Band 6 Mental Health Practitioner

Ministry of Defence (Defence Medical Services); Plymouth; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

A governmental health service provider in Plymouth is seeking a full-time Band 6 Mental Health Practitioner. The role involves providing high-quality mental health services to military personnel. Ideal candidates will have substantial clinical experience and be registered with the relevant professional bodies. Benefits include an inclusive work environment and flexible working options. The salary ranges from £38,682 to £46,580 per year, pro-rata for part-time roles.

Benefits

Free parking

Professional registration fees reimbursed

An inclusive working environment

Qualifications

• Substantial post-qualification training and experience in at least 2 evidence based psychological therapies.
• Experience providing evidence-based mental health care to adults with a range of mental health needs.
• Evidence of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and a professional portfolio.

Responsibilities

• Provide a high-quality mental health service to patients referred to the DCMH.
• Work within a multi-disciplinary team to deliver specialized mental health services.
• Manage a caseload and deliver therapeutic interventions for common mental disorders.

Skills

Experience of working with people with mental health problems

Robust clinical and risk assessment skills

Ability to communicate effectively

Flexibility and assertiveness

Education

Registered Mental Health Nurse or relevant professional qualification

Current registration with NMC, HCPC or similar relevant body

Job description

Go back Ministry of Defence (Defence Medical Services)

Band 6 Mental Health Practitioner

The closing date is 20 November 2025

Are you an experienced mental health professional looking for a new challenge? Would you like to add military mental healthcare to your career portfolio? We are looking for someone with vision, substantial clinical experience and drive who can adapt to a new organisational culture whilst still adhering to the highest standards of professional practice.

Your experience of assessing and managing risk will help keep our serving military personnel safe, while your clinical skills and knowledge support timely and efficient service delivery. Experience of working with military populations is welcome but is by no means a pre‑requisite. Your commitment and enthusiasm are more important!

We are seeking to recruit a full‑time Band 6 Mental Health Practitioner for 37.5 hours per week to join the Military Department of Community Mental Health (DCMH) at His Majesty's Service (HMS) Drake Naval Base, Devonport, Plymouth. DCMH teams are multi‑disciplinary, comprising military and civilian staff: psychiatrists, mental health nurses, social workers, mental health practitioners and psychologists.

The job is challenging and varied. Whilst there are similarities with NHS roles, to make the most of this opportunity you will need to embrace a different organisational culture, take on significant responsibility for risk management and apply your clinical skills in new and interesting ways.

Main duties of the job

As the successful post holder, you will provide a rapid, timely and high‑quality mental health service to all patients referred to the DCMH and Defence Mental Health Network (DMHN) for assessment and treatment of mental health problems and will implement changes as necessary.

You will need to be experienced, enthusiastic and committed to service delivery and improvement, able to cope well under pressure, flexible, assertive, and have the ability to communicate at all levels. You will function as a member of the MDT while working autonomously. The post holder will provide flexible and individualised care packages to meet the mental health (MH) needs of military personnel with mental health problems.

Benefits

• An inclusive working environment
• Free parking
• Professional registration fees currently reimbursed

Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay‑related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently advertises attracts.

About us

Our success depends on our people, our Whole Force – regular and reservist military, civil servants and contractors, all working as one, working together seamlessly to deliver for us.

Our civil servants are a central part of this Whole Force, developing strategy, making policy, supporting ministerial decision‑making and Parliamentary processes. In fact, with over 2,000 roles across 650 sites worldwide, this is an excellent time to join one of the largest, most exciting departments in government.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to attracting and retaining people from across the full range of backgrounds and enabling flexible ways of working as the norm. We offer maternity, adoption or shared parental leave of up to 26 weeks full pay followed by 13 weeks of statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid, and paternity leave of 2 weeks full pay.

In return, you can expect a department that helps you learn and develop that recognises your expertise and contribution, both as an individual and part of a team.

If you've ever wanted to do more, see more, go further or be better, we have roles in more professions and vocations than ever before. Let's see where your future will take you, together.

Job responsibilities

• Work within an MDT to provide a specialised/occupational mental health service for all service and entitled personnel within the designated DCMH/MHT and Defence Mental Health Network (DMHN) as required.
• Have experience of working in adult community mental healthcare and of providing evidence‑based mental health care to adults with a range of mental health needs.
• Require robust clinical and risk assessment skills and be able to understand how they apply to the occupational role and needs of individuals presenting to the service.
• Manage a caseload and deliver evidence‑based therapeutic interventions for common mental disorders, individually, in groups, face‑to‑face and via digital platforms.
• Keep coherent records of all clinical activity in line with service protocols, including clinical outcome data, and use these records and outcomes in clinical decision making.
• Engage in service evaluation, outcome measurement, audit and research projects to benefit service users.

Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for role requirements in further detail.

To be eligible to be considered for this role, qualifications and memberships detailed must be held in full, prior to submitting your application.

Selection Process

At application stage you will be assessed against the following:

• CV – Ensure you demonstrate that you have the required skills, knowledge, experience, qualifications and memberships, and that any reference to your personal details has been removed.
• Provide information of how you meet the criteria set out in the Job Description. Include examples of how you have tackled similar tasks or demonstrated the skills outlined in the job advert.

At interview you will be assessed against the following technical skills:

• NHS Information & Knowledge
• NHS IK1 Information Processing

At interview a case study will also be required. The subject will be provided 10 minutes prior to your interview.

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Plagiarism may result in application withdrawal.

The sift will be completed within 10 working days of the vacancy closing date.

Interviews will be held on a date to be confirmed.

There will be no reimbursement for any travel expenses for the interview.

Requests to work flexibly and/or part‑time will be considered, taking into account business needs.

Please note the salary will be pro‑rated where part‑time hours are undertaken.

All employees joining Ministry of Defence who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a 6‑month probation period (unless otherwise advised) effective from the employment start date.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check.

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home‑based working. This is a non‑contractual arrangement where all office‑based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments.

Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team. Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.

Access to the NHS pension scheme is available to the successful candidate.

If found successful for this position, you will be required to provide evidence of your immunity to Hepatitis B. Evidence of your vaccination is not proof of your immunity, but serology levels will be required.

There is no requirement to deploy as this is met by our uniformed personnel; you will form the continuity of care required by our patients when based at home.

The post does NOT offer relocation expenses (move of home, excess fares or temporary transfer). Non‑standard move applicants will be eligible for the full package, subject to eligibility.

As of 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points‑based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points‑based system.

Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected, and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

This vacancy is part of the A Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

Person Specification

• Please provide your membership registration number.
• You are required to be registered with the relevant professional body, as detailed in the advert, prior to submitting your application.
• Your application will not progress should you fail to provide a valid registration number.

Registrations and Memberships

• Registered with one of the following regulatory bodies: NMC, HCPC.
• OR
• Registered with Social Work England SSSC, the CCW or NISCC.

Behaviour Statement

• Have you been dismissed for gross misconduct relating to bullying, harassment, discrimination or victimisation from any role in the past five years, or resigned or otherwise left a role but would have been dismissed for such gross misconduct because of an adverse decision?
• Please respond with YES or NO as appropriate.

Memberships and Qualifications

• Registered Mental Health Nurse or graduate level professional with background in mental health; substantial post‑qualification training and experience in at least 2 evidence based psychological therapies and accredited or eligible for accreditation from a recognised body (BABCP, BACP, UKCP)

Qualifications

• Training in Mental Health Nursing, Mental Health Social Work or Occupational therapy – Mental Health Experience.
• Current Nursing Midwifery Council – NMC, Health and Care Professions Council – HCPC or Social Work England Registration under the appropriate domain.
• Evidence of CPD and professional portfolio in support of above registration.
• OR
• Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner – PWP qualification plus sufficient post‑qualification experience working as a qualified PWP to confer eligibility for Senior PWP designation.
• Current registration with British Psychological Society – BPs or British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies – BABCP.

Provide a CV

• Please copy and paste your full CV as your response to this question; you will not be able to upload your CV as an attachment.
• Please ensure to refer to the essential criteria where applicable as your application may be rejected should insufficient information to shortlist be included.
• Please use double spacing where possible.

Experience

• Experience of working with people with mental health problems.
• Able to demonstrate an appropriate level of knowledge of mental health practice from previous experience.
• Knowledge of Community Mental Health Framework – CMHF formerly care programme approach.
• Understanding and contribution to the Clinical Governance Agenda.
• Previous experience in similar role.
• Crisis resolution and risk management experience.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and 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.

Ministry of Defence (Defence Medical Services)

£38,682 to £46,580 a year. Pro Rata for Part Time.

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full‑time, Part‑time, Job share, Flexible working