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Job summary

Main area
NMHT
Grade
Band 4
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Monday-Friday 9am-5pm)
Job ref
311-S775-26-A
Employer
Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Unit 2 Cirtek House
Town
Stockport
Salary
£28,392 - £31,157 per annum, pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
13/11/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust logo

Mental Health Link Worker

Band 4

 

If you are Kind, Fair, Ingenious and Determined then we want you to come and join our #PennineCarePeople

https://www.penninecare.nhs.uk/values

 

Job overview

The Neighbourhood Mental Health Team is an MDT who work as part of the transformed community mental health service working with people 18+, including older adults, with SMI according to the principles of the National Framework for Community Mental Health 2019. This role will be integral in ensuring people get a warm welcome that they are treated with respect and are listened to and heard. You will collaborate with service users to ensure people get to the right service whether that is inside or outside Neighbourhood Mental Health Team. You will be part of a multi-disciplinary team and take part in the discussions about the type of support a person may need and you will be then instrumental in identifying where that might come from. You will also be able to offer support to individuals on a short-term basis especially if the help they need is around access. The postholder will act as the service users keyworker in certain circumstances and support service users to access socially inclusive activities to maintain their wellbeing and to prevent relapse. You will also act as a point of contact if the service user needs to step back into active treatment due to relapse of mental health.

 

Main duties of the job

The postholder will work to goal oriented care plans to empower and enable service users to live as independent life as possible, by supporting our service users to access a range of community-based resources such as housing, community groups, vocational, employment and education opportunities and substance misuse services.

The role will involve working closely with a range of professionals bridging primary and secondary care and include working with our VCSE partners.

 

Working for our organisation

We are proud to provide high quality mental health and learning disability services, both inpatient and in the community across five boroughs of Greater Manchester - Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport and Tameside and Glossop.

Our vision is for a happier and more hopeful life for everyone in our communities and our staff work hard to deliver the very best care for the people who use our services. We’re really proud of our #PennineCarePeople and do everything we can to make sure we’re a great place to work.

All individuals regardless of race, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership are encouraged to apply for this post. We would also encourage applications from individuals with a lived experience of mental illness, either individually or as a carer.

If you come and work for us we will offer a range of benefits and opportunities, including:

  • Generous annual leave entitlement for Agenda for Change and Medical and Dental staff.
  • Flexible working opportunities to support your work/life balance
  • Access to Continued Professional Development
  • Involvement in improvement and research activities
  • Health and Wellbeing activities and access to an excellent staff wellbeing service
  • Access to staff discounts across retail, leisure and travel

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

•       To form and maintain professional relationships with service users, carers and colleagues in a way that respects their views, autonomy, and culture.

•       To attend huddles with Neighbourhood Mental Health Team partners and contribute to discussions and plans of care

•       To identify when service users may need to step back into active care due to relapse and liaise with registered professionals 

•       To act as key worker for service users where nonclinical care is required and hold a caseload

•       To act as a point of contact for service users who have stepped down from active treatment and support who may need to step back up

•       To contribute to collaborative care planning and review processes for individual service users.

•       To support service users to identify their own hopes and goals to improve their quality of life.

•       To provide signposting and referral to community-based resources to service users to support their recovery.

•       To build strong links with the VCSE sector and our partner agencies to collaboratively support the needs of our service users.

•       To support service users in engaging positively with appropriate services and resources such as benefits, education and employment, housing and substance misuse services.

•       To provide information and support to enable service users to engage in meeting education, employment, and vocational needs.

•       To undertake therapeutic activity with service users that promotes recovery, is valued and increases independence

•       To assist service users to develop skills for everyday living i.e., budgeting, shopping, cooking, establishing and improving social networks, accessing local services etc.

•       To engage with families and carers as appropriate as part of service users’ recovery journey

 

Person specification

Education/qualifications

Essential criteria
  • NVQ 4 qualification or equivalent
  • OR Assistant Practitioner Qualification
  • Care Certificate
Desirable criteria
  • Lived experience or carer experience

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Supporting / dealing people with serious mental illness (SMI) and substance abuse
  • Experience of community working with people with SMI
  • Working with multi agency partners to provide care including voluntary, charity, social enterprise (VCSE)
  • Collaborative MDT working and confidently providing professional opinion
  • Experience of working with service users to recognise relapse signatures and responding appropriately
  • Experience of using initiative to effectively manage situations as they occur
Desirable criteria
  • Previous experience of receiving / providing supervision
  • Involvement / facilitating group work
  • Experience of providing constructive feedback to peers

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Knowledge of the models of recovery from mental illness and social inclusion
  • Knowledge of solution focused principles and how to apply in practice
  • Knowledge of principles of community mental health transformation and Living Well
  • Knowledge of local mental health system and services available
Desirable criteria
  • Knowledge of employment and benefits systems

Skills and Abilities

Essential criteria
  • Ability to work creatively and compassionately to support service users and to develop collaborative goals
  • Ability to motivate, engage and support service users in their own recovery and to achieve their goals
  • Effective communication skills both verbally and in written form
  • Ability to develop rapport and therapeutic relationships with service users
  • Maintains professional boundaries
  • Demonstrate effective interpersonal skills
  • Ability to understand needs of people with complex mental health issues and awareness of issues relating to consent and capacity
  • Ability to deliver recovery based and socially inclusive interventions
  • Ability to work independently on own initiative without close supervision, and as part of a team
  • Ability to supervise and delegate tasks to others
  • Competent use of IT
  • Ability to act calmly in emergencies and respond in a professional manner to challenging situations
  • Ability to adapt and respond positively to service changes
  • Good organisational and time management skills.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Veteran AwareNo smoking policyDisability confident employerNorth West BAME

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Application numbers

We may close vacancies early if we receive a high volume of applications. To ensure your application is considered, please apply as soon as possible.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Rose Clarkson
Job title
Team Manager
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01617164614
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