Senior Mental Health Practitioner - Assertive Outreach Team

Somerset Nhs Foundation Trust; South Cheriton; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working options

NHS Pension

Generous annual leave

Career development

Blue Light Card discounts

Job summary

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Band 6 Community Mental Health Professional to join the South Somerset Assertive Outreach Team in Yeovil. The role focuses on delivering recovery‑focused, holistic care for adults with severe and enduring mental health needs, within a supportive multidisciplinary environment.

You will manage your own caseload, provide leadership, and contribute to service development while collaborating with families, carers, and partner services to improve patient

Qualifications

• Qualified RMN, OT or social worker with current registration.
• Experience in mental health services and supporting people with severe and enduring conditions.
• Band 6 level experience or 2 years in community mental health teams at band 5; experience with care planning.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high-quality mental health assessments, care planning, and ongoing support.
• Manage a defined caseload and build therapeutic relationships with service users.
• Collaborate with families, carers, inpatient and community teams, GPs and partner organisations for coordinated care.
• Support independence in daily living, housing, finances, communication, and community participation.
• Provide supervision and mentorship to colleagues and students; contribute to service improvements.

Skills

Communication

Team leadership

Assessment & risk management

Education

RMN, OT or Social Work qualification

Current professional registration

CPD commitment

Tools

Driving licence

Job description

Job summary

If you're passionate about helping people with severe and enduring mental health needs live fulfilling, independent lives, this could be the role for you. As a Band 6 Community Mental Health Professional within the South Somerset Assertive Outreach Team, you'll make a meaningful difference every day by supporting people with some of the most complex mental health challenges in the community. Working closely with service users, families, carers, and partner organisations, you'll help individuals achieve their goals, maintain their wellbeing, and access the support they need to thrive. This role is based within the South Somerset Assertive Outreach Team at Holly Court, Yeovil. You'll join a compassionate, multidisciplinary team that values collaboration, innovation, and person-centred care. Alongside managing your own caseload, you'll have opportunities to develop your leadership skills, support colleagues, contribute to service improvement projects, and help shape the future of community mental health services. Whether you're an experienced mental health nurse, occupational therapist, or social worker looking to progress your career, this is an opportunity to work in a supportive environment where your expertise and ideas will be valued.

Main duties of the job

• Deliver high-quality mental health assessment, care planning, and ongoing support for people with severe and enduring mental health needs.
• Manage a defined caseload, building therapeutic relationships with individuals who may find it difficult to engage with services.
• Work collaboratively with families, carers, inpatient services, community teams, GPs, and partner organisations to ensure coordinated and effective care.
• Support people to develop independence and confidence in areas such as daily living, housing, finances, communication, and community participation.
• Provide professional guidance, mentorship, and supervision to colleagues and students, helping to develop the skills and confidence of the wider team.
• Contribute to service development, quality improvement initiatives, audits, and evaluation activities that enhance patient care.
• Play an active role in team leadership, supporting the Team Manager to maintain high standards of care and service delivery.

About us

At Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, we're committed to supporting our employees with a range of benefits designed to enhance your professional and personal life. We offer:

• Flexible working options to help you balance work and life
• NHS pension scheme for long-term financial security
• Generous annual leave allowance to recharge and relax
• A strong focus on career development to help you grow and achieve your potential

Additionally, you'll gain access to our Blue Light Card, unlocking exclusive discounts on shopping, dining, and leisure activities, as well as NHS-specific perks to support you both inside and outside of work. We are proud to foster a diverse, skilled, and inclusive workforce, and we encourage applications from all backgrounds.

Why Somerset? Somerset offers the perfect blend of idyllic countryside, outstanding areas of natural beauty, and breathtaking coastlines, with vibrant cities like Bristol, Bath, and Exeter just a short drive away - and only two hours to London. The region is home to excellent educational facilities, and with affordable housing compared to other parts of the country, it's a great place to build both your career and your future. Somerset truly has it all - the peaceful countryside and cosmopolitan city life, with something for everyone to enjoy.

Job responsibilities

As a Community Mental Health Professional, you'll be a key member of the Assertive Outreach Team, delivering specialist support to adults experiencing serious and enduring mental health difficulties. You'll provide holistic, recovery-focused care that is tailored to each person's individual needs, strengths, and aspirations. Working autonomously and as part of a multidisciplinary team, you'll carry out comprehensive assessments, develop collaborative care plans, coordinate support, and regularly review progress. Building strong, trusting relationships will be central to your success, particularly when supporting individuals whose circumstances are complex or who may find services challenging to engage with. You'll also play an important leadership role within the team, providing supervision, advice, and support to colleagues, students, and less experienced team members. There will be opportunities to contribute to recruitment, staff development, service improvement initiatives, audits, and wider quality improvement work.

About You

To be successful in this role, you will be:

• A qualified Registered Mental Health Nurse, Occupational Therapist, or Social Worker with current registration with the appropriate professional body.
• Experienced in working within mental health services and supporting people with severe and enduring mental health conditions.
• Skilled in assessment, risk management, care planning, and therapeutic engagement.
• A strong communicator who can build effective relationships with service users, carers, colleagues, and partner agencies.
• Committed to continuous professional development and delivering compassionate, person-centred care.
• Able to work independently while contributing positively to a supportive multidisciplinary team.

Due to the community-based nature of the role, you must hold a full driving licence, have access to a vehicle for work purposes, and maintain appropriate business insurance.

Qualifications

Essential

• RMN, Social Work or Occupational Therapy Qualification
• Current registration with relevant professional body
• Commitment to Continuing Professional Development

Desirable

• Evidence of recent relevant training.
• Mentor qualification

Experience

Essential

• Post qualification experience in mental health
• Experience at Band 6 level or 2 years experience in community mental health teams at band 5
• Experience of care planning

Desirable

• Working with severe and enduring mental health problems.
• Working with clients in their own homes.
• Working with clients who are difficult to engage.
• Supervision of staff

Additional Criteria

Essential

• Knowledge of current developments in community mental health and assertive outreach

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.

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 (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).