Lead Mental Health Practitioner

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; Southampton, Eastleigh; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in Southampton is seeking a Lead Mental Health Practitioner to enhance community mental health services. Responsibilities include leading service development, supervising mental health practitioners, and supporting patient well-being. Candidates should be registered professionals with experience in mental health and clinical supervision. The role offers competitive salaries ranging from £47,810 to £54,710 annually, and embraces flexible working options.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• Registered nurse, occupational therapist, or social worker.
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development since registration.
• Recognised sign-off mentor or equivalent for students.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of mental health service within the PCN.
• Supervise Mental Health Practitioners.
• Conduct initial assessments of presenting need and risk.
• Provide clinical advice to GPs and facilitate service coordination.

Skills

Leadership

Clinical supervision

Multi-agency collaboration

Mental health knowledge

Psycho-social therapeutic interventions

Education

Current professional registration NMC/SWE/HCPC

Clinical Supervisor certification

Job description

Go back Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Lead Mental Health Practitioner

The closing date is 04 January 2026

This is an exciting, and innovative post to support the needs of the local population living with mild to moderate mental health difficulties. We are looking for a registered nurse, occupational therapist, or social worker to take a central role in the development of the mental health offer in one of our Primary Care Networks (PCN). Through the delivery of excellent, compassionate services to promote the recovery and well-being of patients, carers and families.

We support the primary care population of working age and older adults, linking with Talking Therapies Hampshire, No Wrong Door Inclusion, Community Mental Health Teams and Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Teams.

You will be an integral part of our team, which is well-established, friendly, and committed to prioritising patient centred practice.

Main duties of the job

• Leading the development of the mental health service collaboratively within the PCN and with stakeholders
• Supervision of Mental Health Practitioner
• Leading on screening of referrals, leading by example, being professionally accountable and responsible for patient care
• Working in a multi-agency way both as part of the PCN. Facilitating the interface between Primary Care and Secondary Mental Health Services to provide specialist advice and support, assessment, treatment, education and solution-focused approaches to the local Primary Care Teams
• Triaging and undertaking initial assessment of presenting need and risk, signposting to appropriate services, or providing time-limited psycho-social therapeutic interventions directly, in GP surgeries, patient's homes and other primary care settings
• Coordination of the local offer. Providing clinical advice to GPs such as specialist opinion, this will contribute to the safe and effective day to day operation of the PCN and the efficient and timely management of clinical enquiries and decision-making
• Liaison with local stakeholders and leading on the Multi-Disciplinary Team meetings, acting as chair and ensuring positive coordination
• Representing patient needs at multi agency meetings
• Joint work with other agencies to meet patient need
• Maintain clinical knowledge and skills by attending training and applying this in practice to support the development of the team.

About us

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides joined-up mental and physical healthcare for around two million people across our communities. With over 13,000 staff working in the community and local hospitals, we deliver care at every stage of life, helping people live their best and healthiest lives.

Our mental health services include community-based support and early intervention in psychosis (EIP) for both adults and young people, alongside a network of specialist inpatient wards covering forensic, learning disability, eating disorder and older person's care.

We deliver extensive physical health services too, from urgent community response teams helping frail and older patients remain safely at home, to hospitals at home teams providing acute-level care in familiar surroundings. Our neurological services offer rehabilitation and treatment for conditions including Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Motor Neurone Disease, Head Injury, Cerebral Palsy and Stroke. Across Hampshire, our community hospitals provide inpatient rehabilitation as a step down from acute care, and our dedicated teams also staff Treetops Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Portsmouth, offering expert, compassionate support.

Everything we do is underpinned by our CARE values of compassion, accountability, and excellence

Job responsibilities

Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached. It is important to us that we ensure our recruitment processes are accessible and inclusive to everyone - if as a potential candidate you are concerned a person specification may prevent or restrict your application for employment as a result of unintentional barriers on the grounds of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, religion/belief or disability please initially contact the Trust's Recruitment team - detailed in the advert. The Trust will seek to resolve this issue wherever possible.

We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Current professional registration NMC/SWE/HCPC.
• Ability to evidence Continuing Professional Development since registration.
• Clinical Supervisor.
• Recognised sign-off mentor (or equivalent) for students or must be achieved within agreed timescale.

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.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

£47,810 to £54,710 a year based on full time hours