Community Practitioner

Cumbria,-Northumberland,-Tyne-and-Wear-Nhs-Foundation-Trust; Sunderland; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust in Sunderland is seeking a motivated Community Practitioner (Band 6) to join the 111 Mental Health Access Hub at Hopewood Park Hospital.

You will undertake urgent triage, assess risks, and signpost to the most appropriate pathway, working with CRHT teams to support service users and their carers across CNTW.

Qualifications

• Professional qualification and current registration as a First Level Nurse or equivalent.
• Experience in mental health settings and risk assessment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• CPA, safeguarding knowledge preferred.

Responsibilities

• Undertake urgent telephone triages to assess urgency and referrals.
• Provide clinical guidance to call handlers for 111 mental health calls.
• Liaise with local CRHT teams for face-to-face assessments.
• Support service users’ carers, families and other professionals.
• Flexible 24/7 cover to meet service needs.

Skills

Risk assessment

Written communication

Verbal communication

Clinical supervision

Leadership

Education

First Level Registered Nurse (RNMH/RMN/RNLD) or equivalent

Job description

Employer Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Hopewood Park Hospital Town Sunderland Salary £39,959 - £48,117 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 11/09/2026 23:59

Community Practitioner

Band 6

Hello!

We are so delighted you are considering coming to work with us at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW).

We know the power of looking into an organisation, one you might want to work in, or one where you are going to get help, and being able to say, ‘I’ve seen somewhere I can fit in and be myself.’ We’re on a journey to make the Trust an inclusive employer, representative of the community we serve and we want more of our community to consider applying for jobs with us.

Opportunities for you

Spanning east to west coasts from Northumberland to Cumbria and from the Scottish Borders down to Middlesbrough we’ve got exciting new opportunities available at every level and in every area.

We offer flexible working, helping work fit around family and caring responsibilities, or training and development needs and there’s lots on offer in the way of benefits, such as, lease cars, childcare schemes, staff discounts, season tickets for travel and a cycle to work scheme. All this in a vibrant workplace supported by the following staff networks.

• Cultural diversity staff network
• Disabled staff network
• LGBT+ staff network

We also have a number of staff support groups which are open to any staff to attend. These Include:

• Armed Forces and Veterans Staff Network
• Mind, Health and Wellbeing Community
• Menopause toolkit and cafes and staff carer support group

We offer fantastic personal development opportunities through our Collective Leadership Programme and other Organisational Development initiatives. Whatever you are looking for, you will be joining a supportive, friendly team, offering varied and interesting roles, with opportunities for career progression.

We’re always seeking to improve as an organisation. Do you want to be part of that?

Please note that it is a requirement of this Trust that all external applicants pay for their own DBS certification if a DBS check is required for the post. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first monthly pay

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual who is looking to become an integral part of the 111 Mental Health Access Hub which will be based within Hopewood Park Hospital, Sunderland.

The Urgent Triage Clinician (band 6) is an innovative role within the 111 Mental Health Crisis Hub, working closely with the Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment teams (CRHT) to support the urgent triage function for any service users for all 4 localities based in Cumbria, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear (CNTW) NHS Foundation Trust.

The successful candidates main responsibilities will be to complete any urgent crisis triage referrals into the Hub, assessing and signposting the service user to the most appropriate pathway/service. An essential criteria to be successful within this role, candidates should have experience of working with services users with complex needs and also be able to support their carers, families and any other services involved in the service user’s care and treatment.

The candidate will be expected to demonstrate enhanced clinical skills to support a robust triage whilst managing risks and act accordingly in response to any safeguarding concerns and within the competency framework aligned to CRHT’s across CNTW. Previous experience working within CRHT, urgent/access services would be advantageous but not essential.

Main duties of the job

Undertake urgent telephone triages which require a clinician to assess the level of response urgency and to support referrals to the most appropriate service.

Within the telephone triage, the post holder will be required to use excellent communication skills to engage, risk assess and manage any identified clinical needs and associated risks, and act according to the immediate needs of the individual.

To provide clinical knowledge and guidance to support the call handler function for all the 111 mental calls into the service.

To liaise with the locality CRHT’s at the point when a service user requires a face-to-face crisis assessment – ensuring that a robust handover is provided regarding the service user’s clinical presentation, any associated risks and in line with response guidelines.

To act as an interface between service users/carers/families/professionals.

Although the post will predominately be to undertake the urgent triage function, there will be an expectation that the post holder will remain skilled by undertaking crisis assessments and/or home-based treatment interventions, by engaging in clinical supervision, live supervision, and participating in training opportunities/forums in line with the competency framework aligned to CRHT’s.

The post covers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The post holder will be expected to be flexible in responding to the needs of the service.

Working for our organisation

We aim to attract and retain a diverse, talented and committed workforce, who are caring and compassionate, and therefore able to meet the demands of the modern NHS now and in the future. In return we can offer a dynamic working environment in which to build a career.

NHS Employees identified as at risk of compulsory redundancy and those eligible for the NENC Re-Deployment careers hub will receive prior consideration.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please find attached job description for full details.

Advertising date : 28 th August 2026

We welcome your application.

Person specification

Education and Qualification

• Professional Qualification and current Professional Registration as, a First Level Registered Nurse (RNMH, RMN, RNLD) or equivalent as an AHP, Social Worker or Clinical Psychologist
• Evidence of post-registration training in clinical/ psychological interventions / skills relevant to the post.
• Proven track record of post registration clinical experience relevant to the post.
• Training in CPA (Care Programme Approach), Safeguarding, MAPPA (Multi Agency Panel for the Protection of Vulnerable Adults) and Child Protection.
• Up-to-date knowledge/experience of relevant legislation.

Knowledge and Experience

• 12 to 24 month band 5 qualified nurse experience dependent upon service need.
• Awareness and understanding of professional accountability, NMC standards and other local and national initiatives.

Skills and Competencies

• Proven ability to carry out and provide comprehensive written assessments of individuals with complex mental health needs.
• Risk Assessment and Risk Management / Safety Planning skills.
• Demonstrate an understanding of effective & appropriate treatment options including a range of evidence based clinical approaches as identified in N.I.C.E. Guidance).
• Demonstrate effective written and verbal communication skills
• Evidence of a high level of professional, organisational and leadership skills (self & others).
• Ability to adapt within a changing environment.

Please note, due to changes implemented by the Government to the UK immigration policy, individuals who require a Health and Care Visa or a Skilled Worker Visa may no longer be eligible for sponsorship where the UKVI salary threshold is not met or if the occupation is not included in the updated Immigration Salary List (ISL). Applicants must check their eligibility to be employed in any role they are interested in applying for, prior to completing an application for employment. Any applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria will not be progressed.

Please ensure to check out all of the supporting documents linked to this advert, for useful information about working for us, information from our Chief Executive and much more.

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.