Primary Care Mental Health Practitioner

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT); Cambridge; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is seeking Band 6 Primary Care Mental Health Practitioners. This role requires registered mental health professionals to deliver integrated care within community settings, focusing on excellent communication and clinical assessment skills to support patient transitions and interventions.

Qualifications

• Registered with NMC or HCPC.
• Experience with mental health assessments.
• Ability to work with complex health issues.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate mental health assessments in Primary Care.
• Support GPs with decision-making for secondary care referrals.
• Provide short-term interventions for clients.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Clinical assessment

Problem-solving

Negotiation and conflict resolution

Education

Registered mental health professional (nursing, OT, SW)

Mentorship/preceptorship Course (or equivalent)

Non-medical prescriber

Job description

Main area Adult and Specialist Grade Band 6 Contract Permanent: Full-time and Part-time hours availble Hours

• Full time
• Part time

37.5 hours per week (Monday - Friday) Job ref 310-MASMH-7207720

Site Community - South (Cambridgeshire) Town Cambridge Salary £37,338 - £44,962 per annum, pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 07/07/2025 23:59

Job overview

****This post is for one Full-time position and one Part-time (15 hours per week) position.****

Our Primary Care Mental Health Service is an award-winning service, receiving national interest as a new and innovative way of working in Primary Care. Based in GP practices and Neighbourhood teams we ensure that those with mental health needs are seen at the right time, in the right place, by the right people.

We’re looking for enthusiastic Band 6 Primary Care MH Practitioners, who hold NMC or HCPC registration, to join us. We currently have two vacancies covering Cambridgeshire area, including the city of Cambridge.

YOU

• Have excellent communication skills and the ability to complete robust clinical assessments independently.
• Enjoy a new challenge, variety in your work, working in a passionate and driven team striving to make a difference for our community.
• Would like to be part of the exciting Community Transformation Programme.

WE

• Are a compassionate, supportive and professional service that will actively support your growth and development as a senior member of the team.
• Achieve and always seek to be the best we can be through teamwork and a clear vision.

Main duties of the job

Working alongside a Mental Health Liaison Practitioner you will work across the interface between Primary Care and Mental Health Services to facilitate mental health assessment in primary care and support GPs with joint decision making in relation to secondary care referrals, signposting, and transition of service users from secondary mental health services back to Primary Care. Your expertise will help inform GPs management plans for those with mental health needs in primary care.

By providing support, education and problem-solving approaches for adults of working age, you will be an active member of the primary care team with the ability to undertake very short-term interventions for clients with mild to moderate mental health difficulties.

This is not a ‘case load’ role or service, enabling you to be flexible and dynamic in a well-supported autonomous role that will allow experience, decision-making skills and service user focus to thrive and develop.

Working for our organisation

Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health & social care organisation dedicated to providing high quality care with compassion to improve the health & wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting & empowering them to lead a fulfilling life.

Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services not only via inpatient and primary care setting but also with the community. These services include Children, Adult & Older Peoples mental & physical health, Forensic & Specialist mental health, Learning Disabilities, Primary Care & Liaison psychiatry, Substance misuse, Social care, Research & Development.

To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high calibre candidates that share our vision & values. As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including disabled people & members of our ethnic minorities & LGBTQ+ communities.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities.

To support service users with transitioning from secondary care into primary care.

To be a valued core member of primary care teams within an LCG, using specialist mental health knowledge.

To develop links and foster a culture of partnership between Primary Care Teams and CPFT Adult Mental Health Services.

To promote the use of treatment protocols and care pathways leading to increased integration of service users within Primary Care setting.

To enable practitioners in Primary Care to develop their skills and confidence in assessment and treatment of particular mental health problems.

Facilitate joint work between Primary Care and Secondary Care interface and Primary Care/Voluntary Sector to increase range of services/interventions available.

To develop a close relationship with Primary Care practices, attending practice meetings and having regular informal contact.

Interventions will be delivered under Primary care governance and policies whilst also maintaining adherence to CPFT Trust policy.

Person specification

Education / Qualifications

• Registered mental health professional [mental health/LD/Adult], appropriate to the job role (nursing, OT, SW)
• Completion of Mentorship/preceptorship Course/ENB equivalent, or intention to complete
• Evidence of continuous professional development
• Non-medical prescriber

Experience

• Experience of working alongside people with complex health problems in the designated care group
• Experience of supervising staff
• Experience of providing a range of clinical interventions to people in the designated care group with a variety of health problems
• Experience of conducting clinical assessments including risk assessments
• Experience of partnership working within and across various statutory and nonstatutory teams and agencies
• Experience of working within the CPA process
• Contribute to the implementation of services
• Experience of managing a caseload
• Experience of working within primary care
• Significant experience of adult community mental health
• Experience of developing new services

Skills & Abilities

• Excellent negotiation and conflict resolution skills
• Establish and maintain communication with individuals, families, carers and groups about difficult or complex matters overcoming any differences in communication
• Develop own skills and knowledge and provide information to others to help their development
• Skills of assessing and interpreting service user conditions with appropriate actions
• Ability to work with resistance at times, to manage own reactions to difficult situations and to act with appropriate authority and diplomacy
• Plan and organise complex activities or programmes requiring, formulation and review
• Assessment, planning and intervention skills
• Provision of specialist advice in relation to mental health
• Frequent and intense concentration in client assessment and formulation, both individual and group work with up to 5 hours a day in direct face to face client contact
• Liaison with multi agencies at times especially in emergencies requiring mental effort to coordinate management of a crisis
• Significant post qualifying experience in the relevant care group

Physical Requirements

• Ability to use manual handling techniques
• Ability to travel across sites

Here at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) we are dedicated to providing high quality care with compassion. We deliver many of the NHS services that are provided outside of hospital and in the community such as physical, mental health and specialist services.

We are a health and social care organisation, offering a wide range of services, including:

• Integrated physical and mental health services for adults and older people;
• Specialist mental health and learning disability services;
• Children’s community services in Peterborough;
• Ground-breaking research

We strongly encourage applications from all sections of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including disabled people and members of our ethnic minorities and LGBTQ+ communities. For further information about our positive equality, diversity and Inclusion work, please visit https://www.cpft.nhs.uk/equalityanddiversity .

CPFT is looking to build upon its pool of temporary workers with Temporary Staffing Services (TSS). You will be asked at interview if you would be willing to register with TSS. This is an excellent opportunity for those looking to take on additional hours that are flexible around your personal circumstances.

Please be advised that in line with the WHO Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List, 2020 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust currently are unable to accept applications from overseas candidates whose country of residence is classed as a ‘Red List’ country.

Applicants who require entry into the UK will be required to provide a valid police certificate from the relevant authority from each country (except the UK) where the applicant has been present for 12 months or more, 10 years before the date of visa application, while aged 18 or over.

If you are successful at interview you will be subject to pre-employment checks, including a DBS (if appropriate), references and Occupational Health. To ensure a smooth process please bring all identity documents to your interview. A list of required identity documents will be attached to your interview invitation.

All communications will be sent to you via TRAC Systems. By applying for this post you are agreeing to CPFT transferring the information contained in this application to TRAC. If you are made an offer, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

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.

As a patient, relative or carer using our services, sometimes you may need to turn to someone for help, advice, and support.