Welcome from our Chief Executive

Our organisation is expanding and we're looking for people with the right values, skills and/or potential to join us. We need people with energy, expertise, enthusiasm to help us provide the very best possible specialist NHS mental health and learning disability care. This involves helping us achieve our strategy to improve the quality of life for the communities we serve through People, Prevention and Partnerships.

So what can we offer you in return?

We're an organisation which puts people first. We'll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. We'll help you learn, acquire new skills and gain further experience to support your career development. And we'll provide the opportunity for you to bring your fresh ideas to work about how we can do things differently and continue improving.

You will also be joining a health and care system committed to working together to do the best we can for the communities we serve. Above all, at Sussex Partnership you'll have the chance to make a difference to the lives of the patients, carers and families across our communities.

If you like the sound of that, then come and join our team.

Job overview

Graduate Mental Health Practitioner or Mental Health Wellbeing Practitioner - Full-time Band 5

High Weald, Lewes & Havens ATS, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Welcome from our Chief Executive

'Our organisation is expanding and we're looking for people with the right values, skills and/or potential to join us. We need people with energy, expertise and enthusiasm to help us provide the very best possible specialist NHS mental health care. This involves helping us achieve our strategy to improve the quality of life for the communities we serve through People, Prevention and Partnerships.'

Over the past 5 years our Trust has pioneered the development of graduate mental health practitioner roles in secondary mental health care. The original GMHPs in our Assessment and Treatment Service are now moving forward to become registered CBT therapists and this has created these exciting opportunities which would be a great fit for newly qualified or experienced GMHPs or the newly qualifying Mental Health Wellbeing Practitioners.

The post holder will have a degree, and a Post graduate Certificate in Mental Health Practice , having completed placements and been assessed with competencies in assessment of mental health needs, and risk assessment. After a preceptorship period of six months, with additional training and support you will be able to be a Lead Practitioner and carry a caseload.

Main duties of the job

These new roles are informed by bio-psychosocial models of health care for people with severe and complex mental health difficulties. GMHPs and MHWPs provide outstanding care and treatment, co-ordinate care provided, support people with their recovery journey, offer time limited interventions, monitor risks, and collaborate with Carers and families.

The role will also include co-running treatment groups; delivering psychologically informed interventions; supporting people to access care from other services including housing providers & third sector organisations; contribute to multidisciplinary discussions; supporting the team with duty work and facilitating access to full pathways of care.

The successful applicant will join a friendly, highly skilled, and enthusiastic team comprising Consultant Psychiatrists, community mental health Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Clinical Psychologists; Support & Peer workers. You will be working with adults in the High Weald, Lewes & Havens ATS providing high quality mental health care, with multi-disciplinary colleagues, where staff well-being is a high priority.

Working for our organisation

So what can we offer you in return?

We are an organisation which puts people first. We'll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. We'll help you learn, acquire new skills and gain further experience to support your career development. And we'll provide the opportunity for you to bring your fresh ideas to work about how we can do things differently and continue improving.

You will also be joining a health and care system committed to working together to do the best we can for the communities we serve. Above all, at Sussex Partnership you'll have the chance to make a difference to the lives of the service users, Carers and families across our communities.

If you like the sound of that, then come and join our team.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Engage calmly and with sensitivity and empathy to support service users in highly distressing or emotional circumstances.
• Provide and facilitate recreational, social and educational group and individual activities as part of the team's treatment programme; following set aims and objectives
• Engage with and gather information from service users, relatives and patient records to support a multi-disciplinary formulation and care plan
• Design and conduct agreed audit or research to support service development activity
• Deliver specified evidence-based psychosocial interventions under close supervision from a registered professional.
• To ensure all service users are aware of activities which may be of benefit to them and how these can be accessed.
• To contribute to assessment and support the development and implementation of recovery plans.
• Following an assessment, to assist in interventions with service users implementing the plan that has been agreed. This may involve working with groups or individuals in a variety of settings to promote social inclusion.
• To initiate, develop and implement new activities in response to service users' needs, where appropriate following evidence based practice.
• With the multi-disciplinary team carry out relevant risk assessment.
• To ensure therapeutic areas and appropriate materials are prepared for use in the activities, monitoring potential risk.
• To be responsive to service users' needs and choices; and uphold their right to be treated with dignity and respect.

Person specification

Qualifications
Essential criteria

• Bachelors degree at 2:2 or above supplemented by specialist mental health training with a significant supervised practice component and a curriculum including risk assessment, evidence based psychosocial interventions, recovery and treatment planning, and team working
• A specialist mental health focused postgraduate degree which delivers competences in recognised evidence-based psychological interventions
• Evidence of a commitment to lifelong learning

Knowledge/Experience
Essential criteria

• Experience of working with people with mental health needs in a paid or voluntary capacity
• Experience running groups/activities
• Experience working as part of a team
• Experience of being supervised
• Experience of analysing and communicating complex information verbally and in writing

Sussex Partnership NHS FT is committed to supporting a diverse workforce that reflects our communities. Our workforce is currently under-represented from Black and Minority, Ethnic and disabled communities and we would welcome applications from these communities.

We regret that we are unable to advise candidates if they have not been shortlisted. If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date please assume that you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

In the event of an excessive number of applicants the Trust reserves the right to close this vacancy earlier than indicated.

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust takes its responsibilities for the safeguarding and protection of children and young people and vulnerable adults very seriously and expects this of all its employees and bank workers. The Trust works with adult and children's social care to ensure that the integrated service has systems in place to equip staff and bank workers with the knowledge and skills to recognize abuse, and take action to safeguard and protect vulnerable adults and children and young people. It is expected that all staff and bank workers familiarise themselves with the appropriate structures and policies and with the Sussex child protection and safeguarding procedures and the Sussex multi-agency policy and procedures for safeguarding vulnerable adults and undertake the relevant essential training and further training appropriate to their role.

Successful candidates are normally offered salaries at the bottom of the relevant salary range. However, where previous or equivalent NHS experience in a similar role can be demonstrated and evidenced, this may be taken into consideration when setting the starting salary.