Senior Assertive Outreach Practitioner

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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 Community CMHH Assertive Outreach Grade NHS AfC: Band 7 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 30 hours per week (7 day working week) Job ref 333-G-HM-0788-C

Site Mill House Town Uxbridge Salary £55,524 - £62,652 per annum inc HCAS (pro rata if P/T) Salary period Yearly Closing 30/10/2026 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

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

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 7 Team Lead to join our newly established Assertive Outreach Team (AOT) in Hillingdon.

This is a key leadership role within a transformational model of care, designed to support individuals with severe mental illness who are at risk of disengagement and require intensive, proactive community-based support.

This is a high-impact, community-focused role, where you will lead a team delivering care directly to patients in their homes and local communities, ensuring no one is lost to follow-up.

The Assertive Outreach Team (AOT) role is fundamentally a patient-facing position, focused on engaging and managing individuals who are often reluctant to engage with services. Given the nature of this work, requiring proactive outreach, direct contact, and consistent face-to-face intervention, the role is not suitable for remote or hybrid working arrangements.

Main duties of the job

• Provide clinical and operational leadership to a multidisciplinary outreach team
• Ensure delivery of high-intensity, assertive engagement, including home visits and community-based care
• Lead on risk management, safety planning and complex clinical decision-making for a high-risk cohort
• Deliver and embed a model based on:
• Proactive, flexible contact with patients
• Provide line management, supervision and support to team members
• Oversee team performance, caseloads and quality of care delivery
• Work collaboratively with CMHT/CMHH, Crisis Teams, inpatient services and partner agencies to ensure coordinated care pathways
• Going out to patients
• Maintaining engagement when others disengage
• Providing practical support that prevents crisis
• Not clinic based

Working for our organisation

The Team is committed to delivering safe, compassionate and high-quality care across all services.

The Assertive Outreach Team is a new and developing service, offering:

The opportunity to shape and lead a new model of care

• A strong focus on patient safety, engagement and outcomes
• A supportive multidisciplinary environment with clear leadership oversight
• Opportunities for professional development within a growing Trust-wide model

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Registered mental health professional (e.g. RMN, OT, Social Worker)
• Experience working with complex mental health needs and high-risk patients
• Experience of clinical leadership, supervision and team management
• Strong skills in risk assessment, care planning and crisis management
• Experience of community-based or outreach working
• Driving licence and access to a vehicle for work
• Experience in assertive outreach, crisis or urgent care services
• Experience of service development or transformation

Education & Qualifications

• Registered professional qualification (e.g. RMN, OT, Social Worker or equivalent)
• Current professional registration (NMC, HCPC, Social Work England)
• Evidence of post-registration training relevant to mental health / community services
• Leadership or management qualification or training
• Training in Psychosocial Interventions Other relevant training, e.g. psychosocial interventions
• Counselling qualification

Experience

• Significant experience working with individuals with complex mental health needs and high risk
• Experience of working with disengaged or hard-to-engage service users in a community setting
• Experience of risk assessment, safety planning and crisis management
• Experience of leading or supervising staff within a clinical team
• Experience of operational management (e.g. rota management, performance, workload oversight)
• Experience of multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working
• Experience of service development or mobilisation of new models of care
• Experience in assertive outreach, crisis services or urgent care settings

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.

• Due to the high response levels we receive for some vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date and advise you to submit your application as soon as possible.
• Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. Before submitting your application and to avoid disappointment please check that you are eligible under the UKVI points based system
• 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.

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