Job summary
Lead Practitioner / Clinical Lead - Qualified Nurse/OT/Social Worker/Practitioner Psychologist/ Systemic Psychotherapist

We are looking for a qualified and experienced Mental Health Practitioner (Mental Health Nurse, Occupational Therapist, Social Worker, Psychological Practitioner/Systemic Psychotherapist) to join the Multiple Admissions Pathway for Lewes, Wealden and Eastbourne areas.

We are looking for a clinical specialist / lead practitioner who has a keen interest in working with people with complex mental health difficulties to support recovery and reduce hospital admissions, using an open dialogue-informed approach.

We will support you to develop the skills needed to work using open dialogue, and approach where we are highly responsive to clients' needs and facilitate a network of care.

Main duties of the job

• Provide clinical leadership within the MAP team, ensuring high standards of practice.
• Provide clinical supervision, reflective practice and professional support to the team.
• Lead on complex clinical decision-making and provide expert advice regarding risk assessment and management.
• Support clinicians managing high-risk presentations and facilitate multidisciplinary discussions where appropriate.
• Undertake specialist mental health assessments within community, hospital and emergency settings.
• Promote psychologically informed, trauma-informed and least restrictive approaches to care.
• Coordinate decision making in a crisis
• Lead on complex care decisions including when the client's community Care Coordinator / Lead Professional is unavailable.
• Liaise with other services (including emergency support and care services) as required.
• Participate in setting quality standards and offering a consistent approach to clients.
• Maintain an accurate and timely reporting system.
• Provide verbal and written observations.
• To support the team with other specialist assessments, as required
• To participate in open dialogue informed network meetings, and co-facilitate when appropriate to do so.

About us
The NHS is changing and with more emphasis on community-based care there's never been a better time to join us. Over the next three years,community mental health services are going to be undergoing a real transformation and you could be part of these exciting developments. Ourcommunity mental health teams will become part of a much more integrated network of services and our mental health clinicians will be central indriving the changes, in close partnership with our primary and third sector colleagues.We recognise that working in mental health can be stressful so we prioritise staff welfare, providing regular supervision, reflective practice,mentoring, and any other support that our clinicians need to ensure their wellbeing.

We look forward to hearing from you. Please contact Dr Sally McGuire, Principal Psychologist (Lead for MAP Lewes, Wealden and Eastbourne) tolearn more about the role.

Details
Date posted: 13 August 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 7
Salary: £49,387 to £56,515 a year pro rata
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Part-time
Reference number: 354-AE-21351
Job locations: Hill Rise, Church Hill, Newhaven, BN9 9HH, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
As part of the MAP team, you will work closely with the three neighbourhood mental health teams in East Sussex and enhance the care deliveredto those in crisis with complex needs and a history of multiple admissions. The MAP team uses an open dialogue informed approach to supportclients and aims to reduce inpatient admissions.

You will be joining a warm, friendly team who are dedicated to transforming care and supporting best practice for service users and their families.

The team has reflective practice weekly and high level of training and staff support.

Excellent communication skills are needed in the role with regards to communicating with all stakeholders including service users, carers, thirdsector providers, internal and external agencies and services.Experience of supporting service users with mental health problems is important (and we encourage applicants with lived experience). Aninclusive and positive attitude is essential. If your current role includes duty work, that will be an advantage in your application. We will provide a robust induction and the wellbeing of our team is always thought about. Supervision, appraisal and training are all highly valued and prioritised.

Usual working hours are Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm.

It is essential that applicants can travel independently across the locality and have access to a suitable vehicle for business purposes.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Registered professional with qualification appropriate to the role
• Completion of mentorship course / ENB / professional equivalent
• Evidence of continuous professional development

Desirable

• Significant post qualifying experience in the relevant care group
• Experience of working alongside people with complex health problems in the designated care group
• Experience of supervising staff
• Experience of providing a range of clinical interventions to people in the designated care group with a variety of health problems
• Experience of working consultatively with professionals
• Experience of working consultatively with professionals
• Experience of partnership working within and across various statutory and non statutory teams and agencies
• Experience of working within the CPA process
• Understanding of clinical governance
• Previous experience of working in the community

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).

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