IRS Urgent care Practitioner

NHS; Preston; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in Preston is looking for a qualified IRS Urgent Care Practitioner to join their team. The role involves working within a 24/7 service to provide essential mental health support and requires a strong background in mental health nursing. Candidates must have at least 2 years of relevant experience and be skilled in assessing and managing service users' needs. Flexible working patterns are available.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 2 years post-graduate experience with mental health problems.
• Experience in assessing, planning, and reviewing care needs within time-limited frameworks.
• Able to work as part of a multidisciplinary/multi-agency team.

Responsibilities

• Deliver significant transformation to access and delivery of services.
• Support call handlers and the administration team with triaging and signposting.
• Work within a 24/7 service to provide mental health support.

Skills

Ability to assess service users' presenting problems

Time management skills

Ability to determine appropriate course of action

Education

Registered Mental Health Nurse or Allied Health Professional Qualification

Degree/Diploma in Health/Care/Criminal area of work

Job description

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

IRS Urgent Care Practitioner

The closing date is 02 December 2025

Base: Avondale, Royal Preston Hospital or Bickerstaffe house, Ormskirk District General Hospital, there are positions available at either base. Come and join our Initial Response Service team. This is an exciting time to be part of the crisis pathway and support people with mental health to ensure they access the most appropriate support at the right time.

The new service offers:

• A single referral point for GPs and other professionals
• A 24-hour telephone advice and support for people who use services and carers to be able to self-refer
• More responsive crisis services with improved experiences for people who use services, carers and professionals
• We work together as a team; we support one another in everything that we do; as we are a 24 hour service we are open to flexible working patterns if needed
• IRS is the front door to services and anyone from GP, professionals can call and the clinicians have the capacity to respond within hours giving great customer service which gives great job satisfaction for the clinicians

Main duties of the job

There has never been a more exciting time to join our Trust. You will be part of delivering a significant transformation to the way services are accessed and delivered. We are looking for experienced Band 6 Nurses, Social Workers or Occupational Therapists to join our expanding team. Our aim is to provide people with mental health issues access to the support they need at the right time, with positive outcomes. We help people with a wide range of mental health disorders to ensure that they get the right support at the right time.

The service is 24/7 but as Triage Practitioner you will be working a shift pattern within our teams based in Preston based at Royal Preston Hospital and will include referral screening, triaging, signposting and supporting the call handlers and administrators team, who provide information and support over the telephone. Shift times and days are negotiable and can be discussed at interview. We are looking for people who are dedicated to promoting recovery, and who can inspire people experiencing mental health and their families that recovery is possible for everyone.

About us

LSCFT values diversity and inclusion, recognising that talent from varied backgrounds creates a flexible, creative, and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from all, regardless of age, disability (including those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion, belief, or sexual orientation.

Our aim is to reflect the communities we serve, so we particularly encourage applications from under‑represented groups. If you'd like to discuss your application, please ask.

We also welcome individuals with lived experience relevant to the role or service area, as your insight brings authenticity to our services.

LSCFT support flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as term time, part time, compressed hours, home/remote working, and flexi‑time.

Job responsibilities

For further information about the role, please see the attached recruitment pack which includes a detailed job description and person specification, or visit our website via Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS FT.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Registered Mental Health Nurse or Allied Health Professional Qualification
• Degree/Diploma in Health/Care/Criminal area of work
• Specialist knowledge in police practices and procedures
• Specialist knowledge in Criminal Justice environment with experience of legislation and policies

Knowledge

• Understanding of Health and Safety policies and procedures
• Knowledge and practice of Mental Health Act 1983
• Able to demonstrate and understand the concept of community care and the need to develop good networks

Experience

• 2 years post graduate experience working with a range of mental health problems
• Experience of assessing, planning and implementing and reviewing care needs in a time limited framework
• Able to work as part of a multidisciplinary / multi agency team

Skills

• Ability to assess service users' presenting problems and needs, quickly and accurately, under pressure.
• Ability to determine the most appropriate course of action from a range of available options.
• Time management and caseload management skills.

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

Central & West IRS Royal Preston Hospital