SPA Triage Clinician

NELFT North East London Foundation Trust; Maidstone; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health service provider in the UK is seeking a passionate SPA Triage Clinician to join their team. This role involves assessing young people's mental health needs through telephone triage and working collaboratively with families and professionals. Candidates should have a relevant graduate degree and at least four years of experience in child mental health. Flexible working patterns are available to accommodate staff needs. Competitive pay based on experience, with strong emphasis on team development and well-being.

Benefits

Flexible working patterns

Professional development opportunities

Induction and training program

Qualifications

• Successful completion of graduate training or equivalent substantial CAMHS clinical experience.
• Eligible for registration as a full member of the appropriate professional body (e.g. HCPC, NMC).
• Minimum 4 years experience with clinical practice in the assessment and treatment of young people.

Responsibilities

• Triage and signpost calls for NHS 111.
• Conduct telephone triage and screen referrals.
• Communicate and manage care with families and young people.

Skills

High-level communication skills

Basic awareness of IT

Ability to consider the young person systemically

Demonstrate confidence and eagerness to learn

Education

Graduate training in nursing, social work, or occupational therapy

Job description

Go back NELFT North East London Foundation Trust

SPA Triage Clinician

The closing date is 11 February 2026

We are a telephone triage service who identifies a young person's emotional wellbeing and mental health needs to direct them to the most appropriate support service. We listen and advise families and other professionals with evidence based advice and information.

We are looking for experienced clinicians who are passionate about young people's mental health. You will have experience and knowledge in working with children and young people, an understanding of mental illness, child development and treatment pathways.

You will have a core profession; Registered Mental Health Nurse, Social Worker or other Allied Health Professional.

Main duties of the job

Responsibilities of the post:

• Take calls, triage and signpost for NHS 111
• Conduct telephone triage for Business As Usual calls
• Screen referrals to determine if triage is required
• Communicate and manage care with families, children and young people using a wide range of knowledge and approaches
• Engage, control and elicit key information during conversations, demonstrating confidence and active listening
• Be proficient in computer and IT skills

About us

Our Values 2025 – 2030
Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT. They are: We are kind. We are respectful. We work together with our communities. These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.

Starting with NELFT
NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers, and attend a number of drop‑in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.

Probationary Period
This post will be subject to a probationary period.

Job responsibilities

The Single Point of Access operates between 08:00 and 18:00 and offers flexible working patterns to meet your needs and the needs of the service in line with the Trust blended working model.

The Single Point of Access is based in Maidstone Studios, easily accessible by car and offers a range of facilities including a restaurant and ample safe parking.

We value team involvement in service improvement and your professional development.

The post-holder will be a graduate qualified health care professional (e.g. nurse, social worker, occupational therapist), or will have substantial CAMHS clinical experience and where appropriate will be fully registered with the appropriate professional or regulatory body (e.g. HCPC, NMC). They will have extensive clinical experience working with children and young people with emotional wellbeing and mental health difficulties. In addition, they will need to evidence that they are able to provide children, young people and their families with information and education thereby ensuring they have meaningful choices regarding interventions. They will need to demonstrate that they have a wide range of knowledge in approaches to communicating and managing care.

The SPA receives, and directs referrals from across Kent and Medway, providing advice, information, consultation and support to all referrers and a range of other local services.

The SPA works closely with the CAMHS locality teams and aims to respond earlier to children and young peoples' needs in order to help prevent, reduce or delay the need for more specialist interventions.

The service is driven by the principles underpinning the national CYP‑IAPT programme (Children and Young Peoples Improving Access to Psychological Therapies); evidence‑based interventions, routine measurement of outcomes, access to high quality training and supervision for professionals and true co‑production with children and young people.

Care pathway leads and practitioners ensure that a high quality, timely, accessible and evidence‑based service is available to all children and young people who need it. This means establishing and maintaining excellent working relationships with the SPA, wider social, health and voluntary services.

The Single Point of Access receives referrals for children and young people with emotional wellbeing and mental health difficulties, and has since expanded to include referrals for ADHD, ASC and Learning Disability, as well as taking 111 calls for CYP who may be experiencing a mental health crisis. The referrals we receive are for a broad range of challenges, and the post holder will be able to develop knowledge and skills in the areas of mental health, neuro‑development and crisis response.

Certificates of Sponsorship
Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points‑based system. When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High‑Cost Area Supplement) is not included to ensure fairness and consistency within our Trust.

Use of AI
Please see attached document regarding acceptable use of AI during the recruitment process.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Successful completion of a graduate training (e.g. nursing, social work, occupational therapy) or equivalent substantial CAMHS clinical experience
• To be eligible for registration as a full member of the appropriate professional body (e.g. HCPC, NMC) where appropriate
• Clinical practice in the assessment and treatment of young people
• Minimum 4 years experience
• Previous practice working in CYPMHS or related child health wellbeing service
• Previous experience in risk assessment and risk management

Experience

• Experience of working with difficult, disturbed or challenging children/young people requiring skilled and complex interventions
• Experience of working with children and adolescents with co‑morbidity and special needs (e.g. combination of organic and emotional deficits, such as autistic spectrum disorders and trauma)
• Experience of working therapeutically with parents/carers/families of children and young people with complex mental health problems
• Experience of using observation (e.g. in school contexts) to contribute to assessments of children
• Experience of carrying out generic assessment with other colleagues in the multi‑disciplinary team
• Experience of assessment carried out autonomously to determine the most appropriate treatment plan from a range of options for the child/young person
• Experience of providing individual interventions with a wide variety of children and young people, from 3 to 19 years old, presenting with problems at the most severe end of the spectrum
• Extended specialist training
• Practiced in managing difficult conversations
• Experience of change management

Knowledge

• An awareness of NHS Plan, NSF and clinical governance priorities
• Knowledge of child and adolescent mental health and mental health disorders
• Knowledge in identifying safeguarding concerns and how to address them
• Knowledge of child development and development disorders

Skills

• Basic awareness of IT and IT skills
• High‑level communication skills
• The ability to consider the young person systemically
• Able to articulate a good understanding of Children's Well‑being services
• Demonstrate confidence and eagerness to learn

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.

NELFT North East London Foundation Trust

Depending on experience per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time, Job share, Flexible working