Mental Health Practitioner

Integrated Care System; Maidstone; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

A dynamic healthcare organization seeks a Mental Health Practitioner in Maidstone to provide vital care and support for individuals with complex mental health needs. The role includes promoting recovery, working closely with other agencies, and leading a diverse team. Candidates should have a relevant degree, experience in mental health, and skills in risk assessment. Competitive salary and benefits including extensive training opportunities and holiday entitlements are offered.

Benefits

35 days paid holiday, increasing to 41 days after 10 years

Career development with training opportunities

Car Lease Scheme

Staff discounts

Relocation Support

Qualifications

• Registered professional with experience in mental health settings.
• Experience in forensic services or community settings preferred.
• Training in Autism and Talking MATS training or equivalent is necessary.

Responsibilities

• Prepare individuals for discharge from the hospital and community reintegration.
• Provide clinical and managerial leadership within the team.
• Support patients to comprehend their risks and promote sustainable lifestyles.

Skills

Compassion

Analytical skills

Interpersonal skills

Education

Degree or equivalent qualification in nursing, social work or allied health

Job description

Go back Kent & Medway NHS & Social Care Partnership Trust

Mental Health Practitioner

The closing date is 05 August 2025

We are seeking compassionate and dedicated professionals to join our specialized team providing trauma-informed care to individuals with complex mental health needs who pose a significant risk of harm to others.

Our goal is to create a safe environment where our patients can heal, regain control of their lives, and build essential life skills.

We are looking for individuals with a nursing, social work, or allied health professional background who possess strong transferable skills.

We aim to train staff in advanced risk assessment techniques and psychological approaches to patient care to promote recovery and sustainable life skills within the forensic population.

You should be a registered professional with prior experience in mental health settings, preferably in forensic services or community settings.

If you are seeking a new challenge and interested in becoming part of this forward-thinking and innovative Trust then we want to talk to you.

What we can offer you:

Career development with our comprehensive range of training & development opportunities to enhance your skills

Strong Supportive Management committed to providing 1-2-1 support to advance personal development

Car Lease Scheme open to all staff

Staff discounts for employees and their families

Relocation Support if you are moving to the area depending on your circumstances

35 days paid holiday, increasing to 41 days after 10 years of service

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will play a key role in preparing individuals fordischarge from the hospital environment and reintegration into their community as part of the Care and Treatment Review Process, and dynamic support systems.

You will be required to recognise when an individual requires increased levels of support to promote a sustainable lifestyle in the Community.

Promote recovery and support patients to understand their risks and how to work towards greater independence, utilising the expertise of partner agencies and 3rd sector organisations, which will involve working closely with other agencies, including Community services and the Criminal Justice System.

Demonstrate active clinical and managerial leadership skills within the team, providing education and supervision to junior staff members and other professionals.

Bring to bear both their clinical, data analysis, and evaluation skills, by working closely with individuals, their circles of care, inpatient ward staff, and the wider community team to support the delivery of a comprehensive service.

About us

Come and work with us in the Garden of England where we combine exceptional professional development opportunities with a tremendous quality of life.

We are Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT), providing mental health, learning disability and specialist services, serving 1.8 million people in Kent and Medway, as well as specialist services for adults in Sussex and Surrey. We are rated Good overall by the CQC.

Each year we care for over 2,000 people in our hospitals and 54,000 people in the community.

We are proud to employ over 3,800 people from 66 nationalities, and to serve an increasingly diverse range of communities across rural and urban areas.

You will be joining friendly, passionate colleagues, rich in their diversity, who are committed to providing excellent care to our service users and their loved ones.

The nature of our work attracts kindness and compassion as standard and everyone from our cleaners and porters to the chief executive and chairman are recognised as playing a vital role in providing an exemplary service.

Our strategyOur mission is what we set out to do every dayWe deliver brilliant care through brilliant people

Our vision is where we want to be in the futureTo provide outstanding care and to work in partnership to deliver this in the right place, for every service user, every time.

Check out our recruitment videos Recruitment - YouTube

Job responsibilities

This is a full-time role, at Agenda for Change Band 6; with flexible working opportunities available, part-time working hours would be considered. The post will cover Kent and Medway and out-of-area Kent and Medway patients.

If your application is successful, you will be notified by e-mail and advised to check your Trac/ NHS Jobs account. Therefore, please ensure that you regularly check both your email and your Trac/NHS Jobs account.

This post is subject to a six-month probationary period for candidates external to the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust

To deliver an effective service, it is essential that you are able to travel between bases in a timely manner.

Please see the attached job description for full details of the main duties and responsibilities of the role.

The post holder must hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car/vehicle to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).

We love the work we do and we want you to join us.

Person Specification

Training, Qualifications and registration

• A degree or equivalent qualification/experience at post registration level
• Training in Autism
• Further training relevant to role
• Talking MATS training or equivalent

Experience

• Experience working in an inpatient and community setting
• Experience of mental health care within the criminal justice system and/or forensic mental health
• Extensive clinical experience including both individual and group work
• Experience of working in an autism setting

Knowledge and Skills

• Experience of liaison with a variety of stakeholders both internal and external to the Trust.
• A demonstrable understanding of the Mental Health Act- including a working knowledge of the sections applied in a forensic setting.
• Understanding and expertise in the principles of risk assessment and risk management
• Ability to respond efficiently to complex information within tight deadlines and prioritise accordingly.

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.

Kent & Medway NHS & Social Care Partnership Trust

£38,682 to £46,580 a yearper annum pro rata