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Job summary

Main area
Mental Health
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 6
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
354-AE-21348
Employer
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Hill Rise
Town
Newhaven
Salary
£39,959 - £48,117 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
01/09/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust logo

Community Mental Health Practitioner (Triage)

NHS AfC: Band 6

Come and join us

We’re looking for people who share our values of compassion, accountability and optimism to help us provide high quality care for the patients, carers, families and communities we serve. We specialise in NHS mental health and learning disability services and we’re proud to make a difference every day.

At SPFT we put people first. We’ll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. You’ll have opportunities to learn, grow and gain new experiences to support your career, with access to lifelong learning and professional development.

We actively promote flexible working and understand how important work life balance is, especially in healthcare. Whether it’s part time hours, hybrid working or flexible start and finish times, we’ll explore what works for you and the role.

We recognise that tools like AI are becoming part of everyday life and you may choose to use them when preparing your application. We welcome this, as long as what you submit reflects your own experience, skills and voice. AI can be helpful for structuring or refining your answers, but it should not replace your own examples or create content that isn’t based on your real experience.

Our recruitment process is designed to get to know you, and we’ll explore your examples further at interview, so it’s important your application genuinely represents what you bring. You can read more about using AI in applications and interviews on our recruitment process page.

We’re shaping a workplace where ideas are encouraged, technology supports you and everyone has a voice in how we improve. If that sounds like the kind of organisation you want to be part of, we’d love to hear from you.

Job overview

Triage Practitioner (Adult Community Mental Health) 

B6, Full-time, permanent post

Are you ready to step into a pivotal clinical role in secondary mental health services?

Referrals to our service come from GPs and a range of partner agencies and the job of the Triage practitioner is to assess and decide how the person's mental health needs can best be met within our integrated mental health system.  Getting these decisions right is vital to ensure that the right patients get to the right treatments at the right time. 

We invite applications from qualified nurses, social workers and occupational therapists who have experience in mental health. Whatever your profession, you will need to have finely honed clinical assessment skills and be a highly skilled communicator. This is rewarding and varied work.

We will consider applications from those who are newly qualified professionals as long as they have  relevant prequalifying experience and we would offer a B5-6 development opportunity to the right nursing or social work candidate. 

We are situated in the beautiful countryside of the South Downs National Park with plenty of outdoor activities available on the door step as well as easy access to London and we are only 15 minutes' drive from the vibrant city of Brighton. Newhaven is a fishing port and the coastline offers great scenery and opportunities for water sports.

 
 

 

Main duties of the job

This post will be based with the Triage team at Hill Rise in Newhaven and they work under the supervision of a band 7 Senior Nurse Practitioner. (Professional supervision for Occupational Therapists and Social workers can be provided). For this role, you will need to be able to exercise clear, consistent, clinical judgement and have a scrupulous approach to process and recording to ensure high standards of patient care and safety are maintained. This is exciting work but it will suit an efficient practitioner who can work well under pressure. 

You would be joining a friendly, diverse multi-disciplinary team of professionals. The Assessment and Treatment Service offers a wide range of evidence-based treatments for people with severe and enduring mental health problems. Community services are being transformed and this is an exciting time for innovation and pioneering new ways of working. 

Working for our organisation

We are passionate about improving the opportunities for people to recover their mental health and we are equally committed to giving our staff the supervision and, support they need to maintain their wellbeing and opportunities to develop their professional careers. As a Trust employee you will enjoy the following:

• Excellent starting salary

• NHS Pension contributions

• 27 days holiday allowance plus bank holidays

• Flexible Working patterns

• Child care vouchers

• Excellent training and development opportunities

• NHS Discounts

• Employee Assistance Programme

  •  2K Golden Hello Accommodation/Relocation Allowance (see conditions attached)

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The role of a Band 6 Community Mental Health Practitioner is to work in partnership with service users in the designated care group with complex health presentations, developing their care plans and recovery plans to enable them to lead fulfilling lives. They will demonstrate an understanding of clinical interventions relevant the care group to include education, care plans and discharge planning, working closely with carers, families and partner agencies to facilitate this. The post holder will work at all times to promote the safety and the well being of service users and their families/carers. The post holder will assess, plan and implement care, and provide specialist nursing advice and carry out specialist nursing procedures. They will provide clinical supervision to staff and students and act as a mentor for students.

For further details / informal visits contact:

Name
Nikki Hunter or Petronella Mushanga
Job title
Triage Leads
Email address
[email protected] or [email protected]
Additional contact information

Informal chats about the post and/or visits are welcome. For further information, please contact one of our Triage Leads or the Service Manager [email protected]

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Current registration [mental health/LD/Adult], appropriate to the job role
  • Completion of Mentorship Course/ENB equivalent
  • Evidence of continuous professional development

Knowledge/Experience

Essential criteria
  • Significant post qualifying experience in the relevant care group
  • Experience of working alongside people with complex health problems in the designated care group
  • Experience of supervising staff
  • Experience of providing a range of clinical interventions to people in the designated care group with a variety of health problems
  • Experience of working consultatively with professionals
  • Experience of conducting clinical assessments including risk assessments
  • Experience of partnership working within and across various statutory and non statutory teams and agencies
  • Experience of working within the CPA process
  • Understanding of clinical governance
  • Previous experience of working in the community

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoNo smoking policyDisability confident leaderDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - BronzeCare quality commission - GoodArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardStep into healthPride In Veterans

Applicant requirements

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.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
simon hellyer
Job title
Service Manager
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07471034300
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