clinical specialist / lead practitioner

Sussex Partnership Nhs Foundation Trust; Tudhoe; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Lead Practitioner / Clinical Lead with a background in nursing, OT, social work, psychology or systemic therapy to join the MAP team in East Sussex. You will provide clinical leadership, supervision and expert risk assessment across community, hospital and crisis settings, promoting open dialogue and least restrictive care.

You will support complex cases, coordinate multidisciplinary discussions, develop quality standards and maintain timely

Qualifications

• Qualified mental health professional with UK registration (NMC/HCPC).
• Mentorship/ENB or equivalent relevant to mental health care.
• Evidence of continuous professional development.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical leadership within the MAP team and supervise staff.
• Lead complex clinical decision-making with risk assessment and management.
• Undertake specialist mental health assessments across settings (community, hospital, crisis).
• Promote psychologically-informed, trauma-informed and least restrictive care.
• Coordinate crisis decision making and liaise with other services as required.
• Participate in quality standards and reporting; support MDT discussions.

Skills

Clinical leadership

Open dialogue approach

Risk assessment

Communication skills

Education

NMC/HCPC registration or equivalent

Mentorship / ENB or professional equivalent

CPD evidence

Job description

Lead Practitioner / Clinical Lead - Qualified Nurse/OT/Social Worker/Practitioner Psychologist/ Systemic Psychotherapist

Lead Practitioner / Clinical Lead - Qualified Nurse/OT/Social Worker/Practitioner Psychologist/ Systemic Psychotherapist We are looking for a qualified and experienced Mental Health Practitioner (Mental Health Nurse, Occupational Therapist, Social Worker, Psychological Practitioner/Systemic Psychotherapist) to join the Multiple Admissions Pathway for Lewes, Wealden and Eastbourne areas. We are looking for a clinical specialist / lead practitioner who has a keen interest in working with people with complex mental health difficulties to support recovery and reduce hospital admissions, using an open dialogue-informed approach. We will support you to develop the skills needed to work using open dialogue, and approach where we are highly responsive to clients' needs and facilitate a network of care.Main duties of the job Provide clinical leadership within the MAP team, ensuring high standards of practice. Provide clinical supervision, reflective practice and professional support to the team. Lead on complex clinical decision-making and provide expert advice regarding risk assessment and management. Support clinicians managing high-risk presentations and facilitate multidisciplinary discussions where appropriate. Undertake specialist mental health assessments within community, hospital and emergency settings. Promote psychologically informed, trauma-informed and least restrictive approaches to care. Coordinate decision making in a crisis Lead on complex care decisions including when the client's community Care Coordinator / Lead Professional is unavailable. Liaise with other services (including emergency support and care services) as required. Participate in setting quality standards and offering a consistent approach to clients. Maintain an accurate and timely reporting system. Provide verbal and written observations. To support the team with other specialist assessments, as required To participate in open dialogue informed network meetings, and co-facilitate when appropriate to do so., As part of the MAP team, you will work closely with the three neighbourhood mental health teams in East Sussex and enhance the care delivered to those in crisis with complex needs and a history of multiple admissions. The MAP team uses an open dialogue informed approach to support clients and aims to reduce inpatient admissions. You will be joining a warm, friendly team who are dedicated to transforming care and supporting best practice for service users and their families. The team has reflective practice weekly and high level of training and staff support.
Excellent communication skills are needed in the role with regards to communicating with all stakeholders including service users, carers, third sector providers, internal and external agencies and services. Experience of supporting service users with mental health problems is important (and we encourage applicants with lived experience). An inclusive and positive attitude is essential. If your current role includes duty work, that will be an advantage in your application. We will provide a robust induction and the wellbeing of our team is always thought about. Supervision, appraisal and training are all highly valued and prioritised. Usual working hours are Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm. It is essential that applicants can travel independently across the locality and have access to a suitable vehicle for business purposes.,

• Registered professional with qualification appropriate to the role
• Completion of mentorship course / ENB / professional equivalent
• Evidence of continuous professional development

Desirable criteria

• Significant post qualifying experience in the relevant care group
• Experience of working alongside people with complex health problems in the designated care group
• Experience of supervising staff
• Experience of providing a range of clinical interventions to people in the designated care group with a variety of health problems
• Experience of working consultatively with professionals
• Experience of working consultatively with professionals
• Experience of partnership working within and across various statutory and non statutory teams and agencies
• Experience of working within the CPA process
• Understanding of clinical governance
• Previous experience of working in the community. Successful candidates are normally appointed to the bottom of the pay scale unless previous NHS experience in a similar role can be evidenced.
• You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

At SPFT we put people first. We'll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. You'll have opportunities to learn, grow and gain new experiences to support your career, with access to lifelong learning and professional development.

We actively promote flexible working and understand how important work life balance is, especially in healthcare. Whether it's part time hours, hybrid working or flexible start and finish times, we'll explore what works for you and the role. We recognise that tools like AI are becoming part of everyday life and you may choose to use them when preparing your application. We welcome this, as long as what you submit reflects your own experience, skills and voice. AI can be helpful for structuring or refining your answers, but it should not replace your own examples or create content that isn't based on your real experience. Our recruitment process is designed to get to know you, and we'll explore your examples further at interview, so it's important your application genuinely represents what you bring. You can read more about using AI in applications and interviews on our recruitment process page. We're shaping a workplace where ideas are encouraged, technology supports you and everyone has a voice in how we improve. If that sounds like the kind of organisation you want to be part of, we'd love to hear from you.

The NHS is changing and with more emphasis on community-based care there's never been a better time to join us. Over the next three years, community mental health services are going to be undergoing a real transformation and you could be part of these exciting developments. Our community mental health teams will become part of a much more integrated network of services and our mental health clinicians will be central in driving the changes, in close partnership with our primary and third sector colleagues. We recognise that working in mental health can be stressful so we prioritise staff welfare, providing regular supervision, reflective practice, mentoring, and any other support that our clinicians need to ensure their wellbeing.