Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Mental Health Liaison Practitioner MHLP - Adur NMHT

The closing date is 26 November 2026

Job summary
It is essential that you are a registered Mental Health Professional (Occupational Therapist, Social Worker or Mental Health Nurse,). Your role will include carrying out assessments and brief interventions for patients whose needs meet criteria for specialist adults (secondary care) input.

The successful applicant should have excellent clinical skills in assessment, risk assessment and as well as strong communication skills.

You will be working closely with a range of professional groups, NMHT colleagues, Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise sector providers, and other aligned services within the Neighbourhood as well as NHS Talking Therapies Teams.

As part of an increasingly integrated network of services, the post holder will play a pivotal role in advancing and shaping the Neighbourhood model. Neighbourhood Mental Health Teams (NMHTs) bring together local NHS mental health services, GPs, and community and voluntary organisations to offer joined-up, personalised support for people's mental health.

For further detail please refer to the Trust's Neighbourhood Mental Health Teams page.

Main duties of the job

• Screen and complete comprehensive bio-psychosocial assessments for adults presenting with mental health needs.
• Identify the most appropriate intervention using recovery-focused, strengths-based and least-restrictive approaches.
• Develop, coordinate, monitor and review person-centred care and treatment plans with service users and relevant professionals.
• Provide evidence-based interventions and support self-management within primary care.
• Coordinate between services to prevent people being passed unnecessarily between teams.
• Support safe and well-managed discharge from secondary care back to primary care.
• Maintain current knowledge of local resources, referral pathways and available services, and share this information with professionals, service users and carers.
• Build effective working relationships across primary care, secondary care and third-sector organisations.
• Provide clear information to service users and carers about their care, treatment choices and available support.
• Maintain accurate, timely and confidential clinical records and communicate assessment and intervention outcomes to GPs.
• Ensure practice complies with NICE guidance, professional standards, legislation, safeguarding requirements and Trust policies.
• Participate in appraisal, continuing professional development and agreed learning activities.

About us
As a Mental Health Trust, Sussex Partnership offers a supportive working environment and the opportunity for staff to flourish and professionally develop.

We have a strong philosophy of a collaborative and client centred approach, and staff wellbeing is integral in our philosophy and in our practice.

We aspire to become a more diverse workplace where staff from all backgrounds and a variety of life experiences feel like they belong.

We have a huge focus on the wellbeing of staff and our reward packages reflect the immensely important work our staff do. As a practitioner in our team we can offer you:

• Access to numerous wellbeing and support programmes
• Excellent supervision programmes, with ongoing opportunities for training and development
• Flexible working patterns
• Reimbursed parking
• Child care vouchers
• Access to a host of NHS discount schemes (including gyms, shopping, restaurants and cars)
• Generous holiday entitlement (dependent on length of NHS service) starting at 27 days + 8 bank holidays
• NHS Pension contributions

Details
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 6
Salary: £39,959 to £48,117 a year, pro rata for part time
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 12 months
Working pattern: Full-time, Flexible working
Reference number: 354-AC-21351
Job location: Adur NMHT, Glebelands, Shoreham, BN43 6GA, United Kingdom

Job description
Essential Qualifications
Registered Mental Health/LD Nurse, Occupational Therapist or Social Worker with current registration appropriate to the job role. Evidence of continuous professional development.

Experience/Knowledge

• Extensive post-qualifying experience of clinical work with people with a range of mental health problems across all age and disability categories.
• Experience of partnership working within and across various different statutory and non-statutory teams and agencies.
• Experience in working consultatively with professionals.
• Experience of providing low intensity psychological interventions including provision of self help, behavioural activation, solution focused, guided self help, and a CBT informed approach using a range of delivery models, telephone, face to face, individual and workshops.
• Experienced in conducting clinical assessments, including risk assessments.

Person Specification
Qualifications

• Essential: Registered Mental Health qualification or equivalent; include relevant professional registration
• Desirable: Post Registration Study to Masters level in a relevant field or equivalent experience; formal qualification in psychological intervention, such as CBT, EMDR or Counselling

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 the NHS Careers website.

Employer details
Employer name: Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Adur NMHT, Glebelands, Shoreham, BN43 6GA, United Kingdom

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Clinical Lead, Horsham NMHT, Mark Ellis, mark.ellis21@nhs.net