Senior Practitioner, Mental Health Single Point of Contact in Haverfordwest

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in shaping and modernising Mental Health services in Hywel Dda University Health Board based in Prince Phillip Hospital, Llanelli and Withybush General Hospital, Haverfordwest.

One of the central points of Hywel Dda's 'Transforming Mental Health Agenda' is a 'Single Point of Contact to improve access for everyone'. This Single Point of Contact will be a 24/7 telephone mental health triage assessment service delivered by skilled professional staff who will provide sensitive and specialist mental health screening to ensure individuals receive the appropriate outcome. The philosophy of the service is as follows:

• Compassion - When people ask for support for a crisis of their mental health they are listened to & supported.
• Prevention - Access to support should be as early as possible, ideally before the point of crisis.
• Equality - A crisis of mental health should be treated with the same urgency as physical health care.
• Resilience - Build responses on the strengths of the individual and provide information and options for self-care and self-referral.

Information, advice and guidance will also be provided for families and carers and there will be a professional telephone line for our partner agencies such as GPs, Welsh Ambulance, Local Authority, Police and the third sector.

Main duties of the job:

As a Band 6 Mental Health Practitioner you will provide an all-age service offering high quality telephone triage and assessment to individuals presenting with existing mental illness, in mental distress or acute crisis, resulting in a safe and appropriate clinical decision. The MH Practitioner will Clinical lead a shift with a varied team of staff including Well-being Practitioners, Health Care Support Workers and Peer Workers, acting as a point of escalation and decision maker for clinical triage and risk.

You will support the Clinical Lead in developing the new innovative Mental Health Single Point of Contact service which will be facilitated through the National 111 service. You will be an experienced Practitioner who can provide aid to the development of the team in line with the organisations core values to deliver a safe and efficient service to those accessing it.

The service will operate 24 hours 7 days a week and you will need to be flexible in your working patterns to meet the service need, which will include out of hours and weekend working. Ongoing support and professional development will be provided alongside personal development and comprehensive induction and training package.

The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; English and/or Welsh speakers are equally welcome to apply.

About us:

Hywel Dda University Health Board plans and provides NHS healthcare services for people living in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, and bordering counties. We have over 13,000 staff and together we provide primary, community, in-hospital, mental health and learning disabilities services. We work in partnership with the three local authorities, as well as public, private and third sector colleagues, including our valued team of volunteers.

Our services are provided in four main hospitals: Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth; Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen; Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli; and Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest. Five community hospitals: Amman Valley and Llandovery hospitals in Carmarthenshire; Tregaron Hospital in Ceredigion; and Tenby and South Pembrokeshire hospitals in Pembrokeshire. Two integrated care centres: Aberaeron and Cardigan in Ceredigion, and several other community settings.

Job responsibilities:

You will be able to find a full job description and person specification attached within the supporting documents. The Health Board is committed to supporting its staff to fully embrace the need for bilingualism thereby enhancing patient and service user experiences. In our commitment to increase the number of staff who are able to communicate in Welsh with patients and professionals, we welcome applications from Welsh speakers. The ability to communicate in Welsh is desirable for this post. If you do not meet the Welsh Language requirements specified, the Health Board offers a variety of learning options and staff support to help you meet these minimal desirable requirements during the course of your employment with us.

Interview will be held on 16/02/2026.

Person Specification:

Qualifications and knowledge:

• Professional qualification and registration - RMN, CQSW/Dip, Social Work, Occupational Therapy, (BPS) Qualification in Counselling Psychology.
• Post-basic education in the area of practice to postgraduate diploma level.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.

Experience:

• Wide range of experience within a service-related setting.
• Experience of high-quality clinical triage using knowledge, skills, critical thinking and professional judgement.
• Sound knowledge of clinical/service issues within area of practice.
• Knowledge and application of safeguarding policies and procedures for children and adults.
• Demonstrates research and audit experience.
• Knowledge and application of care coordination.
• Welsh Speaker (Level 1).

Other:

• Ability to travel across the health board footprint in a timely manner.
• Flexible working in line with service need over 24 hours 7 days a week.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Salary: £39,263 to £47,280 a year (pro rata if part time).

Contract: Permanent.

Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time.

Reference number: 100-PST005-0126.

Job locations: Prince Philip Hospital / Withybush General Hospital.