Job summary
Lewes Neighbourhood Mental Health Team in Newhaven is a lively specialist, multi-disciplinary service for adults with severe mental illness. The base is in Newhaven, in the middle of the beautiful South Downs National Park and only a few miles from the cosmopolitan city of Brighton.

We are looking for experienced mental health practitioners to join our team and we particularly welcome applications from Occupational Therapists, Social Workers and RMNs.

The role is an exciting mix of assessment, care coordination, risk management and crisis prevention and there is a range of opportunities to get involved in innovative group treatments, psychoeducational interventions and research projects.

We work collaboratively with our wonderful service users to help them achieve their goals and live as independently as possible. We work with Carers and the system around the person to create opportunities for growth and stability.

About us
As a mental health trust, Sussex Partnership places a huge focus on the wellbeing of our staff, as well as ensuring our reward packages reflect the immensely important work they do.

As a Band 6 mental health practitioner in our team, we can offer you:

• Access to numerous wellbeing and support programmes, run by our internal wellbeing team
• Excellent supervision programmes, with ongoing opportunities for training and development
• Flexible working patterns
• Access to a host of discount schemes (including gyms, shopping, restaurants and lease cars)
• A position within a trust rated as 'Outstanding' for caring and 'Good' overall by the CQC
• Generous holiday entitlement (starting at 27 days + 8 bank holidays)
• A 'Golden Hello' or relocation package of up to £2000 (see attached documentation)

Salary
£39,959 to £48,117 a year per annum
Band: Band 6
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Part-time
Reference number: 354-AE-21361-A

Job responsibilities
The post holder will be an autonomous practitioner who holds responsibility for a defined caseload of service users but who can share risk and work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team to:

• Undertake assessments of individuals and their families where there are complex health presentations and levels of risk.
• To co-develop care plans with service users
• To offer specialist assessments and advice
• To assess and manage on going risks in collaboration with the service user and carers. To regularly review risk factors and make changes to the management of them as necessary.
• To ensure that clinical practice is evidence based and consistent with relevant NICE guidelines and Trust policies and procedures
• To provide supervision of junior staff and trainees where appropriate.

Essential qualifications

• Degree/Diploma in occupational therapy
• Evidence of post graduate level study/training
• Registration with the HPC as an occupational therapist
• Practice Education training
• Training in the use of standardised occupational therapy assessment tools

Essential knowledge and experience

• Experience as a qualified occupational therapist in mental health
• Broad experience of working with clients with a range of mental health problems
• Experience of both group and individual work
• Experience of multidisciplinary working

Employer contact
Service Manager: Simon Hellyer, simon.hellyer@nhs.net, 07471034300

Date posted: 20 October 2026
Closing date: 03 November 2026

Apply through our website

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. Applicants must have current UK professional registration.