West London NHS Trust
Band 7 Senior Perinatal Nurse Specialist

The closing date is 25 November 2026

Job summary
The Tri-borough Perinatal Mental Health Service (PMHS) is seeking enthusiastic and motivated Band 7 Nurses and/or Social Workers to join its specialist multidisciplinary team.

We have two 0.8 WTE vacancies available:

• Hammersmith and Fulham: 12-month fixed-term/secondment opportunity, immediate start.
• Hounslow: 12-month fixed-term/secondment opportunity, starting February 2027.

Both posts provide maternity leave and secondment cover.

Successful candidates will support women, babies and families experiencing moderate to severe mental health difficulties during pregnancy and the postnatal period. This is an excellent opportunity to develop specialist clinical knowledge, leadership and partnership-working skills within a rewarding area of mental health care.

The service operates across three boroughs, with bases at Trust Headquarters, Ealing; Hounslow House; and Hammersmith Hospital.

The team works flexibly across community mental health services, maternity units, children's centres and service users' homes, with opportunities for remote working. In line with Trust policy, staff must maintain a minimum of 60% office-based working.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a supportive and well-established service, contribute to high-quality perinatal mental health care and further develop your professional experience in this specialist field.

Main duties of the job

• Ensuring women (age 18+) who are pregnant and booked for delivery and/or have infants under twelve months receive appropriate screening, assessment and identification of their mental health needs and these are managed using evidence-based interventions throughout this period.
• Actively liaising with primary care, maternity and health visiting staff as well as other mental health services regarding referrals, care co-ordination, transfer of care including facilitating professionals' meetings.
• Efficiently managing a caseload of up to 25 women (antenatal and postnatal) with moderate to complex mental health needs, by providing assessments and reviews in community sites (children's centres), joint reviews with maternity, health visitors or other mental health professionals, home visits and care planning meetings.
• Providing on-going training, supervision, consultation and advice on mental health issues in childbearing to a range of professionals who work closely with this group of women.
• Participating on rotation in the service daily Duty rota, to support the triage of new referrals and urgent / emergency presentations in the maternity units.
• Supervising and mentoring students in the service.

About us
West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.

Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ over 5,000 staff, of whom 59% are BME. Our turnover for 2024-25 is over £500m.

The Trust is rated as 'Good' overallby the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as 'Outstanding'.

The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.

Details
Date posted: 12 November 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 7
Salary: £55,524 to £65,261 a year. Per annum inclusive of 20% HCAS
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 12 months
Working pattern: Part-time
Reference number: 222-H&F-048-C
Job locations: Trust Headquarters, Armstrong Way, Southall, UB2 4SA, United Kingdom

Job description
Job responsibilities
The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached

The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.

Person Specification
Qualifications and training
Essential

• RMN qualification and evidence of registration on Part 3 of NMC register or equivalent (AF)
• Evidence of continuing professional development including recently in perinatal mental health practice and safeguarding children practice (AF)
• ENB 998 or equivalent practice / placement educator course (AF)

Desirable

• Educated to degree level or equivalent (AF)
• Dual qualified as RGN, Midwife or Health Visitor (AF)
• Specialist training in perinatal and/or infant mental health (AF)
• Clinical supervision training (AF)
• Qualification / training in additional specialist skills e.g. therapeutic / psychological interventions (AF)
• Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) qualification (AF)
• Post-qualifying specialist training in perinatal mental health, infant mental health or safeguarding

Experience
Essential

• Experience of managing complex safeguarding concerns, pre-birth assessments and multi-agency planning (AF/I)
• Experience of working under relevant mental health and safeguarding legislation including the Care Act, Children Act and Mental Health Act (AF/I)
• Significant post-qualification experience within mental health services, including community, secondary care, perinatal or specialist services (AF / I)
• Experience working with women with serious mental illness (AF / I)
• Evidence of networking within the Perinatal specialty (AF / I)
• Experience of managing a caseload of service users with evidence of completing high quality assessments (AF/ I)
• Experience of working in a complex multi-disciplinary / multi-agency context (I)
• Experience of formal child protection processes and inter-agency work with families (AF / I)
• Experience of undertaking complex mental health and mental state, risk and needs assessments (AF)
• Experience of working in a multi-perinatal mental health and associated issues such as safeguarding children, domestic violence (I)
• Ability to provide supervision to staff within own and other disciplines and to use supervision effectively (AF / I)
• Ability to work flexibly across service boundaries and with professionals from health care settings such as maternity services (I)
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, both oral and written (I)
• Ability to work effectively from diverse minority ethnic and cultural backgrounds and families with a high level of deprivation, social isolation, exclusion and stigma (I)

Desirable

• Experience of multi-agency pre-birth planning for women with serious mental illness
• Experience of working in obstetrics and gynaecology
• Experience of planning and delivery of training in response to identified needs
• Experience of contributing to policies and procedures
• Experience of supervising mental health / non mental health professionals
• Experience of delivering both individual and group based interventions

Skills
Essential

• Sufficient clinical knowledge to be able to make autonomous decisions, based on analysis of complex presenting problems and judgement about available options
• Ability to undertake comprehensive psychosocial, mental health and risk assessments and formulate effective care plans (I)
• Ability to balance therapeutic engagement with safeguarding responsibilities and risk management (I)
• Ability to chair or contribute effectively to professional and multi-agency meetings, including pre-birth planning meetings and child protection conferences (I)
• Ability to implement evidence-based practice (I)
• Ability to provide highly specialist therapeutic assessments and a range of therapeutic interventions (I)
• Ability to effectively manage own clinical and administrative caseload and work under pressure at times of change (I)
• Ability to identify, recognise and understand safeguarding children issues and refer appropriately (I)
• Ability to develop and deliver training on Understanding of issues around information-sharing in relation to Child Protection and Children in Need (I)
• Knowledge of relevant Perinatal service models (AF / I)
• Knowledge of relevant legislation e.g. MHA, MCA (I)

Desirable

• Computer literate to an intermediate level

Knowledge
Essential

• Up to date knowledge of evidence based practice and current developments in perinatal psychiatry
• Knowledge about mental illness in the perinatal period
• Knowledge of statutory social care frameworks including Working Together to Safeguard Children, Children Act 1989/2004 and Care Act 2014 (I)
• Knowledge of safeguarding adults and children policy and practice, including pre-birth assessment processes (I)
• Knowledge of trauma-informed practice and the impact of parental mental illness on infant development and attachment (I)
• Knowledge and understanding of diversity and equality issues and their application in perinatal psychiatry services (I)
• Knowledge & understanding of contributions of other disciplines and professionals to a multi-agency service (I)
• Understanding of clinical governance and audit issues (I)
• Knowledge of relevant legislation e.g. MHA, MCA (I)
• Understanding of issues around information-sharing in relation to Child Protection and Children in Need (I)
• Knowledge of relevant Perinatal service models (AF / I)

Personal qualities
Essential

• Ability to demonstrate to empathise towards individuals with a mental health problem as well as show a positive attitude towards mental health care (I) Able to work seamlessly with other professional groups
• Ability to deal with stress appropriately and work under pressure
• Good attendance record (R)
• Commitment to life-long learning

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).

Employer details
Employer name: West London NHS Trust
Address: Trust Headquarters, Armstrong Way, Southall, UB2 4SA, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.westlondon.nhs.uk

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Team Manager, Yvonne Kayiya, yvonnekayiya@nhs.net

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