Mental Health Practitioner

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 42,000 - 50,000; Part time

Job summary

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Mental Health Practitioner (Band 6) to provide specialist offender mental healthcare at HMP Standford Hill. This part-time, permanent post works 18.75 hours per week from 8am to 4:30pm across 2.5 days.

The role supports the Mental Health In-Reach Team and broader NHS mental health services. You will manage a mixed caseload, perform robust assessments, plan care, and deliver evidence-based interventions in collaboration with CMHTs and prison staff to

Qualifications

• Includes CPD commitment, recovery-focused practice, and carers’ assessments.
• Desirable post-registration training in related mental health areas.
• Registration with NMC/HCPC is required to practice in this role.

Responsibilities

• Perform robust assessment, screening, and interventions for service users with mental health needs.
• Ensure timely delivery of waiting times, assessments, and interventions to meet service targets.
• Collaborate with CMHTs to ensure continuity of care and proper information sharing.
• Provide comprehensive reports and mental health expertise to MAPPA, police, probation, and courts as directed.
• Deliver supervision and participate in MDT meetings and training for staff.

Skills

CPD

Recovery principles

Carers’ assessments

Education

Diploma level/Degree in relevant health/social care profession e.g. RMN/RLDN/OT/Social Worker

Current registration with NMC or HCPC

Desirable post-registration training: Learning disability, Personality disorder, Substance misuse/dual diagnosis, Psychological therapies

Job description

Main area Offender Healthcare Grade Band 6 Contract Permanent Hours Part time - 18.75 hours per week (8am - 4:30pm, 2.5 days a week flexible) Job ref 277-8222010-STAN-A

Site HMP Standford Hill Town Kent Salary £41,959 - £50,117 PER ANNUM **RECRUITMENT & RETENTION INCENTIVE INCLUDED** Salary period Yearly Closing 29/09/2026 23:59

Job overview

This is a part time role, as a Mental Health Practitioner you will be providing specialist mental healthcare to offenders and working as part of the Mental Health In-Reach Team, plus wider mental health services. You will be required to work in a psychologically minded way with offenders in achieving their agreed goals and quality health outcomes.

Our Mental Health Team provide specialist interventions at primary and secondary care level including; referral management, screening assessment, triage, evidence-based interventions, care planning and risk assessing, plus one-to-one and group-work facilitation.

Our Mental Health Practitioners manage a mixed and challenging caseload and are required to perform robust assessment, screening and interventions to offenders with learning disabilities and mental health conditions. You will contribute to alternatives to inpatient admission and assisting with early discharge through the implementation of high intensity interventions and complex case management arrangements.

Important Sponsorship Information for this post: We are currently unable to offer a certificate of sponsorship for this post.

Please use below link for more information

One of our key aims is to ensure continuity of care for an offender on ordinary location and reduce the length of stay, both in relation to prison inpatient services and external NHS/independent in-patient services. You will work closely with community mental health teams to ensure appropriate sharing of information, continuity of care and the Care Programme Approach for all offenders as necessary.

• To provide specialist mental healthcare to service users and to work as part of the Mental Health In-Reach Team and wider MDT.
• To deliver a range of specialist interventions at primary and secondary care level; to include:
• Referral management, screening assessment, triage, and evidence- based interventions
• Care Planning and risk assessing
• One-to-one and group-work facilitation
• Managing a mixed and challenging caseload

Working for our organisation

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Kent, South London, Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.

Our healthcare departments operate across six prisons in the Kent cluster each of which require a bespoke service responding to the prisoner and prison needs:

• HMP Standford Hill – Cat D– Population = 450
• HMP Maidstone - Cat C - Population = 600
• HMP East Sutton Park - Cat D Population = 90

Our wider services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children’s centres, schools and people’s homes. We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

• We Listen
• We Care

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To perform robust assessment, screening, and interventions to service users with mental health and neurodevelopmental and trauma needs.
• Ensure that all waiting time, assessment and interventions are delivered in a timely manner, and positively contribute to the achievement of the service’s performance targets.
• Ensure integrated and collaborative working with other specialist services, including continuity of care and through the gate arrangements and liaison.
• Work closely with community mental health teams (CMHTs) to ensure appropriate sharing of information, continuity of care and the Care Programme Approach (CPA) for all service users where necessary.
• To provide comprehensive and timely reports and mental health expertise to multi agency public protection panels (MAPPA), police, probation services, solicitors and court liaison teams as directed.
• Deliver active clinical leadership and supervision within the team, covering for the manager and colleagues as required. To receive supervision as directed (line management and clinical).
• To participate in resource centre services as directed, delivering psychological therapy and specialist activities under the direction of the clinical lead.
• To work in a psychologically minded way with service users in achieving their agreed goals and quality health outcomes.
• Close working relationships with all prison staff, to include participation in sentence planning, resettlement, safer custody, and the ACCT processes.
• To develop and take on a specialist lead role as appropriate and provide peer support and training in this area.
• To contribute towards support, advice, consultation, and training for prison staff.
• The post holder will be part of a skilled multidisciplinary team (MDT) comprising of all healthcare staff, including strategic partners, and prison managing a single referral pathway.
• The post holder will be required to undertake training to maximise uptake of screening, health promotion and prevention activity, including vaccinations.
• The post holder will be required to hold a caseload and care co-ordinate services uses with secondary mental health and complex needs. Ensuring a proactive, evidence-based approach to clinical interventions, health promotion/prevention activity, and management of acute and long-term conditions using a stepped care approach.
• The post holder will ensure that a single, integrated, care plan is devolved in collaboration with service users and responsible for facilitating the development of comprehensive risk assessment, crisis plans, rapid access plans, advance statements etc, involving other agencies such as primary care etc where appropriate. Ensure the individualised care is regularly reviewed and updated where necessary.
• The post holder as a care coordinator will attend/contribute in a weekly MDT meeting for service uses on secondary case load and complex care needs. This will ensure a tailored individual needs approach.
• The post holder will ensure that they undertake all training in evidence-based CBT approaches, to enhance consistency and quality of care delivery.
• The post holder will support patients to manage all areas of their health at every stage, from oral health to long term conditions.
• The post holder will ensure that health promotion embedded into every aspect of the service.

IMPORTANT PLEASE READ:

All applicants must be willing to undertake National Security Vetting in order to work in a Prison Setting. This will be completed as part of the pre-employment checks through Oxleas and the prison vetting team.

You will need to provide:

Proof of right to work documentation

Proof of ID, needs to include 1 photographicID

Proof of address documentation

Non-UK passport holders will need to have correct documentation (right to work in the UK) and a Home office Share code.

Address History:

5 years address history will be needed.

Applicants that are not UK Passport holders who provide less than 5 years UK address history will need to provide a Police Certificate which must be in English from where they resided previously.

Applicants who are UK Passport holders who have lived abroad for a period of more than six months during the last three years will need to provide a certificate of good conduct or an overseas police check in English from the countries resided in or visited .

If the country you have resided in is not listed here, you can obtain the necessary information by contacting the relevant Embassy or High Commission for that Country. Their contact details can be found on the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website (http://www.fco.gov.uk/en).

Person specification

Education/Qualifications

• Diploma level/Degree in relevant health/social care profession, eg RMN, RLDN OT, Social Worker.
• Current relevant registration with the NMC or HCPC
• Desirable relevant, post registration training in one of the following areas: Learning disability Personality disorder Substance misuse/dual diagnosis Psychological therapies

Experience

• Two years substantive post-registration experience gained working in a range of frontline adult mental health services, undertaking assessment and delivering interventions.
• Experience gained in a wide variety of settings

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge

• Commitment to CPD, is able to deliver from a range of possible key therapeutic interventions CBT, Psychosocial interventions, Family Interventions, DBT approaches.
• Demonstrates a developed understanding of the recovery principles, and the role of secondary mental health services in the delivery of care.
• Experience of undertaking carers’ assessments.

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that welcomes and supports individuals of all abilities. Remember, if you meet the minimum criteria for this role and you have a disability, you can be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme - Please ensure you select this on your application form. We would encourage you to be open about your needs so we can work with you to design a comfortable and accessible interview experience. Any information you provide regarding a disability or a need for adjustments will be treated in confidence and will only be shared with colleagues who are supporting this request.

If you require any adjustments to participate fully in the interview process, please let us know by adding the relevant details when scheduling your preferred interview date and time. Please feel free to contact the appointing manager to discuss your needs.

We encourage applicants to contact the hiring manager before their interview, if they have any questions about the role or the process. This is a great way to get clarity and prepare effectively for the interview.

If you have declared you are part of the armed forces community, you may be asked to provide evidence during the recruitment process. If you misrepresent this information, your offer may be withdrawn. For Armed Forces specific support, see our webpage: https://oxleas.nhs.uk/armed-forces-community/

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

If you choose to use AI or other tools to assist in writing your application, it's essential to personalise this information, particularly your supporting information section. While AI can help streamline the writing process, these tools cannot fully grasp the context or requirements of the job you’re applying for. There is also a risk that it can generate false or misleading information. AI-generated job applications can often be generic, impersonal and may not accurately reflect your qualifications, knowledge, skills, and experiences. It is crucial that you personalise your supporting statement by articulating these in your unique voice. Relying solely on AI to write your application or supporting information section is not advocated by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and could negatively impact your chances of success in the application process.

We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully. You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct.Please note that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is prohibited during the interview process.

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.

Name Clare Denny Job title Recruitment & Retention Resourcing Officer Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 07504877653