Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To act as a Community Mental Health Practitioner under the supervision of a more experienced colleague.

To carry a caseload and work with evidence based interventions to include:

Assessment of need of the service user/carer

Formulation of focused care plans

Implementation of a plan of care for the service user

Assessment and monitoring of risk

Develop clear relapse recognition/prevention plans and share with MDT, service users and carers where appropriate.

To monitor, review and evaluate treatment and care and carry out discharges.

Provide comprehensive assessment and care plans for carers and relatives/education and regular review/contact. Work in collaboration with the multi-disciplinary team, referring agent, family/carer and service user, where appropriate.

To offer initial mental health assessments to those newly referred to the service, initially under supervision of a more experienced colleague.

Partake in daily clinical meetings and systems and zoning meetings.

Maintain a persistent and consistent approach to engagement where there are complex mental health difficulties.

To work in a therapeutically informed way within the multi disciplinary team to address the needs of service users with complex emotional disorders.

Have the capacity to prioritise and work flexibly with MDT in order to respond to rapidly changing clinical needs.

To promote the physical health of service users.

Provide safe medication knowledge and assessment of side effects.

To carry out clinic duties such as the Clozaril/ administration of depot injections either in the service users home or in the clinics where relevantly professionally qualified.

To carry out designated responsibilities under the organisation’s safeguarding Adults/Children policies.

To participate in the team’s duty system on a Rota basis. Be able to offer a rapid response to service user’s immediate needs, including those arising from crises.

To receive regularly both managerial and clinical supervision.

Supervise Community Support Workers as appropriate to implement elements the care plan.

To maintain accurate, up to date electronic care records of all service users referred and receiving assessment, care treatment and support.

Maintain excellent communication with service users on their health care plan and inform relatives on progress as appropriate.

Maintain excellent communication and provide guidance to, Assistant Practitioners/Support Workers as appropriate, on the health needs of patients, working collaboratively with Social Care colleagues.

Communicate effectively with all members of the multi-disciplinary, multi-agency team involved in the care of the service user.

Assess and respond appropriately to aggressive behaviours.

Make appropriate referrals to other departments and agencies
Participate in the supervision and assessment of students/learners on placement within the service.

Maintain a personal development plan using a personal portfolio to ensure practice is based on best practice and up to date.

Provide support to Assistant Practitioners/Support Workers by providing work-based training and development opportunities.

To act a mentor and preceptor for Assistant Practitioners/support workers as appropriate.

Attend further training as identified with thew line manager through annual appraisal and induction. 

Use information technology to support the care process for the benefit of the service users and their families through the recording relevant data.

Record service user activity and interventions in a contemporaneous manner, whilst acting on this information as necessary.

To undertake any other reasonable duty, which is appropriate to the band, when requested by Senior Staff.

To be familiar with and comply with all Trust and departmental policies, procedures, protocols and guidelines.

To be aware of and work towards the Trusts strategic goals.

Standards of Business Conduct

The post holder will be required to comply with the organisations standing order and standing financial instructions and at all times, deal honestly with the organisation with colleagues and all those who have dealing with the organisation including patients, relative and suppliers.

The post holder must ensure that their behaviour and interests inside and outside work do not conflict with their Trust position, duties and/or responsibilities.

The post holder must comply with and support the development of the performance standards within the service/department to ensure the service is responsive to and meets the needs of its customers.

The post holder will be required to develop and maintain good working relationships with all patients, service users, staff, contractors and where appropriate, members of the public.

The Trust aims to maintain the good will and confidence of its own staff, patients, service users, NHS contractors and the general public. To assist in achieving this objective it is essential that at all times, the post holder carries out their duties in a courteous, sympathetic and professional manner.

All post holders who are members of a professional body must comply with standards of professional practice / conduct. It is the post holders’ responsibilities to ensure they are both familiar with and adhere to these requirements and maintain their professional membership to the relevant body.

The post holder must carry out all duties and responsibilities of the post in accordance with the Trust’s Equal Opportunities and Equality and Diversity policies, avoiding unlawful discriminatory behaviour and actions when dealing with colleagues, service users, members of the public and all other stakeholders.

The post holder must promote awareness of and respect for equality and diversity in accordance with Trust policies and procedures.

The post holder is responsible for treating all staff, patients, service users, NHS contractors and the general public with dignity and respect at all times.


Appointments to regulated and controlled activities require an enhanced DBS disclosure.

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust (PCFT) employees have a statutory duty to promote the welfare of children and young people and to protect adults; enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect.

Engagement with safeguarding training, in line with responsibilities, is mandatory for all PCFT employees. PCFT employees must familiarise themselves with policies and procedures and adhere to these.

It is the responsibility of all staff to report safeguarding concerns and familiarise themselves with who to contact in order to do this or seek further guidance.

The post holder must ensure that they are aware of their responsibilities by attending the Trust Mandatory Training and Induction Programme.

The post holder will be involved in a formal appraisal and yearly conversations review with their manager at least every 12 months. Once performance / training objectives have been set, the staff member’s progress will be reviewed on a regular basis, so that new objectives can be agreed and set, in order to maintain progress in the service delivery.

The post holder will be expected to take responsibility for their own professional development and will be supported by the Trust to achieve development opportunities as appropriate.

Confidentiality is of prime importance. In the normal course of duties, the post holder will have access to confidential documents and information relating to patients, service users, staff and contractors, as well as information of a commercially sensitive nature. Such information should not be communicated to anyone outside or inside the NHS unless done in the normal course of carrying out the duties of the post. Disciplinary action will be considered where a breach of confidence has been established.

All information obtained or held during the post-holders period of employment that relates to the business of the Trust and its service users and employees will remain the property of the Trust. Information may be subject to disclosure under legislation at the Trust’s discretion and in line with national rules on exemption.

The post holder must maintain high standards of quality in corporate and clinical record keeping ensuring information is always recorded accurately, appropriately and kept up to date. The post holder must only access information, whether paper, electronic or in other media, which is authorised to them as part of their duties.

The post holder must work to the requirements of data protection laws as applicable to the UK, which includes the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

Health and Safety at Work

The post holder is required to take reasonable care of the health and safety of themselves and other persons who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work and to co-operate with the Trust in adhering to statutory and departmental safety regulations.

The post holder is responsible for ensuring that they do not intentionally or recklessly misuse or interfere with anything provided in the interests of health safety or welfare e.g. misuse of equipment.

The post holder is required to contribute to the control of risk and must report immediately, using the Trust Incident reporting system, any incident, accident or near miss involving patients, service users, carers, staff, contractors or members of the public.

Infection Prevention and Control is the responsibility of all Trust staff.

All staff members have a responsibility to protect service users, visitors and employees against the risk of acquiring health care associated infections by consistently observing Trust Infection Prevention and Control Policies and procedures and best practice guidance in order to maintain high standards of Infection Prevention and Control.