Senior Community Mental Health Practitioner

NHS; Chester-le-Street; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading health service provider in Chester-le-Street is looking for a Senior Community Mental Health Practitioner to join their multi-disciplinary team. This role involves providing interventions to individuals with varying mental health needs, mentoring junior staff, and ensuring collaborative working with various agencies. Candidates should have 18 months of post-qualifying experience and be committed to their professional development. The position promises supportive management and clinical supervision.

Qualifications

• 18 months post-qualifying experience including sign-off of appropriate preceptorship or competency framework.
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development.
• Recognised sign-off mentor or clinical educator.

Responsibilities

• Deliver interventions in the community for individuals with complex mental health needs.
• Provide clinical supervision to junior colleagues.
• Collaborate with statutory and third-sector agencies.

Skills

Collaborative working

Strong assessment skills

Excellent interpersonal skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Education

Current professional registration

Post-graduate qualification in a relevant area

Tools

IT skills (ITQ level 2 or equivalent)

Job description

Senior Community Mental Health Practitioner

Closing date: 28 December 2025

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced practitioner to work as part of a multi‑disciplinary team covering 12 months maternity. The North Durham Community Mental Health Team is a newly developed team working across the Derwentside and Chester‑Le‑Street area. As a senior practitioner you will have a genuine interest in collaborative working with people of varying ages and complex needs, including service users, carers, families and our partners including statutory and voluntary agencies.

The successful candidate will participate in a range of interventions working across the Hub and Intervention teams, including triage, complex assessments, depot clinics, diagnostic assessments for the neuro‑diverse client group and psychosocial interventions.

The successful candidate may also be required to provide ongoing coaching support, clinical and caseload supervision to junior colleagues and wider members of the MDT.

Candidates must have 18 months post‑qualifying experience including sign‑off of an appropriate preceptorship or competency framework.

Main duties of the job

As a registered professional this is an ideal opportunity for someone who wants to develop their leadership and clinical skills in a community setting. As a core member of the team you will be responsible for delivering intervention in the community with people who have complex needs, ranging from mild to moderate level of need to severe and enduring level of need and complexity. You will ensure that the service users' recovery goals are identified and central to their safety plans, promoting social inclusion, independence and well‑being. You will demonstrate excellent assessment skills, interpersonal and team‑working skills and be able to work collaboratively with a range of statutory and third‑sector agencies.

You will have an enthusiastic approach towards your own personal and professional development. In return, you will receive regular appraisal, clinical, management and caseload supervision and will benefit from the support of an experienced and committed multi‑disciplinary leadership team.

About us

We are the Mental Health & Learning Disability NHS Trust for County Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York and Selby.

From education and prevention, to crisis and specialist care – our talented and compassionate teams work in partnership with our patients, communities and partners to help the people of our region feel safe, understood, believed in and cared for.

We nurture the recovery journey of anyone in need of our help. In our Trust, everyone has a say in how they are supported and treated because we listen to every person in our care until they feel understood. Our patients, their families and carers work together with us towards better mental health.

We're committed to new thinking that improves the wellbeing of our region. We connect with our communities and partners to get mental health care right in areas that really need it.

We won't rest until everyone in our region has the mental health care they need, to lead their best possible life.

Job responsibilities

Due to the nature of the role it is essential that applicants are able to travel independently across the locality and have access to a suitable vehicle for business purposes. If necessary, adjustments can be considered in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.

Visits to the team are welcome and encouraged.

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further detailed information to ensure that you meet the role criteria before applying.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Current professional registration with an approved professional body.
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development.
• For registered nurses: MIP, FLIP, ENB 998 Teaching & Assessing in Clinical Practice or City & Guilds 730 Teaching in Adult Education – must be achieved within an agreed timescale.
• 18 months post‑qualifying experience including sign‑off of appropriate preceptorship or competency framework.
• Recognised sign‑off mentor, clinical educator or equivalent – must be achieved within an agreed timescale.
• Key skills in literacy, numeracy and ITQ level 2 (or equivalent).
• Post‑graduate qualification in a relevant area.

Experience

• Significant experience working with people with mental ill health in a care environment.
• Working collaboratively with service users and their families/carers.
• Providing clinical supervision to individuals or groups as professionally appropriate.
• Mentoring or facilitating students on practice placement.
• Working in a multi‑disciplinary team.
• Quality improvement activities.
• Leadership or management experience.
• Significant experience working with people with mental ill health in a community environment.

Knowledge

• Demonstrable knowledge to post‑graduate level of evidence‑based practice in caring for patients in the designated field.
• Understanding of relevant legislation (e.g. Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act).
• Care Programme Approach and its application in practice.
• Detailed understanding of Safeguarding and its application in practice.
• Clinical Risk Assessment and Management and its application in practice.
• Clinical Governance and its application in practice.
• Research and development methodology.
• Understanding of psychological models of care and treatment.
• The Trust's Quality Improvement System (QIS).

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.

Address

North Durham Community Mental Health Team