Mental Health Liaison Practitioner MHLP

Sussex Partnership Nhs Foundation Trust; Horsham; Hybrid; GBP 36,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust invites applications for a registered Mental Health Professional (e.g., Occupational Therapist, Social Worker or Mental Health Nurse) to perform assessments and brief interventions for adults in the Neighbourhood teams. You will collaborate with NMHT, GPs, and third-sector partners to deliver personalised mental health support.

You will develop and monitor person-centred care plans, provide evidence-based interventions, and coordinate between services to

Qualifications

• Registered Mental Health qualification or equivalent.
• Include relevant professional registration.
• Evidence of continuous professional development (CPD).
• Experience across a range of mental health problems and age groups.

Responsibilities

• Screen and complete comprehensive bio-psychosocial assessments for adults with mental health needs.
• Develop, coordinate, monitor and review person-centred care and treatment plans.
• Provide evidence-based interventions and support self-management within primary or neighbourhood care.
• Coordinate between services to prevent unnecessary handovers and support discharge planning.
• Maintain accurate, timely and confidential clinical records; communicate outcomes to GPs.
• Ensure practice complies with NICE guidance and safeguarding requirements; participate in CPD.

Skills

Assessment

Risk assessment

Communication

Interdisciplinary collaboration

CBT-informed approach

Education

Registered Mental Health qualification

Professional registration

Job description

It is essential that you are a registered Mental Health Professional (Occupational Therapist, Social Worker or Mental Health Nurse,). Your role will include carrying out assessments and brief interventions for patients whose needs meet criteria for specialist adults (secondary care) input. The successful applicant should have excellent clinical skills in assessment, risk assessment and as well as strong communication skills. You will be working closely with a range of professional groups, NMHT colleagues, Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise sector providers, and other aligned services within the Neighbourhood as well as NHS Talking Therapies Teams. As part of an increasingly integrated network of services, the post holder will play a pivotal role in advancing and shaping the Neighbourhood model. Neighbourhood Mental Health Teams (NMHTs) bring together local NHS mental health services, GPs, and community and voluntary organisations to offer joined-up, personalised support for people's mental health., · Screen and complete comprehensive bio-psychosocial assessments for adults presenting with mental health needs. · Identify the most appropriate intervention using recovery-focused, strengths-based and least-restrictive approaches. · Develop, coordinate, monitor and review person-centred care and treatment plans with service users and relevant professionals. · Provide evidence-based interventions and support self-management within primary care. · Coordinate between services to prevent people being passed unnecessarily between teams. · Support safe and well-managed discharge from secondary care back to primary care. · Maintain current knowledge of local resources, referral pathways and available services, and share this information with professionals, service users and carers. · Build effective working relationships across primary care, secondary care and third-sector organisations. · Provide clear information to service users and carers about their care, treatment choices and available support. · Maintain accurate, timely and confidential clinical records and communicate assessment and intervention outcomes to GPs. · Ensure practice complies with NICE guidance, professional standards, legislation, safeguarding requirements and Trust policies. · Participate in appraisal, continuing professional development and agreed learning activities.
Registered Mental Health/LD Nurse, Occupational Therapist or Social Worker with current registration appropriate to the job role. Evidence of continuous professional development. Experience/Knowledge Extensive post-qualifying experience of clinical work with people with a range of mental health problems across all age and disability categories. Experience of partnership working within and across various different statutory and non-statutory teams and agencies. Experience in working consultatively with professionals. Experience of providing low intensity psychological interventions including, provision of self help, behavioural activation, solution focused, guided self help, and a CBT informed approach using a range of delivery models, telephone, face to face, individual and workshops. Experienced in conducting clinical assessments, including risk assessments.

• Registered Mental Health qualification or equivalent
• Include relevant professional registration

Desirable criteria

• Post Registration Study to Masters level in a relevant field or equivalent experience
• Formal qualification in psychological intervention, such as CBT, EMDR or Counselling, Extensive post-qualifying experience of clinical work with people with a range of mental health problems
• Experience of partnership working within and across various different statutory and non-statutory teams and agencies
• Experience in working consultatively with professionals
• Experience of providing low intensity psychological interventions including, provision of self help, behavioural activation, solution focused, guided self help, and a CBT informed approach using a range of delivery models, telephone, face to face , individual and workshops
• Experienced in conducting clinical assessments, including risk assessments, Successful candidates are normally appointed to the bottom of the pay scale unless previous NHS experience in a similar role can be evidenced., You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
  At SPFT we put people first. We'll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. You'll have opportunities to learn, grow and gain new experiences to support your career, with access to lifelong learning and professional development.

We actively promote flexible working and understand how important work life balance is, especially in healthcare. Whether it's part time hours, hybrid working or flexible start and finish times, we'll explore what works for you and the role. We recognise that tools like AI are becoming part of everyday life and you may choose to use them when preparing your application. We welcome this, as long as what you submit reflects your own experience, skills and voice. AI can be helpful for structuring or refining your answers, but it should not replace your own examples or create content that isn't based on your real experience. Our recruitment process is designed to get to know you, and we'll explore your examples further at interview, so it's important your application genuinely represents what you bring. You can read more about using AI in applications and interviews on our recruitment process page. We're shaping a workplace where ideas are encouraged, technology supports you and everyone has a voice in how we improve. If that sounds like the kind of organisation you want to be part of, we'd love to hear from you.

As a Mental Health Trust, Sussex Partnership offers a supportive working environment and the opportunity for staff to flourish and professionally develop. We have a strong philosophy of a collaborative and client centred approach, and staff wellbeing is integral in our philosophy and in our practice. We aspire to become a more diverse workplace where staff from all backgrounds and a variety of life experiences feel like they belong.

We have a huge focus on the wellbeing of staff and our reward packages reflect the immensely important work our staff do.

As a practitioner in our team we can offer you:

• Access to numerous wellbeing and support programmes
• Excellent supervision programmes, with ongoing opportunities for training and development
• Flexible working patterns
• Reimbursed parking
• Child care vouchers
• Access to a host of NHS discount schemes (including gyms, shopping, restaurants and cars)
• Generous holiday entitlement (dependent on length of NHS service) starting at 27 days + 8 bank holidays
• NHS Pension contributions