ARRS Specialist Mental Health Practitioner

Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust; Bournemouth; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an ARRS Specialist Mental Health Practitioner to join the Boscombe East Collaborative Primary Care Network in Bournemouth. The role requires RMN/other professional qualification with master’s level or equivalent and experience in primary care or community mental health settings.

You will work in an integrated model of care across primary and secondary services, support clinical strategies, and contribute to safe prescribing within your

Qualifications

• Registered RMN, OT, Social Work or Psychologist with degree/diploma and master’s level or equivalent experience.
• Membership of the relevant Professional Body.
• Experience of teaching and assessing students and staff.
• Non-Medical Prescriber if appropriate.

Responsibilities

• Work across Primary Care and Secondary Mental Health Services as part of an Integrated Model of Care.
• Support PCN clinical strategy, including prescribing within scope and primary care guidance.
• Facilitate onward access to secondary care and link with support services via the PCN.
• Contribute to service development and innovative practices within the PCN.

Skills

RMN

Teaching

Clinical governance

Data analysis

Education

NHS professional qualification (RMN/OT/Social Work/Psychologist)

Masters level qualification or equivalent

Tools

MS Excel

MS Word

Electronic patient records

Job description

Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust

ARRS Specialist Mental Health Practitioner

The closing date is 29 October 2026

We have an exciting opportunity to recruit a Specialist Mental Health Nurse, to work in the Boscombe East Collaborative Primary Care Network which comprises of GP Practices based in Bournemouth. The successful candidate will be an experienced RMN Mental Health Practitioner with experience of working in a Primary Care and/or Community Mental Health Team setting.

This is an exciting role for those who are proactive and passionate about innovation and providing high-quality care to people who have been identified as in need of mental health support in a primary care setting. This is a fantastic opportunity to develop your career and skill set in a highly innovative and creative environment.

We are looking for someone with a NMP qualification or with the passion to complete this qualification.

Applications from candidates that require current Healthcare worker sponsorship to work in the UK are unfortunately ineligible to apply for this position.

Main duties of the job

This role will work collaboratively between Primary Care and Secondary Mental Health Services as part of an Integrated Model of Care.

The intention is to focus services around local communities and local GP practices to help rebuild and reconnect healthcare teams across the communities they serve. This practitioner role will provide targeted care according to the needs of the population by supporting the PCN clinical strategy, including prescribing medication inline with your scope of practice and primary care guidance.

The practitioner will facilitate onward access to other secondary care-based services, third sector services and link in with existing support services via the Primary Care Network.

If you have the skills and qualities that meet the requirements for this post we would welcome your application.

Employment in this post requires an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, which the Trust will cover the cost of.

About us

At Dorset HealthCare we're on a mission to empower people to make the most of their lives through our outstanding, joined-up healthcare services. We're a dynamic, forward-looking Trust, running 12 community hospitals, specialist inpatient facilities and a wide range of integrated community and mental health services for a population of almost 800,000 people.

We do things differently here - it's one of the reasons the CQC rated us 'outstanding' in 2019. It's also why 95% of patients across our services say they have a good or very good experience of our services and 89% of staff feel they can really make a difference. Whether you're looking to work with us in one of our bustling market towns, vibrant urban locations, thriving seaside spots, or among the rolling hills of Dorset, there are lots of ways you can make a difference in our communities.

Our 7,000-strong workforce is at the heart of what we do and our success is a testament to our brilliant people. We're all about building a workplace for the future, we believe in equal opportunities and we celebrate diversity. We're an inclusive workplace, where everyone is welcome, everyone can be authentic, and we are all encouraged to be the best version of ourselves.

Working with us you'll be part of a strong team, challenge yourself, build a career, and teach us what we don't know. And you'll be working towards our vision to be better every day through excellence, compassion and expertise in all we do.

Job responsibilities

For the main duties and responsibilities for this role please read the attached job description and person specification. When completing your application please ensure your supporting statement reflects the criteria set out in these documents by showing how your experience and skills apply to this post.

We understand that AI can be a useful tool when completing your application. However, we are seeing an increasing over-reliance of AI tools, which can negatively affect your application as it reduces a candidates individuality, and makes it difficult for us to gain a clear and authentic understanding of your experience, skills, and in turn your suitability for the role.

All submissions must be truthful and if you do use AI, it should only be used to enhance your application and not create your supporting statement in its entirety. Your supporting statement should be in your own words and must accurately reflect your personal experience and achievements. Where we have concerns that AI has been used to generate content that misrepresents your experience and suitability for the role, we may withdraw your application.

As part of our vision to have a skilled, diverse and caring workforce, Dorset HealthCare offers support for people getting into work. We offer an employability service to support individuals with application writing, interview skills and other employment support. If you would like or know of anyone who would value this support, please do contact [e-mail]

Knowledge, Skills and Training

• Registered RMN, OT, Social Work or Psychologist qualification and registration to degree/diploma level plus masters degree level or equivalent experience.
• Membership of the relevant Professional Body
• Experience of teaching and assessing students and other members of staff
• Non-Medical Prescriber (if professionally appropriate)

Job Specific Experience

• Experience at Registered Practitioner Band 6 level or above
• Evidence of risk management skills and experience.
• Experience of developing specialist programmes of care for an individual or groups of patients/clients and of providing highly specialist advice
• Experience of multi-disciplinary working.
• Evidence of working in primary care and understanding of primary care

Leadership/Supervisory Experience

• Evidence of proactive involvement in the supervision and development of members of the multi-disciplinary team.
• Evidence of delivering education and training in practice.

Finance/Resources

• Able to effectively manage available resources in the pursuit of quality service provision ensuring a safe environment

Information Technology/Resources

• Experience of using electronic patient / service user record systems
• Able to analyse data and produce reports using Microsoft Excel and Word

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Boscombe East Collaborative Primary Care Network

Boscombe East Collaborative Primary Care Network