Community Support Planner | South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust; Lewisham; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health service organization in Lewisham is seeking a Support Planner to provide direct support to adults using community mental health services. This role focuses on enabling service users to achieve their goals while promoting recovery and independence. Candidates should possess a relevant professional qualification in mental health and have experience in providing support to individuals with mental health needs. The position offers opportunities for professional development in a collaborative environment.

Benefits

Professional development opportunities

Supportive environment

Unique care model

Qualifications

• Experience in providing support to individuals with mental health needs.
• Understanding of social inclusion principles.
• Ability to work collaboratively with service users and their families.

Responsibilities

• Participate in the assessment of service users' mental and physical health needs.
• Work in partnership with service-users to develop support plans.
• Provide practical support to assist service-users in achieving their goals.
• Maintain knowledge of mental health resources within Lewisham.

Skills

Communication

Teamwork

Problem-solving

Empathy

Education

Relevant professional qualification in mental health or social care

Job description

Overview

Are you passionate about reshaping mental health care? Do you believe in the power of community, collaboration with community partners and local voluntary care sector, inclusion, and peer support to transform lives? We’re launching an innovative community care centre inspired by world-class models like the Trieste Mental Health Community Network, Navigo in Grimsby, and Clubhouse models in New York and Brixton.

We have an incredibly exciting and rare opportunity to be part of a new community mental health pilot. This centre will hold a major national profile with NHS England who are hoping that the pilot will radically transform how we deliver mental health care in the UK. We are looking for dedicated staff to help us pioneer this revolutionary approach to care.

What We Offer

• A Unique Care Model: Join a programme focused on community, social inclusion, and holistic recovery.
• Supportive Environment: Collaborate with peers, contribute to a recovery-oriented care system, and make a real difference.
• Development Opportunities: Be part of a pioneering team shaping the future of mental health care, with training and career growth built-in.

To provide direct support to adults using community mental health services within the Lewisham Pilot who require a period of re-ablement, stabilisation or preventative intervention.

Support Planners will be based within neighbourhood-based community mental health teams which provide integrated health and social care services. Their aim will be to provide direct support to services users to reach their full potential, to optimise and maintain their independence, and to exercise choice and control over the way that they live their lives.

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provides the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK as well as substance misuse services for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. There are very few organisations in the world that have such wide-ranging capabilities working with mental illness. Our scope is unique because it is built on three major foundations: care and treatment, science and research, and training.

SLaM employs around 5000 staff and serves a local population of 1.1 million people. We have more than 230 services including inpatient wards, outpatient and community services. Currently, we provide inpatient care for approximately 5,300 people each year and treat more than 45,000 patients in the community in Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark; as well as substance misuse services for residents of Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich.

By coming to work at SLaM, you will gain experience of being part of an organisation with a rich history and international reputation in mental health care. You will have access to professional development and learning opportunities and have the chance to work alongside people who are world leaders in their field. SLaM delivered more than 14,000 training experiences in 2014; providing an extensive range of learning opportunities for staff at all levels.

Responsibilities

1. Toparticipatein the assessment of service users' mental and physical health needs, including risk assessment and early signs of relapse, promptly reporting observations to those in the team with responsibility for care.
2. To work in partnership with service-users, carers and more senior staff to identify goals and to develop self-directed support plans.
3. To identify and overcome barriers to achieving goals by providing practical time-limited support to service-users in the community to assist them to develop skills and to access available resources.
4. To participate in the planning and delivery of support in a way which promotes recovery and social inclusion, including delivery of group interventions.
5. To support care coordinators to review the need for ongoing care packages following a period of re-ablement and as part of the process of Self-Directed Support for those who are eligible for care packages and Personal Budgets.
6. To contribute to regular reviews of progress against the service user's goals and to work with service users to revise goals as necessary.
7. To develop and maintain detailed knowledge of mental health resources and mainstream opportunities within and outside the borough of Lewisham.
8. To record all interventions and other aspects of data collection in accordance with the Trust’s requirements.

This advert closes on Sunday 14 Sep 2025