Perinatal Mental Health Practitioner | Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Overview

Perinatal Mental Health Practitioner — Band 6 – £37,338 – £44,962 per annum pro rata. 37.5 hours per week. Severalls Hospital, Colchester.

It is an extraordinary time for specialist perinatal mental health services across the UK with growing national and local focus on service development and expanding access for new and expectant mums. The national ambition is to improve outcomes for an increasing number of women over a 5-year period through investment in resources and broadening of interventions available. The perinatal period includes from conception up until one year following the birth of the baby and is a critical time for prevention and treatment for women at risk of serious mental ill health. Providing a unique opportunity for intervention and change, improving outcomes for mums, their families and ultimately society, in the longer term.

The Perinatal Mental Health Practitioner will work as a member of the Perinatal Mental Health Service. The post holder will manage a defined caseload of service users experiencing moderate to severe perinatal mental health problems, and those with pre-existing severe mental health diagnoses to reduce perinatal risk and maintain stability in this vulnerable period for women\\\’s mental health. They will undertake holistic community assessments with a strong emphasis on the parent-infant relationship and safeguarding.

The post holder will offer a variety of therapeutic interventions including supportive therapy, psychosocial interventions, specialist medication advice and problem solving techniques. In addition the post holder will be expected to offer both support and advice to carers and relatives, and to work in an integrated manner with key partner organisations and professionals. The post holder will be required to provide consultative advice to other agencies, and to participate in delivering training and development for other professionals.

Benefits

• Season Ticket Loans
• NHS discounts for staff
• Excellent Training facilities and opportunities
• Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
• The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
• Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
• Day One Flexible Employer

Flexible working

The Trust supports and actively encourages flexible working for all employees. We offer many options and you are encouraged to ask the recruiting manager what is possible for this role. If appointed, you will have the opportunity to apply for a flexible working request from the first day of your employment.

Staff Bank

Join our Staff bank.

What is Staff Bank?

Our EPUT NHS staff bank is an entity managed by the trust that hires clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals to take on shifts at our trust hospitals and community settings. Here at EPUT we maintain our own bank of specialist staff to ensure that we are able offer safe and effective care at all times.

All our permanent staff are automatically enrolled onto the staff bank however this does not mean you have to work any additional shifts, but the option is there for you if you wish.

If you are joining our Trust in a fixed term role, please indicate on your New Starter Paperwork that you wish to join our staff bank.

Responsibilities

1. To work jointly with care coordinators from CMHTs with a small complex and challenging caseload of pregnant women or those with an infant up to one year old.
2. Conduct both single handed and joint high quality mental health assessments as required to identify mental health needs for people referred to the Perinatal Mental Health Service.
3. Take responsibility for the management of a defined client caseload as identified in consultation with the Team Manager, Clinical Team Leader and team.
4. Utilise the Care Programme Approach (CPA) as defined within the Trust Policy and to act as Care Co-ordinator as required.
5. To ensure that all Trust Perinatal service users have a perinatal care plan, this is implemented. This may require attending and contributing to pre and post-birth meetings.
6. Ensure risks are effectively managed and interventions are effectively prioritised.
7. Maintain effective individualised care through the assessment of health and social care needs, planning, implementation and evaluation of care plans co-produced with service users.

This advert closes on Thursday 18 Sep 2025