Specialist Perinatal Senior Mental Health Practitioner

Gloucestershire Health and Care; Gloucester; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free car parking at many sites

27 days leave plus bank holidays (up 2

Training and development opportunities

NHS pension

Flexible working options

Cycle to Work scheme

Discounts on travel, leisure andRetail

Job summary

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust in Gloucester is advertising a Band 6 Perinatal Senior Mental Health Practitioner on a fixed-term contract for 12 months. The role is a full-time post (37.5 hours) with consideration for 30 hours and potential secondment.

You will join the Perinatal Mental Health Team providing specialist assessment, support and treatment for women and their families in the perinatal period, linking with a wide range of services to deliver safe, personalised

Qualifications

• Excellent clinical skills and a good level of post registration experience.
• Ability to complete comprehensive mental state examinations and assess risk.
• Ability to document and communicate assessments clearly and concisely.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist assessment, support and treatment for women and their families in the perinatal period.
• Act as a vital link to a wide range of services that support perinatal mental health needs.
• Prioritise women with serious and complex mental health needs and provide consultation where needed.
• Contribute to training and ad hoc guidance within the Perinatal Mental Health Team.

Skills

Clinical skills

Education

Professional health or social care qualification

Job description

Band 6

Main area Specialist Perinatal Senior Mental Health Practitioner Grade Band 6 Contract Fixed term: 12 months (Will consider secondment) Hours 37.5 hours per week (This post is being advertised as full time but 30 hours would be considered) Job ref 327-26-844

Site Pullman Place Town Gloucester Salary £39,959 - £48,117 per annum (pro rata) Salary period Yearly Closing 03/11/2026 23:59

We love what we do and we think you will, too!

At Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC), we provide joined-up mental health, physical health and learning disability services to people of all ages across Gloucestershire. We run community hospitals and provide care and support in people’s own homes and in a range of other locations across the county .

We are on a mission to enable people to live the best life they can and we have a vision to work together to provide outstanding care . We put people at the heart of our services, focusing on personalised care by asking ‘what matters to you ’.

We’re passionate about making sure that everyone can contribute to achieving our mission and w e are continually working to support healthy and happy high-quality team s in all areas of the Trust .

Our application process aims to understand each candidates knowledge, skills and experience. We have found that candidates that use AI to generate their answers can lack specificity and fail to address key criteria outlined in the job description.

It is really important to personalise your application to convey your individual skills, knowledge, and experiences effectively and for us to understand why you are applying for this role with GHC. We discourage over reliance on AI-generated applications as it will lessen your chances of success in securing an interview with us .

Job overview

This role is offered on a fixed term/secondment basis for 12 months. The hours are full-time, 37.5 hours per week but 30 hours would be considered.

*Internal applicants who wish to be considered for a secondment opportunity should discuss with their line manager the suitability of a possible secondment*

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic, passionate and motivated community practitioner to join our well established Perinatal Mental Health Team.

Applications are welcomed from Mental Health Nurses and Social Workers.

The Gloucestershire Perinatal Community Mental Health Team currently provides mental health support and services for women and their families during pregnancy and up to 2 years after birth.

The successful post holder will be an integral part of the service providing specialist assessment, support and treatment for women and their families in the perinatal period and will be a vital link to a wide range of services that support women and their families with mental health issues.

The team prioritises women with serious and complex mental health needs including those who have experienced serious mental health episodes in the past and are currently well. We also provide specialist consultation, training and advice to a range of mental health, maternity and primary health services.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for a registered clinician with a special interest in improving care for women and their families. Experience of working in the Perinatal Mental Health field is desirable but not essential as full training and support will be provided.

All applicants must have excellent clinical skills and a good level of post registration experience, proven ability to complete comprehensive mental state examinations, thoroughly assess risk, and document and communicate these clearly and concisely.

The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Working for our organisation

We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people’s homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.

Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:

• 72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.
• 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.
• 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust’s priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%

This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Gloucestershire Health and Care is committed to embedding and providing personalised care through all of its services as part of our high-quality care strategy. The purpose of personalised care is to empower people to lead the lives they want to live. Personalised care starts with a conversation with people about what matters to them. It builds on what people can do, as well as addressing their health needs. Including new ways of working and delivering care, emphasising that we need to make effective use of the full range of our people’s skills and experience to deliver the best possible patient care. So we want to know What Matters to You and that you will share our values and join us on this very important journey.

Please refer to the Additional Information attachment before submitting your application.

To support compliance with UK immigration requirements, all applicants who require a visa to work in the UK must disclose their visa history in full. This includes current and previous sponsors, dates of sponsorship, visa category, and any changes of employment. If you are on a Graduate or Dependant Visa, please disclose the expiry date on your application. Incomplete information may mean we are unable to consider your application.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Professional health or social care qualification

Experience

• Demonstrable post qualification experience in mental health or related area
• Extensive experience of first line assessments including the assessment of risk
• Experience of working in the community settings in a senior practitioner role
• Specialist knowledge of perinatal mental health

When joining us, as well as becoming part of a team that makes a difference, we also offer:

• Free car parking at many of our sites
• 27 days leave plus bank holidays, increasing up to 33 days with long service
• A broad range of training and development opportunities, including apprenticeships up to Level 7 qualification.
• A multi-professional preceptorship programme for all Newly Qualified; Nurses, Nursing Associates, Internationally Educated Practitioners, Allied Health Professionals and Return to Practice Practitioners.
• Generous NHS pension and enhanced pay when if you work unsocial hours
• Flexible, family friendly and agile working opportunities
• Recognition and long service awards
• Fast Track physiotherapy
• Access to discounts and salary sacrifice schemes; including Cycle to Work, Car scheme and discounts on travel, leisure and retailers.

If you are aged 16-30, you may be eligible for financial and pastoral support from the King’s Trust, with who we are in partnership with to support your first 6 months in role. We will pass on your details to the King’s Trust who will be in touch with you if you are eligible. If you would rather not be contacted, please let us know.

For more information please see the attached 'Additional Information for Applicants' document.

Good luck with your application.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Name Lee Pickering Job title Perinatal Team Manager Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 03004213342 Additional information

Alternative contact Michelle Mason (Perinatal clinical lead)

[e-mail]

Kate Bond-Powell (Perinatal clinical lead)

[e-mail]