Mental Health Practitioner

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust; Chorley; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust in Chorley is seeking a Band 6 Mental Health Practitioner to join Chorley Community Mental Health Team (CMHT). You will provide assessment, care coordination and evidence-based interventions for adults with complex mental health needs.

Working in a core multidisciplinary team, you will collaborate with psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses and social care colleagues to develop coordinated, person-centred plans that promote recovery and safety.

Qualifications

• Post-qualification experience in mental health services.
• Experience of working with a full range of mental illness.
• Demonstrable experience of providing supervision/teaching/training.

Responsibilities

• Provide assessment, care coordination and evidence-based interventions for people with identified secondary mental health needs.
• Work as keyworker for an allocated caseload, coordinating interventions, reviews and pathways of care.
• Develop, implement and review collaborative care plans, safety plans and risk management plans.
• Recognise and respond to changes in mental state, risk and safeguarding concerns.
• Collaborate with psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, occupational therapists and social care colleagues.
• Support medicines management within scope, including monitoring psychotropic medications.
• Promote physical health, social inclusion, recovery and family/carer involvement.

Skills

Mental health knowledge

Mental Health Act

Recovery model

Pharmaceutical knowledge

Education

Registered professional (Nurse or Social Worker)

Job description

Our Vision is to provide the best mental health, learning disability, autism, community, and physical health services for the populations we serve.

As an integrated Trust, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCFT) delivers a comprehensive range of services, including:

• Primary and secondary mental health care for children and adults, including specialist inpatient child and adolescent mental health provision, perinatal mental health, and forensic services with low and medium secure care.
• Specialist mental health inpatient care for individuals with learning disabilities, alongside specialist community support for children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, including intensive support.
• Extensive community physical health and well‑being services for children and adults, covering prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and long‑term condition management.

The Trust was first established in 2002 and employs approximately 7,500 staff who provide care from more than 400 sites. The organisation offers opportunities for medics, mental health, general nurses, children’s nurses, allied health professionals, psychology, administration and clerical staff, apprentices and volunteers, as well as those specialising in learning disabilities and community physical health services.

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced and motivated Band 6 Community Mental Health Practitioner to join Chorley Community Mental Health Team (CMHT), based at Chorley Health Centre.

Chorley CMHT is a busy, supportive and forward‑thinking multidisciplinary team providing specialist secondary mental health care to adults with a range of complex mental health needs. We are looking for a core registered mental health professional who can bring strong clinical skills, sound professional judgement and a collaborative approach to supporting people to achieve meaningful recovery within their communities.

Main duties of the job

As a Band 6 Mental Health Practitioner, you will work within a keyworker model, providing assessment, care coordination and evidence‑based interventions for people with identified secondary mental health needs. You will work closely with service users, families and carers, colleagues across the multidisciplinary team, primary care and partner agencies to develop coordinated, person‑centred plans that promote recovery, independence and effective management of risk.

• Undertake comprehensive mental health assessments and contribute to multidisciplinary formulation and care planning.
• Act as keyworker for an allocated caseload, coordinating agreed interventions, reviews and pathways of care.
• Develop, implement and review collaborative care plans, safety plans and risk assessment and management plans.
• Recognise and respond appropriately to changes in mental state, risk, safeguarding concerns and social circumstances.
• Work collaboratively with psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, occupational therapists, social care colleagues, support workers and partner services.
• Support safe and effective medicines management within your professional scope, including appropriate monitoring of psychotropic medication such as lithium and clozapine where relevant.
• Promote physical health, social inclusion, recovery and the involvement of families and carers where appropriate.

Working for our organisation

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 and flexi‑time.

The wellbeing of our people is at the heart of everything we do. We offer a wide range of resources, tools and support to help you thrive both in and out of work.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Chorley CMHT is an ambitious and collaborative team that takes pride in supporting both the people who use our services and one another. We are continually developing our clinical pathways, team processes and partnerships to provide timely, coordinated care and to help people remain well within our services wherever possible.

You will join a team that values innovation, reflective practice and continuous improvement, while recognising the importance of staff wellbeing and sustainable working. We aim to create an environment where colleagues feel supported to develop, contribute ideas and make a meaningful difference to the people and communities we serve.

Our approach reflects the Trust values: we are always learning, we are respectful, we are kind and we are a team.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Professionally Registered Mental Health Nurse or Equivalent professional registered social worker.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of mental illness and impact upon quality of life
• Clear understanding of the Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act and Care Act and how this influences practice within the CMHT, inpatient and HBTT settings.Clear understanding of the Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act and Care Act and how this influences practice within the CMHT, inpatient and HBTT settings.
• Knowledge of Recovery model and approaches and able to demonstrate examples.
• Pharmaceutical knowledge of medications

Experience

• Post qualification experience within mental health services. With some of these to have been within acute mental health services.
• Experience of working with a full range of mental illness
• Demonstrable experience of providing supervision/teaching/training

Please note that further communication from LSCFT will normally be to the email address given on the application form. You should also ensure that email addresses and telephone numbers are provided for your referees, to enable LSCFT to contact them.

Please ensure that you read the person specification as your application will be measured against this document.

If you use AI to assist with your application, you must declare this. Undeclared use may result in withdrawal. Please ensure your application reflects your own skills and experiences. While AI tools can assist, they may produce generic or inaccurate content. We encourage you to provide personal examples that demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria.

For all posts which require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check please be aware of the Disclosure and Barring Service Code of Practice, a copy of which is available by logging on to the DBS website. If the post is subject to DBS disclosure, a charge will be made to the successful candidate(s).

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.