Mental Health Practitioner in Basildon

Site Mental Health Urgent Care Department Town Basildon Salary £39,959 - £48,117 per annum, pro rata for part time, plus 5% HCA Salary period Yearly Closing 02/11/2026 23:59

Please be aware that, due to current allocation constraints, Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) are being prioritised for registered roles at this time.

Our Trust cares for more than 100,000 patients at any one time across our community health, mental health and learning disability services across Essex and parts of Bedfordshire and Suffolk.

We want you to be part of our journey of transformation, where our patients and their families are at the heart of everything we do and to achieve our vision to be the leading health and wellbeing service in the provision of mental health and community care.

You’ll be part of a Trust where you will be supported to be your authentic self and be the best you can be, where we will help you to grow, develop and thrive.

The Trust is recognised by the University of Essex and is a top provider of apprenticeships for people looking to be an assistant practitioner, senior health care support worker (CAP). Our trailblazing CAP apprenticeship won a national HSJ Award.

We are also recognised as a Veteran Aware Trust and holder of gold accreditation from the Ministry of Defence Employment Recognition Scheme. Our services are highlighted as an exemplar of good practice, producing the best care for more than 3.500 armed forces veterans in the past seven years.

We have been shortlisted and won national awards. We are an inclusive organisation and Level 3 Disability Confident Leader Trust.

We are constantly innovating and looking for new ways to deliver care, such as using technology to enhance patient care and working with partners to launch new services such as the Basildon Mental Health Urgent Care Department, virtual hospitals and falls response cars.

Join us and you’ll do the best work of your life – and make a difference to other people’s lives. What we do together, matters.

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has a risen for a Band 6, MH Practitioner (part time) within the MH Urgent Care Department.

The Mental Health Urgent Care Department, is a facility where adults, aged 18 years and above, who are experiencing a mental health crisis can receive an urgent biopsychosocial assessment with immediate care planning. It is a new, purpose built department based at the Basildon Mental Health Unit on the Basildon university Hospital site.

The post holder will work as a Band 6 Senior Practitioner with the urgent care team providing high quality, evidence-based, holistic assessments to patients attending the service. Assessments must be completed in line with your professional code and Trust policies and clinical guidelines.

Main duties of the job

• Provide comprehensive assessment, care and safety planning for patients attending the Urgent Care Department ensuring their care pathway is purposeful and promotes recovery.
• Ensure accurate and timely clinical documentation in line with your professional Code and Trust policy.
• Develop and maintain specialist clinical skills and expertise in the assessment and treatment of people with mental health needs.
• Receive, triage and assess patients attending the Urgent Care Department, ensuring nursing triage, assessment, care and support of each person is appropriate to their individual needs
• Offer advice on management of patients with mental health issues other health care professionals, advocating for best practice in line with Trust and national guidance.
• Assess, investigate, treat and discharge or refer patients attending the department with a diverse range of minor injuries/illnesses, within the parameters of the Urgent Care Department guidelines and scope of practice .
• Feedback outcomes of assessments to the department clinical leaders and agree and implement the management plan

Working for our organisation

Valuing you. Recognising your dedication. At EPUT, we look after you.

• Receive supervision and support to help you fulfil your potential.
• Join an inclusive EPUT community and connect with others through engagement events and equality or champion networks.
• If you need help, we provide mental health and wellbeing services, occupational health advice and counselling.
• We run recognition awards to recognise staff's hard work and dedication.
• 27 days holiday, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days after 10 years’ service.
• Excellent pension of up to14.5% of your pensionable pay.
• Staff discounts include Blue Light Card, NHS discount offers, and staff benefits.
• £8K relocation package if you move to Essex to join us
• Season ticket loans are interest-free to cover the cost of travelling to and from work via tram, rail, or bus.

Work that wraps around your needs

• Flexible working: available from day one for most roles.
• Job share: Applications for job shares are welcomed.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Support the Clinical Lead in ensuring the effective provision of care, service developments of the urgent Care Team
• In the absence of the Clinical Lead ensure that referral, assessment and workload allocation happens in a timely, flexible and responsive manger, taking into account the wishes of the patients and their carers.
• On a daily basis, support and manage the patients within the urgent care department, providing appropriate prioritisation of the workload within agreed timeframes depending on the nature of the presenting needs and patient safety risks.
• Participate in team meetings, initiating and discussing new methods/models of care using QI methodology and contribute in the introduction of research or trials within the area.

Please see full Job Description and Person Specification attached

Education/Qualifications

• Registration Mental Health Nurse RMN Part 3/Registered General Nurse or equivalent or LD/social work/AHP qualification
• Educated to Degree Level or equivalent
• Personal evidence of personal and professional development in contemporary mental health practice
• Non-medical prescriber

Knowledge

• Experience in conducting clinical assessments and safety planning
• Ability to take on broader responsibilities to improve own and others knowledge and skills
• Good understanding of national policy and the implications for mental health e.g. crisis care concordat, parity of esteem

Please be aware that, due to current allocation constraints, Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) are being prioritised for registered roles at this time. Important note: please ensure that as part of your application, you include professional references with business contact information covering your last three years of employment history. We are unable to accept personal or character references.

As a newly appointed employee, you are responsible for incurring the cost of your initial DBS check relevant to your post; the amount will be deducted from your first salary with the Trust.

Our Trust is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We particularly welcome applications from people with experience of using mental health services. We also hold the Disability two tick symbol and have made the pledge to commit to employing more people with learning disabilities, we encourage people with a disability to apply. If you require this application form in another format i.e. Braille or audio tape etc, please contact the Recruitment Department on 01375 364513 or email epunft.recruitment.adverts@nhs.net and we can arrange for this to be dispatched to you.

The Trust has the right to expire vacancies prior to the closing date if they so wish. The Trust makes every attempt to contact all applicants and we strongly advise that you check the email account which is registered with NHS Jobs regularly, we would advise however due to the high number of applications we receive that if you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expect all staff to undertake this commitment. Applicants will be subject to robust safer recruitment processes.

Important Notice: Recently the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2021 (the Regulations) which amended on 22 July 2021 and come into force on 11 November 2021 that anyone directly employed to work in a Care Home or who are required as part of their role to be deployed to a CQC registered care home are required to have had both their COVID vaccinations, unless they are exempt. This is therefore a requirement of this role and will form part of our pre-employment checks.

Please note -staff who are formally at risk within the organisation will be given priority in securing alternative employment. Should it come to light that a post being advertised by the Trust is considered ‘suitable alternative employment’ to an individual who is at risk, the recruiting manager will be advised and the post will be withdrawn from NHS Jobs.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.

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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