Senior Assertive Outreach Practitioner

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust; Uxbridge; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Band 7 Team Lead to head the Assertive Outreach Team in Hillingdon. The role focuses on delivering high-intensity, home-based care to individuals with severe mental illness who are disengaged from services.

The post requires leadership over a multidisciplinary team, active risk management, and strong collaboration with crisis and inpatient services to ensure no patient is lost to follow-up.

Qualifications

• Experience leading a multidisciplinary outreach team.
• Strong risk assessment and safety planning skills.
• Ability to deliver high-intensity, home-based care and engagement.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical and operational leadership to a multidisciplinary outreach team.
• Deliver high-intensity engagement including home visits and community-based care.
• Lead on risk management, safety planning and complex clinical decisions for a high-risk cohort.
• Implement a model focused on persistent engagement and proactive, flexible contact with patients.
• Provide line management, supervision and support to team members.
• Oversee team performance, caseloads and quality of care delivery.
• Collaborate with CMHT/CMHH, Crisis Teams, inpatient services and partner agencies to ensure coordinated care pathways.
• Engage with patients in their homes and local communities.

Skills

Team leadership

Clinical leadership

Risk management

Community-based care

Home visits

Engagement strategies

Job description

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 7 Team Lead to join our newly established Assertive Outreach Team (AOT) in Hillingdon.

This is a key leadership role within a transformational model of care, designed to support individuals with severe mental illness who are at risk of disengagement and require intensive, proactive community-based support.

This is a high-impact, community-focused role, where you will lead a team delivering care directly to patients in their homes and local communities, ensuring no one is lost to follow-up.

The Assertive Outreach Team (AOT) role is fundamentally a patient-facing position, focused on engaging and managing individuals who are often reluctant to engage with services. Given the nature of this work, requiring proactive outreach, direct contact, and consistent face-to-face intervention, the role is not suitable for remote or hybrid working arrangements.

Main duties of the job

• Provide clinical and operational leadership to a multidisciplinary outreach team
• Ensure delivery of high-intensity, assertive engagement, including home visits and community-based care
• Lead on risk management, safety planning and complex clinical decision-making for a high-risk cohort
• Deliver and embed a model based on:
  • Persistent engagement
  • No discharge due to non-attendance
  • Proactive, flexible contact with patients
• Provide line management, supervision and support to team members
• Oversee team performance, caseloads and quality of care delivery
• Work collaboratively with CMHT/CMHH, Crisis Teams, inpatient services and partner agencies to ensure coordinated care pathways
• Going out to patients
• Maintaining engagement when others disengage

The Team is committed to delivering safe, compassionate and high-quality care across all services.