Senior Mental Health Practitioner

NHS; West Yorkshire; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A community mental health trust is seeking a Senior Mental Health Practitioner to work in a diverse team, responsible for assessments and triages for mental health services. Candidates should have significant experience in mental health, excellent communication skills, and relevant qualifications including RMN registration. This role offers a supportive work environment with opportunities for professional development.

Qualifications

• Significant experience with complex mental health needs.
• Competent in assessments, both telephone and face-to-face.
• Ability to maintain personal NMC registration.

Responsibilities

• Provide Single Point of Access for mental health referrals.
• Conduct triages and assessments independently or in teams.
• Assist the Team Manager in monitoring service performance.

Skills

Clinical assessment

Excellent communication

Mental health triage

Flexibility

Education

RMN current registration

Dip. Social Work

OT

Approved Mental Health Professional

Job description

Overview South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust

Senior Mental Health Practitioner

The closing date is 13 October 2025.

Single Point of Access (SPA) is a diverse, supportive team of band 6 (or social work equivalent) nurses and occupational therapists. Referrals are accepted from age 18 years upwards. SPA completes triages and assessments for referrals into secondary mental health services. The team carries out telephone triage and telephone or face-to-face assessments. The team works closely with all trust teams across Calderdale, North, and South Kirklees. We are a nurse-led team supported by various consultants, with psychology support for referrals. The psychologist carries out monthly reflective practice sessions for the team. The team works from the Beckside Court base, Trust buildings in Calderdale and Kirklees, and from home.

If you are highly motivated, flexible and enjoy new challenges, then this is the team for you.

All employees of the Trust are strongly encouraged to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to protect patients.

Main duties of the job

SPA works a 12-hour shift pattern over 3 days, Monday to Friday 07:45 - 20:15. You will be carrying out triage or assessments. We use the UK mental health triage tool and triage risk and appropriateness for secondary mental health services. You would be responsible for making decisions on the urgency and risk of a referral, being solutions-focused and supporting decisions with research-based evidence. Triage is completed over the telephone.

Assessments are face-to-face or over the telephone in a Trust building or at the service user's home. You should be competent in clinical assessment and computer-literate to complete necessary documentation. We cover the whole of Kirklees and Calderdale, so you need to be able to travel to cover all of this area. You will need to be flexible as situations change on a day-to-day basis. You will need excellent communication skills both verbal and written as we take referrals from anyone aged 18 years and over and also with professionals making referrals.

About us

We are a specialist NHS Foundation Trust that provides community, mental health and learning disability services for the people of Barnsley, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield. We also provide low and medium secure services and are the lead for the West Yorkshire secure provider collaborative.

Our mission is to help people reach their potential and live well in their communities, we do this by providing high-quality care in the right place at the right time. We employ staff in both clinical and non-clinical services who work hard to make a difference to the lives of service users, families and carers.

We encourage and welcome applications from all protected characteristic groups, we value diversity and want our workforce to be reflective of our communities.

Being a Foundation Trust means we're accountable to our members, who can have a say in how we're run. Around 14,300 local people (including staff) are members of our Trust.

Join us and you will be one of over 4,500 staff committed to supporting and improving the mental, physical and social needs of the thousands of people we meet and help each year.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expect all colleagues and volunteers to share this commitment.

Job responsibilities

For full job description, please see attached supporting documents.

JOB SUMMARY

To provide a Single Point of Access for all external referrals to mental health services in Calderdale and Kirklees. To provide highly developed and skilled assessment, screening and brief interventions for a wide variety of service users in various settings and to signpost and broker service users toward relevant and appropriate resources to meet their needs.

There is potential for change to this job description, subject to service redesign.

KEY RESULT AREAS:

Professional

• Maintain continuing knowledge of current good practice and other professional matters. Maintain personal NMC registration or equivalent and ensure adherence to statutory codes of practice.
• Undertake screening and initial assessments in a wide variety of settings both independently or within a multi-disciplinary framework in respect of service users presenting with mental health issues and/or self-harming behaviours.
• Together with the Team Manager have involvement in initiatives related to further development of the single point of access service.
• Be actively involved in the clinical supervision and professional development review process.

Management

• Responsible for their own individual day to day performance and that of others within the single point of access service during periods of duty.
• To assist the Team Manager in monitoring and evaluating service provision.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• RMN current registration, Dip. Social Work, OT.
• Approved Mental Health Professional
• PSI Post Graduate Counselling.

Physical Attributes

• Ability to undertake the duties and demands of the post.

Experience

• Significant experience of working with people with complex mental health needs including within the community.