Mental Health Practitioner - Enhanced MHIST Function

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust; Chester; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting four full-time Band 6 Mental Health Practitioners for the new Enhanced MHIST Function in Chester. You will work with people with complex emotional needs, provide assessments, and support to reduce crisis admissions.

Travel across the CWP patch is required. You will join a multidisciplinary team in a psychologically informed, relationally focused pathway, with training and development opportunities.

Qualifications

• Educated to diploma/degree level and registered with the appropriate professional body.
• Evidence of continued professional development.
• Relevant mentorship qualification as required by governing body.

Responsibilities

• Provide formulation-led, trauma-informed, relationally centred support within the Enhanced MHIST Function.
• Complete biopsychosocial assessments and develop stabilisation-focused care plans.
• Work in a multidisciplinary team with collaborative practice and reflective discussion.

Skills

Formulation-led care

Trauma-informed

Relationally-centred

Biopsychosocial assessments

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Education

Diploma/degree level & professional registration

Continued professional development

Mentorship qualification (as required)

Tools

Clinical assessment tools

DSB checks awareness

Job description

Mental Health Practitioner - Enhanced MHIST Function

Band 6

Main area Mental Health Practitioner Grade Band 6 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 373-SMH2759

Site Upton Lea Resource Centre Town Chester Salary £39,959 - £48,117 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 01/10/2026 23:59

Job overview

We are recruiting 4 full time Band 6 Mental Health Practitioners to join the new Enhanced MHIST Function, supporting people who may attract a diagnosis of “personality disorder”, are not yet ready for therapy, and who frequently present in crisis or struggle to build trusting relationships with services. You will be part of a psychologically informed, relationally focused pathway for individuals with complex emotional needs. The successful applicants will hold a small caseload of around 10 people each. Whilst the roles will be linked to localities, they will still require travel across the CWP patch to support the needs of the pathway. There is potential for the service to transition to a 7‑day model in the future.

Main duties of the job

As part of this post, you will work in a psychologically informed service to provide formulation-led, trauma informed, relationally centred support within the Enhanced MHIST Function. The role will involve working proactively with people who experience significant challenges in trusting services. Your work will include completing biopsychosocial assessments, delivering formulation led care aimed at reducing unnecessary admissions and strengthening continuity of care; as well as contributing to stabilisation focused plans that prioritise emotional safety and relational consistency. You will work within a multidisciplinary team, offering mutual support through collaborative practice, reflective discussion, and psychologically informed decision making. A core element of the role is championing compassionate, non stigmatising approaches to “personality disorder” and complex emotional needs. Please see the job description for more information.

Working for our organisation

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership (CWP) provides health and care services for a population of over one million people, including mental health, learning disability, community physical health and all-age disability care, as well as the provision of three GP surgeries in Cheshire.

We employ around 4,500 staff across 73 sites and have services across Wirral and Cheshire, as well as Trafford, Warrington, Bolton, Halton, Liverpool and Stockport.

Our aim is to help improve the lives of everyone in our communities, adopting a compassionate, person-centred approach to everything we do. We are rated as Outstanding for Caring by the Care Quality Commission, with a Good rating overall.

As a Disability Confident Employer, Rainbow Badge Scheme member, Veteran Aware organisation and proud holder of the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award, CWP is committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible and developing a culture that values differences, and welcome applications from people who have direct experience of accessing our services.
All new starters will commence in post on one fixed start date each month, in line with our Prepare to Care (P2C) induction programme date. P2C offers up to 3 weeks training to support you to meet the induction / initial training requirements of the role.

Whether you are just starting out in your career or looking to use your existing skills and experience in a new role, you’ll find something to suit you at CWP.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please download a copy of the job description (see ‘documents to download’ section below) for full details of the main responsibilities for this role.

At CWP, our recruitment selection processes are based on both competence (see person specification for details) and values.

CWP recruits people that can demonstrate the Trust’s Values in their everyday life and we use a values-based approach in our interviews, which explores not only what you do but how and why you do it.

Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trust’s Values and think about how these align with your own personal values. The supporting information section in your application should reflect your understanding of the Trust’s Values and associated behaviours and you should provide examples from your work experience and/or personal life which demonstrate these values through your behaviours.

An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page. Further help and support for completing your application can be accessed via our website. If you need any further guidance to help you complete your application, contact our recruitment team via email at: [e-mail] or by calling 01244 393100.

If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the ‘essential’ criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer ‘YES’ to the question: ‘Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?’

Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.

The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post and encourages applications from armed forces reservists or cadet force adult volunteers.

Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £16 per year applies.

New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.

Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.

Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team CWP very soon!

Person specification

Qualifications

• Educated to diploma/degree level and registered with the appropriate professional body
• Professional knowledge acquired through a relevant degree plus relevant experience for working with complex cases
• Evidence of continued professional development
• Relevant mentorship qualification as required by governing body

Knowledge and Expertise

• In-depth knowledge and experience of working within the recovery focused philosophy framework
• Knowledge of delivering individual service user focused specialist assessments
• Knowledge of evidence based interventions which are measureable and which promote the service users journey along the recovery pathway
• An in-depth knowledge of delivering psychosocial interventions (PSI)
• Knowledge of physical health needs
• Professional knowledge acquired through a relevant degree plus relevant experience for working in the community
• Highly developed accurate physical skills and be able to manipulate fine tools and materials
• Knowledge of developing specialist programmes of care, care packages
• Knowledge of providing specialised advice in relation to care
• Knowledge of recording personally generated information
• Knowledge of working closely with commissioners and care providers
• Knowledge of legal frameworks including the Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act
• Experience of undertaking surveys or audits necessary to own work
• Experience of undertaking research and development activity and clinical trials
• Knowledge of complex care management including the development of bespoke support packages

Experience

• A minimum of 2 years post registration experience working with adults with mental health problems with a complex nature
• Experience of planning and organising complex activities or programmes requiring formulation and adjustment
• Experience of developing specialist programmes of care, care packages
• Experience of providing specialised advice in relation to care
• Experience of working closely with commissioners and care providers
• Experience of following policies and providing comments to propose changes to practice/procedures in own work area
• Experience of safe management of equipment and resources
• Experience of being an authorised signatory
• Experience of conducting professional/clinical supervision
• Ability to undertake surveys, R&D activity or audits as necessary to own work
• Ability to regularly undertake equipment testing and adaptation
• Experience of working within a rehabilitation framework
• Demonstrate alignment with Trust Values (6 C’s: Commitment, Communication, Care, Courage, Compassion, Competency)

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 Sarah Parkinson

Job title Consultant Clinical Psychologist

Email address [e-mail]

Telephone number 01244 393229

Additional information

If you consider yourself Neurodivergent and need help to complete your application form, please contact [e-mail] or telephone [phone]

Giving you time to care, space to think and opportunity to grow

We are Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CWP). We provide health and care services for local people, including mental health, learning disability, community physical health and all-age disability care – including the provision of three GP surgeries.

We have services across Wirral and Cheshire, as well as Trafford, Warrington, Bolton, Halton, Liverpool and Stockport. We also provide specialist services for the North West as a whole.

Our services are provided in partnership with commissioners, local authorities, voluntary and independent organisations, people who access our services, their carers and families. The Trust has over 14,500 members and employs more than 4,000 staff across 62 sites, serving a population of over one million people and highly specialist services for two million people.

We offer career opportunities to staff across a range of professions, including:

• Allied health professions - including occupational therapy, physiotherapy, podiatry, and speech and language therapy
• Medical - including psychiatry and general practice
• Pharmacy
• Clinical support roles
• Estates and facilities
• Support services roles - including HR, communications, ICT,finance and more

At CWP, we believe in giving our staff the time to care, the space to think and the opportunity to grow.

With vacancies across a range of professions, wherever you’re at in your career journey, you’ll find something to suit you. So why not join our team today?