Mental Health Practitioner

LSCft; Ormskirk; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCFT) invites applications for a Band 6 practitioner to join the Initial Response Service based at Royal Preston Hospital or Ormskirk District General Hospital. You will screen referrals, triage, signpost and support call handlers and administrators in a 24/7 crisis pathway.

The role offers flexible shift patterns with a focus on recovery and providing timely access to services for people with mental health needs.

Qualifications

• Recognised Core Mental Health Professional Qualification (e.g. RMN/Dip SW/OT).
• ENB 998 or equivalent teaching/supervision qualification.

Responsibilities

• Triage and screen referrals from GPs and professionals.
• Signpost and support the call handlers and administrators over the telephone.
• Promote recovery and provide timely access to services for people with mental health needs.

Education

Recognised Core Mental Health Professional Qualification (e.g. RMN/Dip SW/OT)

ENB 998 or equivalent teaching/supervision qualification

Job description

Site Avondale, Royal Preston Hospital or Bickerstaffe house, Ormskirk District General Hospital Town Ormskirk Salary £39,959 - £48,117 per annum (subject to confirmation) Salary period Yearly Closing 03/11/2026 23:59

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.

Base: Avondale, Royal Preston Hospital or Bickerstaffe house, Ormskirk District General Hospital, there are positions available at either base.

Come and join our Initial Response Service team. This is an exciting time to be part of the crisis pathway and support people with mental health to ensure they access the most appropriate support at the right time.

The new service offers:

• A single referral point for GPs and other professionals
• A 24-hour telephone advice and support for people who use services and carers to be able to self-refer. We offer mental health triages/assessments over the phone or face to face.
• More responsive crisis services with improved experiences for people who use services, carers and professional.
• We work together as a team, we support one another in everything that we do. As we are a 24 hour service we are open to flexible working patterns if needed.
• IRS is the front door to services and anyone from GP, professionals, can call and the clinicians have the capacity to respond within hours giving great customer service which gives great job satisfaction for the clinicians.

Main duties of the job

There has never been a more exciting time to join our Trust. You will be part of delivering a significant transformation to the way services are accessed and delivered. We are looking for experienced Band 6 Nurses, Social Workers or Occupational Therapists to join our expanding team.

Our aim is to provide people with mental health issues access to the support they need at the right time, with positive outcomes. We help people with a wide range of mental health disorders to ensure that they get the right support at the right time.

The service is 24/7 but as Triage Practitioner you will be working a shift patterns within our teams based in Preston based at Royal Preston Hospital and will include referral screening, triaging, signposting and supporting the call handlers and administrators team, who provide information and support over the telephone.

Shift times and days are negotiable and can be discussed at interview.

We are looking for people who are dedicated to promoting recovery, and who can inspire people experiencing mental health and their families that recovery is possible for everyone.

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

Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Recognised Core Mental Health Professional Qualification (e.g. RMN/Dip SW/OT)
• ENB 998 or equivalent teaching/supervision qualification

Knowledge

• Detailed knowledge of the impact of risk and protective factors that affect people with mental health problems
• In-depth knowledge of diversity and anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice.
• Knowledge of medication prescribed for management of mental health issues

Experience

• Experience of post qualification clinical work with service users experiencing a range of mental health problems
• Experience of delivering evidence based interventions in a time-limited framework
• Evidence of assessment across a broad range of mental health problems
• Evidence of continuing professional development

You are advised to consider applying for LSCFT vacancies as soon as possible as in some instances vacancies are closed as soon as a sufficient number of applications have been received. If you are not invited to interview within four weeks of the closing date then please assume that on this occasion you have been unsuccessful, as it is not possible to contact all unsuccessful candidates.

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.

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. You are therefore advised to consider applying for this vacancy as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.