Band 6 Mental Health Practitioner

Employer West London NHS Trust Employer type NHS Site Fulham Palace Road Town London Salary £47,951 - £56,863 Per annum inclusive of 20% HCAS Salary period Yearly Closing 05/10/2026 23:59 Interview date 15/10/2026

Band 6 Mental Health Practitioner

Band 6

West London NHS Trust provides a full range of mental health, community and physical healthcare services for children, adults and older people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow.

We also provide some specialist services that are commissioned regionally, such as our medium secure services; and nationally, such as the Cassel Hospital for people with complex and severe personality disorder and our high secure services at Broadmoor Hospital.

Job overview

As one of the 12 ‘early implementer’ sites for integrated community mental health services, we are expanding our community mental health offer. Our new services are centred around the Primary Care Networks and aspiring to comprehensive engagement with Integrated Care Systems using a whole person, whole population health approach.

The model utilizes all the community resources available including health, social care, Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organizations and local communities and consider resources to support wellbeing outside of mental health services alone.

These new teams enable and support people to access mental health services wherever and whenever they need it and support individuals to manage their mental health supported in their local community. We are therefore looking for skilled and enthusiastic individuals.

Through this work, an exciting opportunity has arisen for an innovative role ofMental Health Practitionerwithin each borough. As a Mental Health Practitioner, you will be employed by West London NHS Trust and will be key in the development of pathways of care in the local community mental health team (MINT). This role would also provide an opportunity to be mentored or to mentor, career progression and continued education.

We are seeking applications fromRegistered Mental Health Nurses, Social workers or Occupational Therapists, who have experience of working in community services.

Main duties of the job

Provide holistic and specialist bio-psycho-social assessment for anyone experiencing mental health difficulties and offer specialist nursing assessment where required

Provide advice to primary care to help them provide better support to patients and to (where preferable) meet their mental health needs within a primary care setting.

Carry out robust risk assessments, working collaboratively with the patient and their carer to provide a plan that will support them remaining safe

Provide access to a broad range of specialist psychosocial interventions for individual patients where needed

Provide expert advice regarding the pharmacological treatment options available to mental health patients to patients and non-mental health professionals, seeking clinical guidance from the designated Consultant Psychiatrist/GP in relation to any specific prescribing advice

Where required, nurses working within the team will administer intra muscular medication to patients for whom this is prescribed, assessing the effects and side effects at each appointment, working within the NMC guidelines and the Trust’s medicines policies

To maintain and the safe handling and storage of medication at all times, ensuring the safe disposal of clinical waste and all sharps

To ensure infection control measures are strictly adhered to both on site and when visiting off site locations

Working for our organisation

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.

Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ over 5,000 staff, of whom 59% are BME. Our turnover for 2024-25 is over £500m

The Trust is rated as ‘Good’ overallby the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as ‘Outstanding’

The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached

The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed

Person specification

Qualifications and Training

• Relevant professional qualification and registration with professional body. (Nurse, Social Worker ,Occupational Therapist ,Psychologist)
• Educated to degree or Diploma level with other courses relevant to primary care mental health services e.g. CBT, Brief Solution Focussed Therapy etc
• Evidence of recent and on-going relevant further professional development

Experience

• Demonstrable experience of post qualifying work in psychiatry
• Experience of supervising junior staff within own and/or other disciplines
• Evidence of experience in a Band 6 position or equivalent
• Other relevant post registration experience
• Audit and research experience
• Experience of teaching/training in a formal or informal setting
• Experience of working in a primary care setting/ social care/ voluntary sector

Knowledge

• Knowledge of counselling skills/cognitive behavioural skills, psychosocial interventions
• Knowledge of recovery approaches as used with those with mental health conditions
• Ability to interpret research and apply to practice
• Specialist knowledge of mental health conditions as well as their relationship to physical disorders
• Ability to engage challenging and/or acutely distressed patients in potentially hostile and/or antagonistic situations and use de-escalation techniques effectively
• Team/self management and organisation skills that enable a number of complex activities and clinical work to be undertaken, revising and adjusting these according to the needs of individual patients and the service
• Sufficient clinical knowledge to be able to make autonomous decisions, based an analysis of complex presenting problems and judgement about available options, with senior clinical support/supervision
• Higher level communication skills, both written and oral

Personal Qualities

• Ability to frequently work under pressure and maintain intense concentration, particularly in unpredictable situations where there will be exposure to highly distressed and/or disturbed patients, often exhibiting challenging behaviours and the risk of physical violence
• Ability to meet deadlines
• Commitment to equal opportunities
• Ability to accept constructive feedback
• Exercise initiative, flexibility and tact and self awareness
• Be aware of the limitations in your competencies and seek appropriate senior advice and leadership
• Be able to work flexibly if required
• Personal experience of a mental health condition

As an employee of West London NHS Trust, you have a responsibility to maintain a sound understanding of, and a commitment to uphold the National Health Service values and principles set out in the NHS Constitution

We reserve the right to close adverts prior to the closing date stated should we receive a high volume of applications

West London NHS Trust is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment

We encourage the thoughtful use of technology as a demonstration of strong time management and a commitment to innovation. However, we encourage applicants to personalise the recruitment application to showcase their unique skills and experiences

While AI-generated content can be a helpful tool, relying solely on generic responses instead of highlighting your own strengths and achievements may impact the success of your application. The success of an application will always be assessed against the essential and desirable criteria for the role, so it is important to ensure that your application and any supporting information clearly demonstrate how you meet these requirements

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

#J-18808-Ljbffr