380-WK0269-A

Site ABC PCN Town Maidstone Salary £37,338 - £44,962 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 30/06/2025 23:59

The CQC rates us as an Outstanding organisation for Caring with an overall rating of Good

Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT) offer a range ofongoing benefitsto our valued workforce across the Trust. From an active health and wellbeing programme to regular recognition events, we work hard to provide varied benefits that make a difference to your work-life balance.

Would you like to work flexibly?In the NHS, we are reminded every day of how important life is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you.

Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement.

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Job overview

These new positions are exciting and innovative and will provide mental health support to Primary Care Networks (PCNs) in Kent. PCNs are groups of GP practices who work together in a local geographical area.
There are numerous posts available across the PCNs in Kent.

We are looking for an experienced Mental Health Practitioner: nurses/social workers/ and occupational therapist to work in PCNs as part of the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS).

It is an exciting time to join services in Kent as we are beginning a programme of transformation of community Mental Health services, these roles are the building blocks for those developments. You will primarily work in the PCNs as a member of the integrated teams in GP surgeries.

Main duties of the job

The practitioner will be embedded as part of the PCN Multi-Disciplinary Team. Working alongside the other roles, they will also have close links with the community mental health Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT). The practitioner can access and draw down on secondary mental health services and help provide a “bridge” between primary care and secondary mental health providers by delivering high quality mental health care in Primary Care Settings.

The role requires a highly competent, proficient practitioner, who is able to work autonomously & creatively in this busy demanding role. Excellent assessment skills and knowledge of local resources is essential to this role, as it is the gate keeper and guardian for referral to secondary care services.

We are seeking experienced Mental Health Practitioners who can come and make a difference. Providing high quality interventions in our new primary care integrated mental health service, you will be an important member of our primary care team.

Working for our organisation

Come and work with us in the Garden of England where we combine exceptional professional development opportunities with a tremendous quality of life.

We are Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT), providing mental health, learning disability and specialist services, serving 1.8 million people in Kent and Medway, as well as specialist services for adults in Sussex and Surrey. We are rated Good overall by the CQC.

Each year we care for over 2,000 people in our hospitals and 54,000 people in the community.

We are proud to employ over 3,800 people from 66 nationalities, and to serve an increasingly diverse range of communities across rural and urban areas.

You will be joining friendly, passionate colleagues, rich in their diversity, who are committed to providing excellent care to our service users and their loved ones.

The nature of our work attracts kindness and compassion as standard and everyone from our cleaners and porters to the chief executive and chairman are recognised as playing a vital role in providing an exemplary service.

Our mission is what we set out to do every day
We deliver brilliant care through brilliant people

Our vision is where we want to be in the future
To provide outstanding care and to work in partnership to deliver this in the right place, for every service user, every time.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description for full details of the main responsibilities of the role.

Person specification

Experience

• • Experience: Significant experience working with people with mental ill health in a community setting

Qualifications

• • Qualifications: min of 3 years post qualifications; Current professional registration with appropriate body in healthcare or social work

Knowledge

• • Knowledge: Demonstrate knowledge to post-graduate level of evidence based practice in caring for patients in the designated field

Communication

• • Communication Skills: Communicate complex and sensitive information effectively to patients, cares/ families and all members of the multidisciplinary team

Your employer pays 23.7% towards your pension and life assurance benefits.

27 days for full time or pro rata if part time

After 5 years NHS service

29 days full time or pro rata if part time

After 10 years NHS service

33 days full time or pro rata if part time

Plus bank holidays, that’s up to 41 days - more than 8 weeks paid time off!

Medical staffs have national Terms and Conditions.
Buying and selling of annual leave is also available as part of our flexible approach to staff benefits.

Recommend a friend campaign

If you already work for us you could refer a friend from outside of the Trust to any of the roles below and you can receive £1000 if they are successfully recruited; Nursing staff - RMN RGN RNLD - Band 5 and 6, Medical Doctors, Clinical Psychologist and Allied Health Professionals,

Covers job share, term time working, flexible shifts etc. Just ask and we will try to help.

Statutory and occupational maternity, paternity or adoption leave

Dependant on length of NHS service

Other paid/unpaid leave

This can be for Jury Service, Reserved Armed Forces, etc. This is paid outside of annual leave.

Non paid leave for career breaks

Staff Support

KMPT offers a face to face counselling service for any issues not just work related problems.

NHS discounts and shopping vouchers

Staff can sign up for Red Guava, PS discounts and Health Service Discounts to receive a variety of discounts in travel, fashion, technology, mobile phone contracts, food and drink, days out etc.

Learning and Development opportunities

In addition to the mandatory subjects there are a number of leadership, management and staff topic areas, including coaching and mentoring.

Induction
KMPT is committed to supporting all new staff and this includes a comprehensive Induction programme. The programme's duration depends on role and can be from 2 days to 4 weeks (not always consecutive days).

The Induction programme will provide an excellent opportunity for new staff to meet and engage with KMPT’s subject specialists and include the required training.

The programme may involve some travel to the various training venues across Kent and Medway, the main ones being Canterbury, Maidstone and Dartford.

New starter bonus

At the Trust we really value our nurses and the skills they bring. To recognise this we offer a New Hire Bonus of £1200 pro rata for band 5 and 6 nursing staff.

Staff Network Forums

A variety of staff network forums which empower, support and encourage network members and allies, to reflect KMPT values and promote equality and diversity.

Lease car scheme, Cycle to work scheme, the list goes on………!

Probation Period . New employees external to Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust are subject to a six-month probationary period.

To deliver an effective service it is essential in some of our roles that you are able to travel between work bases in a timely manner.

Production of false or forged documents/qualifications in order to obtain employment is a criminal offence and will be reported to the Police.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check.
Certain roles are subject to criminal record checks called Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. Therefore, you will be required to submit a completed Disclosure form to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

KMPT are signed up to NHS England's Sexual Safety in Health Care Organisational Charter

KMPT takes a systematic zero-tolerance approach to tackle any unwanted, inappropriate and/or harmful sexual behaviours within the workplace and in our care provision. We are committed to sexual safety which encompasses prevention, support and decisive action against perpetrators. We are committed to keeping you and our patients safe.

KMPT is creating an environment for equal opportunities for all, where we canALL be ourselves.

In cases where we receive a high volume of applications for a post, it may be necessary to bring the closing date forward. Please submit your completed application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

Due to the high volume of applications received, it is not possible to respond individually to your application. Should you not hear from us within six weeks of the vacancy closing, please assume that your application has not been successful.

Use of AI when writing job applications

While AI tools can be helpful in generating ideas and drafting initial versions, they should never be the sole source for writing your job application.

AI cannot truly understand the specific job you're applying for or what makes you a good fit. Therefore, it's crucial to personalise any AI-generated content to accurately reflect your skills, experiences, and aspirations.

Relying solely on AI to write your application may result in generic, impersonal, and potentially inaccurate content. Always review and refine any AI-generated text to ensure it effectively communicates your experience, skills, accomplishments, and aspirations, and demonstrates your suitability for the position.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.