Primary Care Mental Health Practitioner

Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne And Wear Nhs Foundation Trust; Gateshead; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne And Wear Nhs Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced mental health clinician to join as a Primary Care Mental Health Practitioner for Gateshead Central South PCN. The post covers several GP practices and requires travel between surgeries in a single day.

You will assess, deliver brief interventions and navigate patients to local services for working age adults and older people, with autonomy supported by a daily peer huddle with other clinicians.

Qualifications

• Professional qualification and current registration as a nurse or eligible AHP/psychology professional.
• Postgraduate qualification or experience in evidence-based psychological therapies.
• Experience working in multi-disciplinary teams and in mental health settings.

Responsibilities

• Provide initial mental health assessment/triage, formulation and signposting in primary care.
• Deliver brief interventions and navigate to local services.
• Coordinate with MDTs and participate in supervision and peer support.
• Travel between GP surgeries within the same day.

Skills

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Organisational skills

Clinical supervision

Record keeping

Education

Nursing qualification

Postgraduate degree in psychological therapies

Professional registration

Job description

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced mental health clinician to work full time as a Primary Care Mental Health Practitioner in Gateshead Central South PCN covering the below practices:

Wrekenton Health Centre

Bewick Road practice

Gateshead Central Surgery

Bensham Family practice

Millenium practice

Fell Cottage practice

Fell Tower practice

Beacon View practice

The Primary Care Practitioner role is already embedded and the model consists of a mixture of first contact triage and follow up brief interventions. This is an autonomous role and the successful applicant will have access to peer support via a daily huddle with other Primary Care Mental Health Practitioners.

The successful applicant will be offering assessment, brief intervention and navigation to local services to both working age adults and older patients. You should have extensive clinical knowledge in assessing and managing mental health needs and experience across a range of mental health settings.You must have the ability to travel between surgeries in the same day.

Main duties of the job

As a Mental Health Practitioner working in primary care, you'll work autonomously within the GP practice offering initial mental health consultation/ triage, assessment and formulation, signposting and onwards referral as well as providing brief interventions suited to patients in primary care.

You’ll work at the forefront of developing an innovative approach to mental health in primary care. You’ll have excellent interpersonal skills, be committed to delivering excellent patient care and have extensive experience of working in a range of mental health services. You’ll be supported by the practice teams that you work alongside daily as well as having regular opportunities for formal supervision and peer support with other mental health practitioners working across the PCN and county.

About us

We aim to attract and retain a diverse, talented and committed workforce, who are caring and compassionate, and therefore able to meet the demands of the modern NHS now and in the future. In return we can offer a dynamic working environment in which to build a career.

Job responsibilities

Please find attached job description for full details.

Advertising date : 29th September 2026
Closing date : 13th October 2026
We welcome your application.

Person Specification

Education and qualification

Essential

• Professional Qualification and current Professional Registration as, a First Level Registered Nurse (RNMH, RMN, RNLD) or equivalent as an AHP, Social Worker or Clinical Psychologist


• Degree or equivalent qualification or experience in evidence based psychological therapies relevant to Pathway.


• Post Graduate Degree or equivalent qualification or experience.


• Student Nurse Assessor or equivalent

Desirable

• Post Registration Qualifications in Psychological Interventions


• Non medical prescriber

Knowledge and experience

Essential

• Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team


• Participate in Joint Development Reviews


• Commitment to Partnership working both multi-agency and multi-disciplinary.


• Coordinating and supporting staff in the day to day provision of clinical services.


• Knowledge and Understanding of equal opportunities legislation and policies.


• Experience of collaborative working across agencies and professional disciplines.


• Proven ability to manage a clinical caseload in a flexible manner as required.


• Proven ability to manage a clinical caseload in a flexible manner as required.

Desirable

• Experience of management and leadership


• Experience in carrying out research

Skills and competencies

Essential

• Excellent communication skills


• Excellent interpersonal skills including negotiation and conflict management


• Evidence of effective organisational skills


• Expert Clinical Supervision Skills


• Evidence of maintaining accurate and contemporaneous record keeping.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.Applicants must have current UK professional registration.