Mental Health Practitioner - Mental Health Urgent Care Department

Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust; Basildon; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A health service provider in Basildon is seeking a Mental Health Practitioner to join their Urgent Care Department. This full-time role involves providing comprehensive assessments and care planning for patients facing mental health crises, as well as collaborating with a multidisciplinary team. Applicants must hold a relevant registration and have experience in the mental health field. The position offers flexible working options and various employee benefits.

Benefits

Season Ticket Loans

NHS discounts

Excellent Training facilities

Buying and Selling annual leave scheme

Flexible working opportunities

Qualifications

• Registered as a mental health professional.
• Experience in urgent care or mental health settings.
• Excellent communication skills for multidisciplinary work.

Responsibilities

• Provide assessments for mental health crises.
• Collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams.
• Manage urgent care patient flow and documentation.

Skills

Clinical assessment skills

Trial and evaluation management

Team collaboration

Education

Registered mental health professional qualification

Tools

Clinical documentation systems

Job description

Overview

A Vacancy at Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust.

Mental Health Practitioner - Mental Health Urgent Care Department

Base – Basildon Hospital

Hours – 37.5hrs Full Time (Full Internal Rotation)

The Mental Health Urgent Care Department provides urgent biopsychosocial assessments with immediate care planning for adults aged 18 years and above who are experiencing a mental health crisis. It is based at the Basildon Mental Health Unit on the Basildon University Hospital site.

The post holder will work as a Band 6 Senior Practitioner with the urgent care team, providing high quality, evidence-based, holistic assessments to patients attending the service. Assessments must be completed in line with professional codes, Trust policies and clinical guidelines.

The service offers full emergency mental health assessments and onward care planning with a diverse and highly skilled mental health workforce including support workers, peer coaches, social workers, nurses and doctors. The role will require collaboration to support all aspects of emergency mental health care planning—from GP referrals and ambulance conveyance to Mental Health Act Assessments—while providing 24/7 access for walk-ins.

You will assess, plan, implement and evaluate care based on individual service user needs, under the guidance of the Clinical Lead as per NICE guidance. You will provide delegated accountability for Band 3 Health Care Assistants, ensuring clinical competence and supportive guidance during shifts. When required by your manager, you will deputise for day-to-day coordination of the shift within the Urgent Care Department, including cover for breaks and the clinical lead’s attendance to urgent clinical matters.

You will work collaboratively with key partner organisations, service users, carers, clinicians and other practitioners within the multi-disciplinary team to deliver a 7-day-a-week, 24-hours-a-day service for 365 days a year, where shifts are appropriate and operationally required.

Note: This role outline provides an illustrative example of duties and responsibilities and is not exhaustive. You may be required to undertake other responsibilities commensurate with the band.

The Trust (EPUT) seeks motivated staff who share our values of Care, Learn and Empower. Benefits and development opportunities include:

• Season Ticket Loans
• NHS discounts for staff
• Excellent Training facilities and opportunities
• Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
• The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
• Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
• Day One Flexible Employer

The Trust supports and actively encourages flexible working. You are encouraged to ask the recruiting manager what is possible for this role. If appointed, you will have the opportunity to apply for a flexible working request from the first day of employment.

Join our Staff Bank

What is Staff Bank?

Our EPUT NHS staff bank is managed by the Trust and hires clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals to take on shifts at our trust hospitals and community settings. We maintain our own bank of specialist staff to ensure safe and effective care at all times. All permanent staff are automatically enrolled onto the staff bank; however, this does not require you to work additional shifts, though the option is available if you wish. If joining in a fixed-term role, indicate on New Starter Paperwork that you wish to join the staff bank.

Professional Functions

• Provide comprehensive assessment, care and safety planning for patients attending the Urgent Care Department, ensuring their care pathway is purposeful and promotes recovery.
• Ensure accurate and timely clinical documentation in line with your professional Code and Trust policy.
• Develop and maintain specialist clinical skills and expertise in the assessment and treatment of people with mental health needs.
• Receive, triage and assess patients attending the Urgent Care Department, ensuring nursing triage, assessment, care and support of each person is appropriate to their individual needs.
• Offer advice on management of patients with mental health issues to other health care professionals, advocating for best practice in line with Trust and national guidance.
• Assess, investigate, treat and discharge or refer patients attending the department with a diverse range of minor injuries/illnesses, within the Urgent Care Department guidelines and scope of practice.
• Feedback outcomes of assessments to department clinical leaders and agree and implement the management plan.
• Ensure patients requiring further assessment and help are referred on appropriately.
• Implement effective joint care planning for people who repeatedly attend throughout the urgent care pathway.
• Arrange admission to mental health services in conjunction with the Urgent Care Department psychiatrist.
• Support and participate in the introduction and delivery of short-term psychological interventions for a specific cohort of individuals.
• Liaise effectively with staff in local systems and maintain accurate patient records that provide assessment reports to GP’s and other allied agencies.
• Provide advice and monitoring of the use and provision of the Mental Health/Capacity Act (1983/2005) and other relevant legislation.
• Provide clinical advice/expertise, health education, consultation and staff support to other health professionals.
• Have knowledge of how to access appropriate services and develop effective networks and channels of communication.
• Actively participate in achieving clinical outcome measures and accreditations for the service.

Managerial

• Support the Clinical Lead in ensuring the effective provision of care and service developments of the Urgent Care Team.
• In the absence of the Clinical Lead, ensure that referrals, assessments and workload allocation happen in a timely, flexible and responsive manner, considering patient and carer wishes.
• Daily management of patients within the Urgent Care Department, prioritising workload within agreed timeframes based on presenting needs and patient safety risks.
• Participate in team meetings, discuss new methods/models of care using QI methodology, and contribute to research or trials within the area.
• Participate in multi-disciplinary and multi-agency decision-making through team meetings and team building.
• Undertake duties as assigned by senior staff to ensure agreed patient quality, safety and operational performance outcomes are delivered.
• Promote understanding of urgent mental health care through formal and informal teaching.
• Support induction of new staff and supervise students as required.
• Demonstrate leadership as a role model and provide specialist advice, support and consultation to staff within the team and to external agencies.
• Undertake professional, clinical and managerial supervision in line with Trust policies and evaluate clinical practice.
• Support introduction of outcome measures to assess patient experience.
• Contribute to team education and development, enabling the exchange of ideas and interventions.
• Ensure junior staff are fully conversant with the physical health needs agenda of all patients, taking a holistic approach to care.
• Participate in service development and review.

Communication and Working Relationships

• Establish and maintain professional and effective working relationships with allied professionals.
• Develop and ensure effective communication with relatives, carers and all appropriate agencies, especially when patients are admitted or prepared for discharge, to ensure continuity of care and effective care planning.
• Ensure effective and confidential communication between medical, nursing, social care and health care agencies.
• Ensure proficient communication and documentation of risk to maintain safety of others.
• Support the concept of change within the team by contributing ideas for improving patient care.
• Participate in maintaining a constructive learning environment, encouraging inquiry and teaching, and demonstrating clinical skills.

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care

• Work flexibly to meet the needs of patients.
• Develop and maintain effective individualized care, including: triage and assessment of mental, physical and social care needs; planning, implementation and evaluation of clinical interventions; clear documentation; risk assessment and management as part of daily practice.
• Be approachable and build good relationships with patients and carers, providing information on services.
• Contribute to department patient review procedures to ensure timely clinical decisions and departmental flow.
• Use research findings to design care programs and promote evidence-based practice.

This advert closes on Thursday 18 Sep 2025