Senior Mental Health Practitioner OpCourage
Job summary
To be a Mental Health Nurse or Mental Health Social Worker within the Op Courage service to veterans and "service leavers" with a six month discharge date from Military, within the North West of England. As part of the OpCourage North collaborative, assist in triage/ screening referrals for the collaborative, alongside specifically NW clients. The post consists of hybrid working between office, home base, online/ virtual appointments, face to face and community settings. Responsibilities include: o Participation in a Duty rota including liaising with referrers and other services, providing support to members of the Multi-Disciplinary Team in relation to risk management and safeguarding issueso Case management of veterans, clinical interventions and signposting/ liaising with local services. The service delivery of clinical interventions occurs within a range of venues (including MoD venues) across the North West or home setting where clients' needs necessitate this.

Main duties of the job
Senior mental health practitioners would be expected to carry out initial face to face mental health, social care and risk assessments using the OpCourage standard assessment (including collecting outcome measures); case management of an assigned group of clients who require on-going monitoring of their mental health and risk management; emotional and practical support; and the delivery of evidence based interventions supported by the psychological team. The evidence based intervention for the clients identified needs relating to their time in the military with a goal of accessing military attributable therapy.

About us
We are proud to provide high quality mental health and learning disability services, both inpatient and in the community across five boroughs of Greater Manchester - Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport and Tameside and Glossop. Our vision is for a happier and more hopeful life for everyone in our communities and our staff work hard to deliver the very best care for the people who use our services. We're really proud of our #PennineCarePeople and do everything we can to make sure we're a great place to work. All individuals regardless of race, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership are encouraged to apply for this post. We would also encourage applications from individuals with a lived experience of mental illness, either individually or as a carer.

Details
Date posted: 10 July 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 6
Salary: £39,959 to £48,117 a year, PA, pro rata
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time, Flexible working, Compressed hours
Reference number: 311-F950-26-A
Job locations: Arundel House, Bury, BL9 8RN, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
To undertake screening and telephone assessment duties including liaison with referrers and other service providers to ensure clients are treated in the most appropriate service for their needs. To provide a thorough psycho-social assessment of the client (aged 18+), this will include a risk assessment, safety plan and care plan. To deliver individualised interventions to the client based on individual care plan Liaison with local services, MDTs and 3rd sector organisations. To manage own caseload by delivering brief interventions to the client, whilst maintaining and allocating new clients. Undertaking initial assessments as part of duty tasks and offering an additional face to face assessment slot weekly to support the brief interventions pathway. To conduct a thorough psycho-social assessment of clients referred to the OpCourage Service, to identify their needs and develop a collaborative care plan To provide case management and brief interventions for clients with moderate and complex mental health problems where required focus is generally around Military attributable needs, risk to self or others. Ensuring referrals to safeguarding children or safeguarding vulnerable adults are made where required in a timely manner. Have a good working knowledge of medication that is prescribed within Primary Care. To work jointly with colleagues within Op Courage MDT where required. To assess clients presenting multiple and complex issues and make decisions regarding the appropriate therapeutic intervention required to meet clients needs. This may include referral on to another service or modality of treatment. To assess risk of harm to self / others or property and take action as appropriate. This may involve breaching of client confidentiality in the interest of the clients or others safety e.g. Safeguarding Children / Adults, acts of terrorism etc. This will be assessed in line with Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust policies To organise and manage a clinical caseload To maintain appropriate electronic records using PC-MIS web based clinical system in line with agreed protocols as directed by Line Manager To maintain effective communication and clear and concise documentation for individualised care as per service protocols and Trust policies To inform referrer of outcome of assessment and provide a summary of interventions delivered at discharge To ensure accurate completion of weekly diary on outlook to ensure following staff safe guidelines in line with trust procedures and policies. To co-facilitate therapeutic groups where appropriate and requested by Line Manager To act in accordance with requirements for practice- NMC Code of Conduct To actively participate in clinical and management supervision To provide a resource for discussion for other members of the MDT Facilitate communication with colleagues by active participation in team and clinical meetings as required by Team Manager. There is an expectation for you to deliver services across the North West. This may include home visits.

Person Specification
Skills and Abilities
Essential

• Able to conduct a thorough psycho-social assessment and develop a collaborative care plan with the client
• Ability and skills to deliver a range of therapeutic interventions within a community setting
• Ability to develop and maintain professional relationships within a multidisciplinary team
• Ability to work with the MoD other agencies e.g. SMS, CMHTs and IAPTS in other Trusts; GPs, and Voluntary agencies
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal e.g. client records
• Able to proactively assess and manage risk
• Excellent IT skills
• Excellent organisational skills
• Able to manage a caseload of clients and deliver brief interventions

Desirable

• Skills in screening and telephone assessment Established skills of being a mentor/assessor of Student Nurses

Knowledge
Essential

• Knowledge of Primary Care Mental Health and delivery of brief interventions
• Demonstrate understanding of the mental health needs of Military Veterans and their families/carers
• Excellent knowledge around risk management
• Demonstrate up to date knowledge of current issues/legislation within Primary Care Mental Health including IAPT model
• Excellent working knowledge of Safeguarding Children and Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults

Desirable

• Knowledge of different types of NICE approved/evidence based psychological therapies available
• Contributed to CPD of a service

Education/ Qualification
Essential

• RMN or MHSW
• Short course and experience to post graduate diploma level

Desirable

• Certificate / diploma in CBT / counselling
• CPD in Primary Care Mental Health

Experience
Essential

• Case management of clients who have common/complex mental health difficulties or experience of care coordination including the delivery of brief psychological interventions
• Worked within a community NHS setting
• Worked within a multidisciplinary team
• Previous service within the armed forces communities
• Or, experience of working with the military communities/service charities
• Or, evidence of understanding the veterans' communities
• Managed a community client caseload
• Delivered a variety of therapeutic interventions within a community setting

Desirable

• Experience of group work
• Fulfilled role of mentor / assessor for student nurses
• Experience of working with individuals who have drug and / or alcohol problems including models of care and the recovery and abstinence agenda.

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 details
Employer name: Pennine Care NHS FT
Address: Arundel House, Bury, BL9 8RN, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.penninecare.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Recruiting Manager
Helen Birbeck
h.birbeck@nhs.net