Triage Mental Health Professional

CNWL; Bletchley; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation package

Flexible working options

Bank assignments

Job summary

CNWL NHS Foundation Trust in Milton Keynes is seeking a Band 6 mental health clinician to deliver timely, safe triage and biopsychosocial assessments for routine referrals from SPA.

You will assess risk, determine pathways, provide signposting and timely onward allocation, with opportunities for caseload management and brief psychosocial interventions, working with SPA, primary care and hub pathways to support recovery-focused care.

Qualifications

• RMN or allied mental health professional with current NMC/HPCC registration.
• Evidence of ongoing professional development and practice updates.
• Mentorship/practice teacher certificate or MSc/postgraduate diploma in mental health interventions.

Responsibilities

• Deliver timely clinical triage and biopsychosocial assessment for routine adult referrals.
• Assess risk, determine appropriate pathways and document outcomes.
• Provide signposting, onward referral and, where needed, brief psychosocial interventions.
• Support caseload management and act as keyworker when required.

Skills

Clinical triage

Biopsychosocial assessment

Risk formulation

Communication in English

Education

RMN registration (NMC)

Mentorship/teaching qualification

Job description

Search here to find a new job, a new career, an opportunity to up skill or to simply change your career direction.

Become part of our team. We care for you as much as you care for others.

There’s a place for you at CNWL.

We’re passionate about delivering first-class patient-centred, safe and effective care, whether it is in a hospital setting, in a community clinic or in the patient’s own home. Patients are at the heart of everything we do.

Providing top quality care depends on our ability to employ the best people.

We’re always looking to recruit outstanding people who will go the extra mile to support our patients, colleagues, teams and the Trust. With every new employee we’re hoping to find our future leaders and we’ll support our staff by providing opportunities to develop your career.

With a diverse culture and equally diverse range of opportunities across mental health, community services, addictions, eating disorders, learning disabilities and more – whatever stage of your career you're at, there's always a place for you at CNWL.

Main area Mental Health Grade NHS AfC: Band 6 Contract Permanent: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Monday to Friday 9-5pm) Job ref 333-D-MK-MH-1371

Site MK CMH HUB, Bletchley Community Hospital Town Milton Keynes Salary £39,959 - £48,117 per annum (pro rata if P/T) Salary period Yearly Closing 09/11/2026 23:59

CNWL (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) has almost 8,000 staff providing integrated healthcare to a third of London's population, Milton Keynes and areas beyond. We involve service users, carers, the public, staff and partner organisations in the way that we are run.

Our catchment area spans diverse communities, with over 100 first languages spoken. It contains areas of great affluence as well as areas of much deprivation. We are committed to providing services that meet the needs of the people who use them, and we actively encourage involvement from local people who can help make a difference. We’re proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME and people with disabilities to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.

We are recognised locally, nationally and internationally for providing high quality, innovative healthcare. We aim to employ only the best people, and our experts are frequently called upon to contribute to national health strategy and policy, and many models of our care have been adapted for use in other countries.

We offer a generous relocation package (subject to eligibility assessment) and flexible working options, including bank assignments for most roles. For more information on these and other benefits of working for us, see our Benefits, Reward and Wellbeing page

Become part of our team. We care for you as much as you care for others.

CNWL NHS Foundation Trust are committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We follow safe recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults.

Job overview

The post holder will be a member of the Milton Keynes Community Mental Health Hub and will deliver timely, safe and person-centred triage of routine adult mental health referrals transferred from SPA. The post holder will review referral information, make proportionate contact with the person and referrer where required, complete biopsychosocial assessment and risk formulation, determine the most appropriate pathway and document a clear outcome. The role will primarily focus on triage, formulation, clinical decision-making, advice, signposting and timely onward allocation. Where required by service need, the post holder may also undertake caseload management, act as keyworker and provide time-limited psychosocial interventions. The post holder will work closely with SPA, primary care, CRHTT, Hub pathways and partner agencies, escalating any presentation that cannot safely remain within the routine pathway.

Main duties of the job

As part of the Community Mental Health Hub, you will provide skilled clinical triage and assessment for routine adult mental health referrals received from SPA. You will use professional judgement to assess need, risk and urgency, working collaboratively with service users, carers, referrers and the wider multidisciplinary team to agree safe and appropriate outcomes. The role includes contributing to daily referral discussions, supporting allocation, signposting and onward referral, and escalating concerns where increased risk or urgency is identified. You will promote recovery-focused, strengths-based and trauma-informed practice, maintain high standards of clinical documentation and decision-making, and contribute to the supervision and development of colleagues and students.

Working for our organisation

Our Hub is a busy, supportive and evolving service where teamwork really matters. We encourage people to bring their ideas, learn from one another and have a voice in how we improve. You’ll be joining a team that values openness, collaboration and development, with a shared commitment to providing the best possible care for the people and communities we serve.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Receive routine adult mental health referrals from SPA and undertake timely clinical triage and proportionate biopsychosocial assessment to establish need, risk, urgency and the appropriate response.


• Review available clinical information and liaise with the person, carers, referrers and other professionals as required to support safe, evidence-based decision-making.


• Apply agreed Hub thresholds, referral criteria and clinical pathways consistently, using professional judgement and seeking senior clinical support for complex decisions.


• Assess and formulate risk, protective factors and safety needs, escalating promptly to SPA, CRHTT, emergency, safeguarding or senior Hub clinicians where increased urgency or risk is identified.


• Present triaged referrals at the daily referrals meeting and contribute to multidisciplinary decision-making, prioritisation and clear documentation of agreed outcomes.


• Ensure people, carers and referrers receive clear information about decisions, next steps, expected timescales, safety-netting and routes for re-contact or escalation.


• Support appropriate allocation, signposting and onward referral to Hub pathways, primary care, NHS Talking Therapies, voluntary and community services, substance misuse, social care and other relevant agencies.


• Promote recovery-focused, strengths-based and least restrictive practice, involving people and those important to them wherever possible and considering consent, capacity, equality and reasonable adjustments.


• Maintain high standards of autonomous professional practice, clinical reasoning, documentation and defensible decision-making.


• Use skilled engagement, trauma-informed communication and brief assessment approaches and, where required, deliver evidence-based individual or group psychosocial interventions.


• Recognise the social, cultural and wider factors affecting mental health and provide respectful, inclusive and person-centred care.


• Where required by service need, manage an allocated caseload/keyworker role, remaining accountable for assessment, care planning, coordination, review and safe transfer or discharge.


• Contribute actively to multidisciplinary formulation, care planning, reviews and shared clinical decision-making.


• Provide clinical supervision, professional guidance and development support to junior or less experienced colleagues as appropriate.


• Support students as a practice supervisor and, where appropriately qualified, practice assessor.


• Participate in regular clinical and managerial supervision with the Community Mental Health Hub Team Manager.

Education and Qualifications

• RMN, Mental Health SW, Mental health OT Current registration with NMC or HPCC Evidence of regular updating of practice in line with professional registration requirements


• Mentorship/practice teacher certificate MSc or postgraduate diploma in mental health interventions

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES

• Ability to recognise deterioration or urgent risk, elevate appropriately and work confidently across routine and urgent pathway interfaces.


• To communicate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing.


• Knowledge of Personalisation and the Recovery approach


• Knowledge of the socio-economic factors in relation to mental health problems

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

• Demonstrable post-qualification experience in adult mental health services.


• Experience of completing biopsychosocial mental health assessments and risk formulations, making autonomous clinical decisions and managing competing priorities.


• Experience Of working contact with primary health care team.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI can be used as a support tool, not a replacement for the applicant’s own work.Applications must remain personal, accurate, and reflective of the candidate’s real experience.AI-generated content must not misrepresent skills, qualifications, or experience.Over reliance on AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances of success.

We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully. You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct. Please note that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is prohibited during the interview process.

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

• Our Agenda for Change employment contracts are subject to a contractual 13 week probationary period.


• If you are offered a job, information will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

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.