Job summary
BSW Mental Health Clinical Assessment Service (MH CAS).

The BSW 111-2 service operates in a partnership delivery model with BrisDoc.

BrisDoc provide the 'front door' call handling for the pathway, receiving calls from the public, gathering information and first line triage to identify the presenting need.

Those callers requiring additional mental health assessment and support will then be passed through to the BSW 111-2 Mental Health Clinical Assessment Service (MHCAS) provided by mental health practitioners employed by AWP.

The BSW MHCAS will work alongside the BNSSG MHCAS which operates under the Integrated Access Partnership (IAP), a multiagency partnership delivery approach across a range of urgent care services.

Main duties of the job
The main purpose of the role is to provide telephone-based triage and clinical assessment within the BSW 111 MHCAS service, determining appropriate care pathways and making onward referrals where clinically indicated.

You will also provide advice and guidance to service users, carers, and partner organisations. As the service operates 24/7, you will be expected to work shift across the 24/7 shift pattern (Early, Late, Night).

You will also work closely with Avon and Wiltshire Partnership (AWP) BSW services, including Intensive Support Teams, Acute Hospital Liaison, Care Home Liaison, Police Control Room Triage, and Health-Based Places of Safety.

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
Date posted: 31 July 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 6
Salary: £39,959 to £48,117 a year (pro rata)
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 12 months
Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time
Reference number: 342-BNS052-0726
Job locations: Bath NHS House, Newbridge Hill, Bath, BA1 3QE, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
Clinical Assessment:
Undertake a full range of activities required to deliver a comprehensive mental health assessment in an emergency situation, to those who may be distressed/ in crisis. This will include:

• Advising the person in crisis of short-term coping strategies i.e. anger, anxiety, stress management, distraction, assertiveness or relaxation techniques.
• Providing emotional support to the individual, focusing on motivation and encouragement.
• Sharing information where relevant and appropriate to fellow professionals in line with trust (and wider Partnership) information governance protocols.
• Providing defined interventions as detailed in existing care plans/ HIU plans.
• Completing relevant documentation that is accurate and factual within the appropriate electronic record systems (RiO, CLEO etc- varies between services) as per relevant policies.
• Working in partnership with Brisdoc colleagues across the 111-2 pathway, manage the delivery of high-quality effective health interventions which lead to positive outcomes for service users and carers.
• Communicating and liaising with a wide range of people/professionals in order to build and sustain effective and positive relationships with individuals and carers, team members and other agencies.
• Gathering information from additional sources to make informed decisions/ plans e.g. other record systems, from friends/family/others on scene etc.
• Making referrals to other services/ agencies as appropriate as per their identified process (email, referral form, verbal referral etc).
• Responds to the needs of the individual with sensitivity and dignity, taking into account their age, culture, race, gender, ethnicity, social class or disability, modifying behaviour to optimise the therapeutic relationship.
• Promoting the rights of the individual by recognising differences and acting in accordance with the relevant legislation and local policies and procedures, recognising and reporting discriminatory behaviour.
• Promoting independence and increasing confidence by providing appropriate self- help materials and information about available resources/services where appropriate.
• Contributing to the protection of individuals from abuse and harm in line with local safeguarding policies and procedures.
• To participate in developing comprehensive plans for persons with mental health needs who frequently contact emergency services, including strategies to manage risk for service users with complex needs, bringing in other resources as required.

Clinical Support and Leadership:
To provide clinical advice/ support to colleagues and to encourage and promote development others. This will include:

• Active clinical leadership and provide clinical supervision, assessment, feedback etc for unregistered staff within the team.

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.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Diploma level/Degree in relevant health/social care profession, eg RMN, OT, Social Worker

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 mental health services, undertaking assessment and delivering interventions
• Demonstrates experience of assessing risk and developing risk management strategies
• Able to articulate a detailed understanding of the relevant legal frameworks/legislation including CPA process, Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, and Safeguarding

Skills
Essential

• Highly developed active listening skills, which allow for reframing and testing of understanding
• Highly developed verbal communication skills, able to engage effectively with people at all levels even when a more assertive approach is needed
• Highly developed written communication skills, with experience of compiling and sorting notes and reports, establishing statistical data and analysing information

Desirable

• Demonstrates a willingness to embrace new technology and processes

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 (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Team Manager
Trudi Honeywell
trudi.honeywell@nhs.net