Mental Health Practitioner

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust; Greater Manchester; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust seeks a Mental Health Practitioner (Band 6) to join the Police Pathways service in Greater Manchester. This full-time role includes arranging mental health assessments and collaborating with law enforcement to enhance care for patients detained under the Mental Health Act. A commitment to providing high-quality mental health services is essential, along with post-registration experience and effective communication skills.

Benefits

Generous annual leave entitlement

Flexible working opportunities

Access to Continued Professional Development

Health and Wellbeing activities

Access to staff discounts

Qualifications

• Demonstrable post-registration experience in mental health.
• Willingness to undertake further training relevant to the practitioner role.
• Evidence of ongoing CPD.

Responsibilities

• Arrange initial mental health assessments by the psychiatrist.
• Coordinate and support Mental Health Act assessments.
• Ensure safe discharge plans are in place.

Skills

Comprehensive mental health and risk assessment skills

Excellent communication skills

Ability to form productive working relationships

Education

RMN / Social Worker / OT

Evidence of post-basic qualification and training to post graduate level

Job description

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Main area Mental Health Grade NHS AfC: Band 6 Contract Permanent: 24/7 including nights and bank holidays trustwide Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (24/7 nights and weekend trustwide) Job ref 311-B439-25-C

Site Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust Town Greater Manchester Salary £37,338 - £44,962 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 18/06/2025 23:59

If you are Kind, Fair, Ingenious and Determined then we want you to come and join our#PennineCarePeople

The postholder will work within the Police Pathways service which offers a
comprehensive mental health service that will include the Crisis Response Vehicle
and patients who are detained under a s136 of the MHA.
The post holder will be responsible for arranging the initial mental health assessment
by the on-call psychiatrist and provide clinical expertise and knowledge,
demonstrating a sound understanding of the issues related to the identification,
assessment, treatment and management of the patients who have been detained on
a section 136.

Main duties of the job

The postholder will work within the Police Pathways service which offers a
comprehensive mental health service that will include the Crisis Response Vehicle
and patients who are detained under a s136 of the MHA.
The post holder will be responsible for arranging the initial mental health assessment
by the on-call psychiatrist and provide clinical expertise and knowledge,
demonstrating a sound understanding of the issues related to the identification,
assessment, treatment and management of the patients who have been detained on
a section 136.
To be responsible, if required, for arranging, coordinating, supporting a Mental
Health Act assessment if clinically indicated.
To be responsible for ensuring adherence to all aspects of the mental health act.
They will also ensure that a safe discharge plan is put in place or coordinating the
safe transfer of care from the Health Based Place of Safety (HBPoS)
To support the work of the Greater Manchester Police and Pennine Care to improve
care and management of patients detained on section 136. This includes work
around pathway development and smooth transition from Police custody to health
care

For further information please see attached job description

Working for our organisation

We are proud to provide high quality mental health and learning disability services, both inpatient and in the community across five boroughs of Greater Manchester - Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport and Tameside and Glossop.

Our vision is for a happier and more hopeful life for everyone in our communities and our staff work hard to deliver the very best care for the people who use our services. We’re really proud of our#PennineCarePeopleand do everything we can to make sure we’re a great place to work.

All individuals regardless of race, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership are encouraged to apply for this post. We would also encourage applications from individuals with a lived experience of mental illness, either individually or as a carer.

If you come and work for us we will offer a range of benefits and opportunities, including:

• Generous annual leave entitlement for Agenda for Change and Medical and Dental staff.
• Flexible working opportunities to support your work/life balance
• Access to Continued Professional Development
• Involvement in improvement and research activities
• Health and Wellbeing activities and access to an excellent staff wellbeing service
• Access to staff discounts across retail, leisure and travel

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

This job description is not exhaustive, but is intended to give an overall picture of the
role. Other duties within the general scope of the post may be required from time to
time. The duties of the post and job description can be reviewed through the agreed
process
General Duties of all post holders
• To undertake any other reasonable duty, which is appropriate to the band,
when requested by Senior Staff.
• To be familiar with and comply with all Trust and departmental policies,
procedures, protocols and guidelines.
• To be aware of and work towards the Trusts strategic goals.
Standards of Business Conduct
• The post holder will be required to comply with the organisations standing
order and standing financial instructions and at all times, deal honestly with
the organisation with colleagues and all those who have dealing with the
organisation including patients, relative and suppliers.
• The post holder must ensure that their behaviour and interests inside and
outside work do not conflict with their Trust position, duties and/or
responsibilities.
• The post holder must comply with and support the development of the
performance standards within the service/department to ensure the service is
responsive to and meets the needs of its customers.
• The post holder will be required to develop and maintain good working
relationships with all patients, service users, staff, contractors and where
appropriate, members of the public.
• The Trust aims to maintain the good will and confidence of its own staff,
patients, service users, NHS contractors and the general public. To assist in
achieving this objective it is essential that at all times, the post holder carries
out their duties in a courteous, sympathetic and professional manner.
AFC 7/1/25 JME-219-24 Mental Health Practitioner Band 6
• All post holders who are members of a professional body must comply with
standards of professional practice / conduct. It is the post holders’
responsibilities to ensure they are both familiar with and adhere to these
requirements and maintain their professional membership to the relevant
body.
Equality and Diversity and Equal Opportunities
• The post holder must carry out all duties and responsibilities of the post in
accordance with the Trust’s Equal Opportunities and Equality and Diversity
policies, avoiding unlawful discriminatory behaviour and actions when dealing
with colleagues, service users, members of the public and all other
stakeholders.
• The post holder must promote awareness of and respect for equality and
diversity in accordance with Trust policies and procedures.
• The post holder is responsible for treating all staff, patients, service users,
NHS contractors and the general public with dignity and respect at all times.
Safeguarding
• Appointments to regulated and controlled activities require an enhanced DBS
disclosure.
• Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust (PCFT) employees have a statutory
duty to promote the welfare of children and young people and to protect
adults; enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect.
• Engagement with safeguarding training, in line with responsibilities, is
mandatory for all PCFT employees. PCFT employees must familiarise
themselves with policies and procedures and adhere to these.
• It is the responsibility of all staff to report safeguarding concerns and
familiarise themselves with who to contact in order to do this or seek further
guidance.
Professional and Personal Development
• The post holder must ensure that they are aware of their responsibilities by
attending the Trust Mandatory Training and Induction Programme.
• The post holder will be involved in a formal appraisal and yearly conversations
review with their manager at least every 12 months. Once performance / training
objectives have been set, the staff member’s progress will be reviewed on a
regular basis, so that new objectives can be agreed and set, in order to maintain
progress in the service delivery.
• The post holder will be expected to take responsibility for their own
professional development and will be supported by the Trust to achieve
development opportunities as appropriate.

Person specification

Education/ Qualifications

• RMN / Social Worker / OT
• Demonstrable post registration experience in mental health
• Evidence of post-basic qualification and training to post graduate level
• Willingness to undertake further training relevant to the practitioner role resulting from legislative or service changes, as appropriate.
• Short courses and experience to post graduate diploma level
• Evidence of on-going CPD
• PSI Training

Experience

• Proven experience of working with clients with complex needs
• Experience of delivering supervision
• Experience in working with people with moderate to severe mental health needs
• Experience of MDT working
• Experience of working with individuals who present to mental health services in crisis and have symptoms of mental health illness
• Experience of working in an acute/MHL or CJ setting is preferred.
• Experience of managing or participating in change

Knowledge

• Understanding of current mental health legislation, Safe Guarding and Child Protection Legislation
• Awareness of NICE Guidance in the treatment of mental health problems and knowledge of treatments and interventions appropriate for individuals with mental health needs
• Understanding of confidentiality and data protection issues. • Knowledge of psychosocial assessment and risk assessment / management processes

Skills and Abilities

• Comprehensive mental health and risk assessment skills
• Skills in planning, delivery and evaluation of training.
• Ability to construct effective packages of care and risk management plans
• Skills in the area of audit or research
• Ability to deliver a range of evidence based interventions
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Comprehensive I.T Skills • Ability to form productive working relationships with service users, carers and multidisciplinary staff
• Good organisational and prioritisation skills.
• Comprehensive mental health and risk assessment skills.
• Skills in planning, delivery and evaluation of training.
• Ability to construct effective packages of care and risk management plans
• Skills in the area of audit or research
• Ability to deliver a range of evidence based interventions.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Ability to form productive working relationships with service users, carers and multi-disciplinary staff.

Sponsorship - We are an approved sponsoring organisation. Applications will be considered from applicants requiring sponsorship alongside all other applications. Please be aware, not all roles are eligible for sponsorship.You can review the list of eligible role and requirements on the government website.

What happens after your application has been received?

You will be informed about the progress of your application following shortlisting via email. Only applicants who clearly demonstrate the criteria listed in the person specification will be shortlisted for interview. Interview invites will be sent out via email.

What happens if I am offered the position after interview?

The hiring manager will make contact with you to verbally offer you the position. The hiring manager will then inform Recruitment of the decision and provide relevant paperwork. You will be sent a formal conditional offer via email.

What pre-employment checks will I need to complete?

By conducting pre-employment checks, the recruitment team will verify that you meet the pre-conditions of the role you have been offered. Pre-employment checks will be carried out according to NHS Employment Check Standards . The checks are:

• Identity verification
• Right to work check
• Disclosure and barring service (DBS)/Criminal record check (dependent on role)
• Professional registration and/or qualification check
• Occupational health assessment
• Employment history and reference validation

All applicants external to NHS will be required to provide HMRC employment history to cover the most recent three years. This information will used to validate employment history and references as part of pre-employment checks.

If you are offer a position with is and you require sponsorship to support your right to work, we will review your eligibility in line with government guidance . If the role you have been offer is not eligible for sponsorship, and you are not able to evidence your right to work, your conditional offer could be withdrawn.

What happens when pre-employment checks are complete?

Recruitment will liaise with you and the hiring manager to arrange a start date for your new position. You will then be booked on to a Trust Welcome Session and be sent your Pennine Care NHS Terms and Conditions.

Other important information

• We are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and recognise the importance of ensuring our diverse service user population is reflected within our workforce. Unfortunately, we know that, at present, there is underrepresentation of our communities in our workforce. We welcome applications from people from diverse communities to help us grow, learn, be better and consider brilliant innovation diverse people bring.
• If you would like to be considered under the disability confident scheme, you will be guaranteed an interview if you meet the essential criteria on the person specification for the post.
• If you require reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process please phone us on 0161 716 3181 at the earliest opportunity. We will support you to complete your application.
• Unfortunately we are not able to guarantee the transfer of lease cars, or cover the costs of early termination charges.
• We have a strict policy on unsolicited contact from recruitment agencies. Please do not contact our hiring managers directly.

We reserve the right to close a vacancy earlier than the advertised closing date if a sufficient number of applications have been received. To ensure you application is considered, please submit at the earliest opportunity.

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.