Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
Band 6 Specialist Intensive Practitioner - Bristol
The closing date is 29 November 2026
Job summary
Are you empathetic, motivated and committed to improving the experiences of our service users?

Bristol is a high performing well established Locality. The North Bristol Crisis Service is looking to recruit a committed and passionate Band 6 Specialist Practitioner on a full-time basis.

We can offer you a satisfying work life balance, generous holiday entitlements, regular supervision and the chance to make a real difference to somebody's life, whilst working in a friendly supportive team. We are looking for an experienced Band 6.

We are a diverse, multi-disciplinary team providing high-quality person centred care to service users at risk of psychiatric admission.

This role will necessitate working rotational shift patterns including nights.

Main duties of the job
The post holder will work autonomously to undertake emergency assessments in a wide range of locations, planning and delivering defined, intensive, specialist interventions in line with the CPA framework to people with severe and enduring mental health needs, who maybe distressed and in crisis.

Where appropriate the post holder will work alongside other services to plan, deliver and review effective "wrap around" intensive interventions to manage risk and prevent hospital admission for those with the most complex needs.

This post is open to newly qualified social workers. In line with trust policy, all newly qualified social workers will be recruited initially at Band 5 level, regardless of advertised role banding. All NQSWs are expected to successfully complete their ASYE within 2 years of employment, unless there are exceptional circumstances in which case it may be agreed to extend this for a further 2 years.

On successful completion of the ASYE, for which you will be given full support of an experienced Social Worker as well as Divisional Social Work Lead, and peer support from other ASYE candidates, you will then be eligible to progress to a Band 6 position.

If you have been appointed to an advertised Band 6 role this will be an automatic progression, following confirmation of your successful completion. If you have been appointed to a Band 5 you will then be eligible to apply for a subsequent Band 6 vacancy.

About us
We are the lead provider of healthcare for people with serious mental illness, learning disabilities and autism across Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES), Swindon and Wiltshire, and Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

We aim to provide High Quality, Compassionate Care everywhere, every day. This means our services will be safe, clinically effective and provide a positive all round experience for our patients, families and carers. And we believe passionately in treating everyone with kindness, respect and empathy.

Key to this is providing a supportive and safe environment for our 4,000 staff where we all feel welcome and able to do the best we can for those we support. Our staff and teams work incredibly hard delivering services across more than 90 locations, covering 2,200 miles, to more than 1.8 million people.

At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.

Details
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 6
Salary: £39,959 to £48,117 a year
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 342-BR166-1126

Job description
Job responsibilities
In a wide range of situations and locations to undertake the full range of activities required to deliver comprehensive mental health assessment, in an emergency for service users, who may be distressed and in crisis. This will include:

• The use of standardised assessment tools i.e. Cluster Allocation Support Tool (CAST), KGV.
• Recovery Star.
• History, strengths and aspirations.
• Mental state.
• Impact of culture and diversity.
• Functional needs.
• The needs of family and carer.
• Evaluation of risk.
• Physical health.
• Complicating factors.
• Identifying and ensuring specialist involvement where required.
• The interventions and treatments required to enable positive change.
• Social Care.
• Safeguarding and public protection.
• Capacity under the Mental Capacity Act.

To be responsible for developing delivering and reviewing comprehensive and complex treatment programmes using appropriate frameworks in line with evidence based practice, including strategies to manage risk for service users with complex needs and carers, bringing in other resources as required.

To plan, deliver and evaluate defined, specialist therapeutic interventions as indicated in the assessment process, in line with personal recovery plans, including to service users who maybe on other caseloads.

To deliver a range of defined activities/interventions to improve the carers ability to support the service user and to enable them in their relationship with the service user.

To develop and maintain good partnership working with other services throughout all treatment episodes, including regular liaison within Primary Health Care Team, inpatient and intensive services, day services, voluntary sector and with nominated carers/advocates.

In collaboration with service users and carers, to be responsible for facilitating the development of comprehensive crisis plans, rapid access plans, advance statements etc, involving other agencies such as primary care etc where appropriate.

To personally build and lead others to build, hope inspiring relationships with service users, which acknowledge the personal journey of each person, and focus on strengths and aspirations to allow the creation of meaningful personal recovery plans.

To be responsible for maintaining own workload, as well as planning the workload of others, on a day-to-day basis, ensuring that time is prioritised effectively, utilising electronic resources such as diaries/scheduling.

To be responsible for the protection of individuals from abuse and harm in line with local safeguarding policies and procedures, including working with others in the planning development and review of protection plans.

Coordinating and undertaking protective interventions which may be required in the protection of others, as outline in the protection plan, taking individual action where indicated.

Personally, and leading others to collaboratively and sensitively work with individuals, with a range of mental health needs to develop skills to manage their own health, in accordance with their personal recovery plan, by actively promoting and using approaches which are affirming, build on strengths, identify past positive experience and success, and use small steps to move towards the person's goal.

Undertake active clinical leadership and supervision within the team, covering for the manager and colleagues as required.

To maintain the single health and social care record, ensuring both paper and electronic records are kept up to date in accordance with professional and organisational standards.

Report and record within agreed timeframes, all activity relating to information reporting and performance requirements.

To participate in management, caseload and clinical supervision in accordance with trust policy.

To provide mentoring/ training for others in relevant practice areas, according to professional requirements, taking a collaborative approach to practice development and evidence-based care. Specifically this means providing a safe and effective learning environment for the mentoring and supervising of students, participating in their learning objectives and assessments.

Demonstrate responsibility for developing own practice in line with professional qualifications and for contributing to the development of others, by making use of and providing, effective feedback, supervision, coaching and appraisal.

To adhere to professional codes of conduct ensuring required skills and competencies required are maintained.

Monitor and maintain health, safety and security of self and others, undertaking assessments and taking appropriate action where required. Develop own knowledge and practice, and contribute to the development of others, making use of available feedback, supervision and appraisal to identify appropriate areas of development for this work role, taking responsibility for accessing identified learning and training opportunities.

Lead, maintain and participate in practices which enable effective team working.

To participate in local arrangements where required to manage unexpected staff absences.

Person Specification
Qualifications/Registration
Essential: Diploma level/Degree in relevant health/social care profession, e.g., RMN, OT, Social Worker. Current relevant registration with the NMC or HCPC and commitment to CPD.
Desirable: Relevant post-registration qualifications, such as Thorn, Non-Medical Prescribing, CBT, AMHP, Brief Interventions etc

Experience
Essential: Demonstrates substantial post-registration experience gained working in a range of frontline adult mental health services, undertaking assessment and delivering interventions
Desirable: Experience gained in a wide variety of settings

Skills
Essential:

• Highly developed verbal communication skills, able to engage effectively with people at all levels even when a more assertive approach is needed.
• Is able to deliver from a range of possible key therapeutic interventions CBT, Psychosocial interventions, Family Interventions, DBT approaches.
• Demonstrates a developed understanding of the recovery principles, and the role of secondary mental health services in the delivery of care
• Experience of undertaking carers' assessments
• Demonstrates substantial experience of, and relevant professional practice qualification in mentoring/assessing students and learners
• Demonstrates substantial experience of assessing risk and developing risk management strategies
• Demonstrates substantial experience of supervising others, monitoring their performance appraisal and ensuring delivery of activity
• Able to articulate a detailed understanding of the relevant legal frameworks/legislation including CPA process, Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, and Safeguarding.
• Substantially developed IT skills including competent use of Microsoft Office, and the use of electronic record keeping systems
• Demonstrates a willingness to embrace new technology and processes
• Mobile with the facility to move quickly across a geographically dispersed area with limited access to public transport.

Other Requirements
Essential: Empathy for individuals who have experienced mental health problems and ability to cope with behaviour which may be challenging at times.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details
Employer name: Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
Address: Gloucester House, Dorian Way, Bristol, BS10 5NB, United Kingdom
Employer's website: http://www.awp.nhs.uk/about-us/working-for-us/

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Team Manager Rebecca Eatwell, Rebecca.eatwell@nhs.net, 01173546606

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