Job summary

Are you an experienced and compassionate Senior Mental Health Practitioner looking for an opportunity to make a meaningful difference in a supportive community team?

The West Devon Core Team is looking for a skilled Band 6 Senior Mental Health Practitioner to join us on a 12-month fixed-term basis. This is an excellent opportunity to bring your clinical expertise to an established multidisciplinary team that is committed to delivering high-quality, person-centred care for adults with complex mental health needs.

You will join a service with strong clinical and managerial leadership, effective and responsive psychological interventions, and well-developed links with primary care. We value learning, reflection and professional development, and you will receive regular managerial and clinical supervision to support you in your role.

If you are a confident practitioner who enjoys collaborative working, supporting colleagues and contributing to service improvement, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

As a Senior Mental Health Practitioner, you will use your clinical knowledge and experience to assess needs, develop shared formulations and deliver appropriate interventions.

Working closely with colleagues across the multidisciplinary team and wider services, you will help ensure that people receive safe, timely and recovery-focused care.

• Triaging and assessing new referrals to identify needs, risks and the most appropriate pathway of support.
• Undertaking psychological formulation and delivering evidence-based interventions for people with complex mental health needs.
• Participating in multidisciplinary team and professional meetings, contributing informed clinical perspectives and collaborative decision-making.
• Providing supervision, guidance and support to junior colleagues.
• Maintaining accurate, timely and high-quality clinical records and associated documentation.
• Contributing to service development and quality-improvement activity, helping the team strengthen and evolve its offer.

About us

About Devon Partnership Trust

We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.

We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.

Details

Date posted
11 September 2026

Pay scheme
Agenda for change

Band
Band 6

Salary
£39,959 to £48,117 a year

Contract
Fixed term

Duration
12 months

Working pattern
Full-time,
Flexible working

Reference number
C9369-26-0697

Job locations
Devon Partnership NHS Trust
The Quay
Plymouth Road
Tavistock
Devon
PL19 8AB
United Kingdom

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification which will provide further information on this role.

Job Purpose

The post holder will deliver high quality comprehensive mental health services. The role involves managing a defined caseload with a focus on providing expert assessment and treatment for people with complex mental health difficulties and their carers. This will include recovery co-ordination (design and co-ordination of treatment packages that are personalised and evaluated in line with payment by results). To provide statutory Adult Social Care, Care Management functions (assessment, care planning and reviewing). The liaison with a wide range of statutory and non-statutory agencies is central to this role.

Communication and Working Relationship Skills

• Contribute to the teams engagement with a wide range of stakeholders including staff, service users, their carers and other statutory and voluntary sector agencies.
• Impart highly complex and sensitive information to Patients and families/carers re assessment, care planning, treatment and review
• Multi-disciplinary teams to ensure the provision of consistent well-coordinated care Primary care teams regarding client care, External agencies also involved in the provision of care e.g.: voluntary and private sector, police, social services, housing, employment etc, Service user/carer groups
• Liaise with a wide range of other professionals and agencies.
• Contribute to the safe and effective day to day operations of the service including the handling of clinical enquires.
• Provide and receive information some of which may be contentious, sensitive and highly complex to and from individuals and their families/carers, where there may be barriers to understanding. Provide a high standards of written and verbal communication that is clear and in line with professional documentation standards
• Participate in and chair clinical meetings, this will include CPA and non-CPA reviews, professional meetings, and clinical risk meetings.
• Demonstrate the ability to communicate in a way that is empathic and reassuring whilst employing negotiating techniques to gain co-operation from highly complex individuals.
• Communicate information in a way that makes it relevant and understandable for service users and carers, working in line with practice standards and operational policies.
• Facilitate fair access to social care services and promote social inclusion regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or disability

Analytical and Judgemental Skills

• Undertake complex risk assessments and develop a formulation of risk which will lead to the development of risk management plans which have taken into consideration a range of possible options
• Undertake and continuously re-evaluate complex bio-psycho-social assessments and develop a working formulation and diagnosis which will lead to the development of personalised care packages in line with evidence based and payment by results
• Ensure the continuous re-evaluation of individuals needs and clinical risk situations and use clinical judgement to formulate the most appropriate clinical plan.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• A professional mental health qualification e.g. RMN, Social Work Degree or equivalent, BSc/Diploma in OT, SROT, Chartered Clinical Psychologist, on the appropriate professional body register and hold current registration with no restrictions.
• Training to level 3 in Safeguarding children and young people: roles and competencies for Health Care staff
• Mentoring students in line with professional requirements

Desirable

• Post graduate qualification relevant to specialism
• Clinical Supervision qualification

Experience

Essential

• Extensive post registration experience working at band 5 in mental health care working in at least two inpatient and one community settings or substantial experience in both inpatient and community settings within a mental health and/or learning disabilities setting
• Evidence of acting as nurse in charge on a regular basis;
• Substantial experience of managing/leading a busy caseload of clients with a range of mental health conditions within a community setting and without supervision
• Working within a community mental health setting in either the statutory or voluntary sector.
• Experience of clinically supervising junior and unqualified staff and mentoring students
• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary and multi-agency environment.

Desirable

• Participation in user involvement in services.
• Experience in deputising for more senior staff
• Evidence of following through specific pieces of work or projects as delegated by ward managers or others

Knowledge and skills

Essential

• An understanding of the NSF and Mental Health Act/ Mental Health Capacity Act requirements and the CPA Process
• Excellent communication skills including the ability to engage with clients experiencing a wide range of mental health problems.
• Able to produce well written reports.
• Ability to communicate with a wide range of professionals from various settings.
• Ability to think and work independently/autonomously and with complex case load
• Able to own problems and get involved in the solutions / Ability to manage risk.
• Able to plan creatively to maximise effectiveness of care plans.
• Able to work independently and as part of a team / Ability to manage own time and that of the teams.

Desirable

• Awareness of community structures and social care management responsibilities
• Understanding of recovery principles in Mental Health

Other

Essential

• The ability to travel in the community to meet the requirements of the role

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.

UK Registration

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

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.

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

Employer details

Employer name
Devon Partnership NHS Trust

Address
Devon Partnership NHS Trust
The Quay
Plymouth Road
Tavistock
Devon
PL19 8AB
United Kingdom

Employer's website
https://www.dpt.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Paul Davis
pauldavis1@nhs.net

Details

Date posted
11 September 2026

Pay scheme
Agenda for change

Band
Band 6

Salary
£39,959 to £48,117 a year

Contract
Fixed term

Duration
12 months

Working pattern
Full-time,
Flexible working

Reference number
C9369-26-0697

Job locations
Devon Partnership NHS Trust
The Quay
Plymouth Road
Tavistock
Devon
PL19 8AB
United Kingdom