Mental Health Practitioner (Forensic)

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT); Radlett; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is seeking a specialist community mental health practitioner to join the Community Forensic Team in Hertfordshire. You will provide specialist input to manage complex cases and support risk assessment.

Working closely with Consultant Forensic Psychiatrists and the multidisciplinary team, you will coordinate care planning, deliver evidence-based interventions, and ensure documentation and safeguarding compliance across community

Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive mental health assessments (MSE, risk, formulation).
• Identify and elevate risks related to self-harm, suicide, violence, vulnerability, absconding, and safeguarding.
• Contribute to risk management plans and ensure they are followed in practice.
• Develop person-centred care plans with clear goals, interventions, and measurable outcomes.
• Deliver evidence-based therapeutic interventions (CBT-informed, DBT-informed, psycho education, grounding, de-escalation).
• Support medication adherence and monitor side effects (within scope of practice).
• Advocate for patient needs and ensure their voice is reflected in care planning.
• Liaise with psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and external agencies.
• Maintain accurate, timely, defensible clinical records.
• Ensure all interventions, risks, and decisions are documented.
• Adhere to NMC standards, safeguarding policies, and legal frameworks (e.g., MHA, MCA).
• Make clinical decisions regarding safety, including early departure decisions based on risk, acuity, and task completion.
• Coordinate handovers, ensuring clarity, accountability, and risk communication.
• Ensure completion of essential tasks: observations, medications, documentation, property, incident reporting.

Job description

To provide specialist community mental health practitioner input to the Community Forensic Team in Hertfordshire. This will include the provision of specialist knowledge regarding the management of complex cases.

To work in close liaison with the Consultant Forensic Psychiatrists and other members of the multi – disciplinary team to co – ordinate the input of the team and to act as a key professional in the full assessment of individual care needs and to plan, implement and review appropriate care and risk management.

The Community Forensic Team (CFT) provides enhanced risk assessment and provides specialist treatment to people with mental disorder in the community who pose or could pose a significant risk of causing serious harm (usually physical) to others. Most (but not all) individuals registered with the CFT have been convicted of serious violent offending. Treatment is geared towards the safe management of risk and recovery of the individual.

• Conduct comprehensive mental health assessments (MSE, risk, formulation).
• Identify and elevate risks related to self‑harm, suicide, violence, vulnerability, absconding, and safeguarding.
• Contribute to risk management plans and ensure they are followed in practice.
• Develop person‑centred care plans with clear goals, interventions, and measurable outcomes.
• Deliver evidence‑based therapeutic interventions (CBT‑informed, DBT‑informed, psycho education, grounding, de‑escalation).
• Support medication adherence and monitor side effects (within scope of practice).
• Advocate for patient needs and ensure their voice is reflected in care planning.
• Liaise with psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and external agencies.
• Maintain accurate, timely, defensible clinical records.
• Ensure all interventions, risks, and decisions are documented.
• Adhere to NMC standards, safeguarding policies, and legal frameworks (e.g., MHA, MCA).
• Make clinical decisions regarding safety, including early departure decisions based on risk, acuity, and task completion.
• Coordinate handovers, ensuring clarity, accountability, and risk communication.
• Ensure completion of essential tasks: observations, medications, documentation, property, incident reporting.

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is an outstanding organisation with ambitions to match. We are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of ‘Outstanding’ from the Care Quality Commission, and our aim is to be the leading provider of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the country.

Our family of over 4000 members of staff provide health and social care for over 400,000 people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. We also deliver a range of nationally commissioned specialist services including Tier 4 services for children and young people, perinatal services, plus medium and low secure learning disabilities services.

Our Trust Values Are

Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.