Senior Community Mental Health Practitioner - Op COURAGE Veterans

NHS; Colchester; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in mental health is seeking a passionate clinician to support the Armed Forces community in Colchester. The role involves managing a caseload, providing tailored mental health care, and empowering patients to manage their own health. This full-time position offers a competitive salary and opportunities for professional development.

Benefits

NHS discounts for staff

Season Ticket Loans

Excellent Training facilities and opportunities

Buying and Selling annual leave scheme

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• Essential: RMN/OT/SW qualification required.
• Desirable: Post-registration education related to mental health.
• Essential: Experience in a community setting.
• Essential: Ability to assess clinical mental health disorders.

Responsibilities

• Manage caseload of community patients.
• Provide face-to-face and remote contact with patients.
• Develop person-centred and needs-led care plans.

Job description

Overview

ROLE SUMMARY

Are you a member of the Armed Forces Community? Maybe you have experience working with the Armed Forces Community? Or perhaps you are someone with the desire to support those who have given so much to our country? If so, consider joining us in Op COURAGE - The Integrated Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service.

We need a passionate clinician who understands the need to tailor mental health care for the Armed Forces community and who is sensitive to the unique experiences that life in the Armed Forces brings. We provide ongoing training opportunities and encourage our staff to attend learning and networking events, to improve the care we can give to our patients.

You will be responsible for the care of a caseload of patients in the community, under the Op Courage Community Veterans Mental Health Service. The service is primarily a Monday-Friday 9-5 service, however there will be an expectation to work one weekend on a rota basis roughly every 8 weeks, with two weekdays off during this week. This service covers the six counties that fall within the geographical patch of the East of England. A blend of face-to-face and remote working is required for working across this geography.

Main duties of the job

• Manage a caseload of community based patients and be responsible for assessing need, care-planning and coordinating care, and discharging from services when care is complete.
• Provide face-to-face and/or remote contact with patients.
• Have an understanding of what is available for this community across the social prescribing and charity sector, and provide referrals to these other organisations that can help meet identified needs.
• Advocate for the needs of the Armed Forces Community.
• Empower people to address specific needs in relation to health and wellbeing and enable individuals to become experts in managing and taking responsibility for their own condition.

About us

EPUT are looking for motivated staff who share our Trust values of Care, Learn and Empower. In return, EPUT can offer you a range of benefits and development including:

• 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 for all employees. We offer many options and 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 your employment.

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Details

Date posted: 30 September 2025

Pay scheme: Agenda for change

Band: Band 6

Salary: £38,682 to £46,580 a year per annum

Contract: Permanent

Working pattern: Full-time

Reference number: 364-A-9407

Job locations: The Lakes Mental Health Unit/Remote, Colchester, CO4 5JL

Job responsibilities

You will be able to provide the main duties of the job listed above, by:

• Building up rapport and establishing a therapeutic working relationship
• Understanding the specific needs of the Armed Forces Community and the challenges they may have faced with service life
• Assessing personal, social, and medical history and identify and verify factors including contra-indications apparent from patient history
• Sensitively elicit a picture of the military service and challenges this has brought to the individual and their family
• Identify clinical mental health disorder, or those at risk of
• Develop a person-centred and needs-led care plan
• Refer to other appropriate healthcare services
• Liaise with relevant statutory and non-statutory services involved with provision of care
• Be aware of military related charities and community provision for Armed Forces community in their area
• Evaluate potential efficacy of planned intervention
• Present cases to the MDT for clinical decision making and update the MDT on progress towards discharge
• Ensure that care plans, risk assessments and all patient care records are completed and maintained in line with set key performance indicators
• Take responsibility for and assist in the management of incidents, ensuring timely investigation and reporting of any incidents
• Keep up-to-date with current practices, local and national policies and agendas in relation to Veterans mental health
• Empower people to address specific needs in relation to health and wellbeing and enable individuals to become experts in managing and taking responsibility for their own condition
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of qualified service providers within the local region

Person Specification

Registration and Education

• Essential: RMN/OT/SW

• Desirable: Post-registration education related to mental health

Skills/experience

• Essential: Experience working within a community setting/lone working
• Essential: Ability to assess for evidence of clinical mental health disorders or those at risk of, and formulate a treatment plan
• Essential: Confidence to use clinical judgement to decide when treatment is complete and facilitate client discharge from services
• Essential: Ability to risk assess and provide clear risk management plan

• Desirable: 2 years post registration experience in mental Health
• Desirable: Personal or professional experience with the Armed Forces community

Knowledge

• Essential: Knowledge of the mental health challenges faced by armed forces veterans
• Essential: Understanding of evidence based treatments and NICE guidance for mental health disorders
• Essential: Knowledge of the wider services interested in the general welfare of veterans
• Essential: Understanding of duty of care and responsibilities in line with the Mental Capacity Act, Mental Health Act and Safeguarding legislation

Other information

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 DBS to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship: Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website. From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants must present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided in for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Guidance can be found here (Criminal records checks for overseas applicants).

UK Registration: Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see the NHS Careers website.

Employer details

Employer name: Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Address: The Lakes Mental Health Unit/Remote, Colchester, CO4 5JL

Employer's website: eput.nhs.uk