Community practitioner - personality disorder

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust; Greater London; On-site; GBP 44,000 - 53,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare provider in Greater London is seeking a Community Practitioner specializing in personality disorders. This 12-month fixed-term role demands a Registered Mental Health Nurse, Social Worker, or Occupational Therapist to work within a multidisciplinary team. Responsibilities include evidence-based treatment, group facilitation, and patient risk management. This is an opportunity to enhance clinical skills and work closely with patients with personality disorders. Competitive salary offered.

Benefits

Generous pay and pensions

Flexible working options

Career development opportunities

NHS discounts

Wellbeing events

Qualifications

• Registered mental health nurse, occupational therapist or mental health social worker or equivalent.
• At least 1 year post-qualifying mental health service work.
• Experience facilitating groups in a mental health setting.

Responsibilities

• Provide evidence-based MBT and psychotherapeutic treatment.
• Work with patients in therapeutic and coping skills groups.
• Coordinate shifts and manage patient risk issues.

Skills

Facilitating groups

Commitment to personality disorder care

Communication

Education

Registered mental health nurse or equivalent

Attendance at KUF training

Job description

Community practitioner - personality disorder

The closing date is 19 December 2025

The Croydon Personality Disorder Service, based at the Bethlem Royal Hospital in Beckenham, is looking to recruit a Registered Mental Health Nurse, Social Worker, Occupational Therapist or equivalent to the post of Community Practitioner – specialist in personality disorder. We are also open to Band 5 applicants with appropriate qualifications/experience. This is to provide maternity leave cover, so is for a fixed term secondment for 12 months, which may end on 1st October 2026, with a potential to extend. It would be an ideal opportunity for someone interested in working with patients with personality disorder/complex emotional needs and wishing to develop their skills in working with these patients. You will have worked in a multi‑disciplinary mental health team. We look for staff with a commitment to working with people with personality disorder, along with the confidence and skill to work effectively in therapeutic groups.

This is an exciting opportunity to learn a range of clinical skills working in therapeutic groups, and with personality disordered patients. You will be trained in using Mentalisation Based Treatment (MBT) skills level A, the Structured Clinical Management (SCM) model, and in the competencies required to facilitate SUN (Service User Network) groups, and become an accredited SUN group facilitator. You'll also learn skills working individually with personality disordered patients, from an experienced and well‑established team.

Main duties of the job

We provide specialist, evidence‑based MBT, psychotherapeutic day hospital treatment for working‑age people with moderate to severe personality disorder. We also run The Sun Project, a coping skills development and crisis support group three times a week in central Croydon to people with or without a diagnosis of personality disorder. You will work within our team of psychotherapists, doctors, specialist community practitioners, nurses and care coordinators.

We offer a strong, supportive and cohesive team and this exciting post means that you get the opportunity to develop your clinical skills to attain accreditation from us in facilitation of appraisal based coping skills development groups (the SUN project), develop MBT skills in working with personality disordered patients, SCM skills and will participate in learning identified in your appraisal and personal development plan.

About us

Our Trust headquarters is located at Denmark Hill less than 5 minutes from the train station (zone 2). We also provide services and operate across other locations, such as the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark; and substance misuse services for residents of Bexley, Lambeth, Greenwich and Wandsworth.

Some of our benefits are highlighted here:

• Generous pay, pensions and leave, we offer a comprehensive pay, pensions and leave package which is dependent on the role and length of service.
• Work‑life balance, flexible working and support a range of flexible options, such as part‑time working and job sharing.
• Career development: there are plenty of opportunities to progress your career and we support your development through a number of programmes such as mentoring, coaching, positive people management, collective leadership and other talent programmes.
• Car lease: our staff benefit from competitive deals to lease cars.
• Accommodation: our staff benefit from keyworker housing available on selected sites.
• NHS discounts: discounts up to 10% from a variety of well‑known retail brands through the Health Service Discounts website.
• Counselling services
• Wellbeing events
• Long service awards
• Cycle to work scheme
• Season ticket loan
• Staff restaurants

We look forward to receiving your application.

Please note vacancy may be closed early once capacity has been met.

Job responsibilities

The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. For both overviews please view the Job Description attachment with the job advert.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Registered mental health nurse, occupational therapist or mental health social worker or equivalent.
• Certified attendance at Personality Disorder Knowledge and Understanding Framework (KUF) training. Certificate of Group skills training.

Experience

• At least 1 year post‑qualifying mental health service work with people with a range of mental health problems.
• Experience of facilitating groups in a mental health setting.
• Experience of co‑ordinating shifts where there is a need to assess, identify, communicate and manage patient risk issues to a range of professionals.
• Experience of supervision and or mentoring students or junior colleagues.
• Mentorship or supervision training.

Knowledge

• Knowledge and demonstrable commitment to deliver accessible and acceptable care to people across cultural and other differences.
• A working knowledge of the physical health vulnerabilities and needs of people with mental health problems.
• Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of the resilience needed to work safely with this patient group.

Ability

• Ideally be a car driver with business‑use insurance.
• Ability to demonstrate commitment to working with people with personality disorder.

Continuing professional development

• Evidence of relevant continuing professional development required by professional registering body.

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.

Address

Croydon Personality Disorder Service, Touchstone Centre, Alex House Ground Floor, SLAM NHS Trust, Bethlem Royal Hospital

£44,485 to £52,521 a year (pro rata inclusive of HCAS)

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full‑time

Reference number

334‑NUR‑7448824‑SA‑A

Job locations

Croydon Personality Disorder Service, Touchstone Centre, Alex House Ground Floor, SLAM NHS Trust, Bethlem Royal Hospital