Mental Health PractitionerNHS

Job summary

37.5 hours per week

Band 5 Mental Health Practitioner

Join our CAMHS Crisis and Liaison Team at Livewell Southwest as a Band 6 Mental Health Practitioner and play a vital role in supporting children and young people at some of their most vulnerable moments. This is a rewarding role working across both community crisis responses and acute hospital settings, where you will deliver timely assessments, manage risk, and provide compassionate, trauma-informed care. We are looking for motivated, resilient practitioners who can think clearly under pressure, communicate effectively with families and partner agencies, and remain focused on safety and positive outcomes. In return, you will be part of a supportive, forward-thinking team that values staff wellbeing, encourages professional development, and is committed to delivering high-quality, responsive care across Plymouth.

This role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route.

Please note that Livewell may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline if a high number of applications are submitted. Therefore, we recommend you submit your application at the earliest opportunity.

All Livewell staff are expected to be able and willing to work across a 7-day service. This role is primarily office-based, and staff are expected to be present at the team base unless otherwise agreed by their line manager in line with service needs.

Main duties of the job

You will assess and support children and young people experiencing mental health crisis in both community and hospital settings, helping them stay safe and stabilise during periods of acute distress. The role involves working closely with families, hospitals, and partner agencies to plan care, manage risk, and ensure timely decisions are made. You will be part of a fast-paced, supportive team, responding to urgent situations, contributing to safeguarding processes, and helping young people move safely through care when they need it most.

Job description

1a

To improve children and young peoples mental health through the delivery of an integrated and coordinated system of community based mental health care to children, young people, and their families, providing safe, culturally competent, effective, cost efficient, timely and accessible services that are in accordance with national and local priorities and responsive to the needs and views of local children, young people and their families.

2a

To provide clinical input to the team, delivering practice within best evidence and to the highest possible standard. The post will rotate across teams within the CAMHS service.

3a

For non-medical prescribers the role will involve the use of an evidence-based approach to assess and make an informed prescribing decision for a defined caseload of children and young people. This will be based on a clear theoretical framework and will take full account of the child or young persons developmental needs, gender, ethnicity, religion, race, ability, and sexual orientation.

4a

The post holder will be responsible for engaging and demonstrating ongoing CPD in relation to prescribing practice, and to support other clinicians undergoing the training.

5a

To contribute to a positive working environment and open learning culture, which supports high morale and commitment within the Community Mental Health Team promoting wellbeing, personal development, and continuous improvement in the standards of business activities and professional practice.

6a

The post holder will demonstrate effective skills in the assessment and reassessment of risk and complex behaviour issues and communicate concerns accurately in a timely fashion. This is inclusive of priority assessments and requires multi-agency responses to risk assessment and risk management plans.

7a

The post holder will make an autonomous decision about the treatment, time of discharge, and agree with the child, young person, and family/carers as well as multi-agency key partners. Communicate a summary of the work undertaken and how to sustain improvements made and include correspondence to General Practitioner.

8a.

To work with children/young people/families and professionals working with them, to reduce the stigma associated with mental health and contribute to the embedding of a positive message about maintaining good mental health.

9a

The post holder will be expected to draw upon experience and knowledge gained through training and practice relating to child development, child and adolescent mental health and adult mental health.

10a

The post holder is required to maintain high effective standards in the recording of clinical observations and actions, risk and risk management including child protection in health records.

11a

All roles may involve work with families at their homes, education, and community settings and at base as appropriate/required by children/young people and their families.

12a

The post holder will strongly adhere to culturally competent and anti-discriminatory practice, promote equity of opportunity, and use their professional position to empower others and challenge power imbalances where they are found to exist.

13a

The post holder will contribute to the CAMHS Duty Rota which operates daily.

14a

All CAMHS clinicians are expected to promote the mental health and emotional well-being of children and young people

15a

The post holder will play a role in encouraging and co-coordinating collaboration between all agencies by attending multi-agency meetings such as multi-agency CAF meetings, child protection case conferences, education reviews etc, to provide a mental health perspective.

16a

The post holder will develop excellent and effective communication skills, applicable to working both with young people, their families, and professional systems. Acting as a point of liaison between specialist CAMHS and universal services to ensure improved communication and collaboration via a range of different interfaces, forums, and meetings e.g., presenting at meetings within Plymouth.

17a

Maintain good activity records and provide them in a timely manner for inputting onto the electronic system.

18a

Be available for and make use of clinical supervision, child protection supervision and operational line management supervision.

19a

The Post holder is responsible for attending clinical supervision a minimum requirement of an hour per month.

20a

The post holder will need to organize their own workload under the support and supervision of Clinical Team Manager

21a

Maintain health records to the standards required by LSW.

22a

Contribute to a strong team ethos of enquiry, development, and improvement.

23a

Contribute to the development of team protocols and clinical practice, proposing changes for discussion.

24a

Participate in team meetings, for example allocation, supervision, reflective practice, case discussions.

25a

The post holder will strongly adhere to anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory practice, promote equity of opportunity, and use their professional position to empower others and challenge power imbalances where they are found to exist.

26a

Keep up to date with CAMHS developments taking place nationally in line with service objectives.

27a

To participate in audit and quality and patient safety activity in line with service objectives.

28a

Input to the electronic system as appropriate e.g., child protection supervision coding.

29a

To be aware of and familiar with LSW policy and procedure and operate within that e.g., lone working policy.

30a

To maintain high standards of infection prevention and control in day-to-day delivery of practice.

31a

To measure and make available clinical outcome measures within an agreed system.

About us

Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning social enterprise delivering integrated health and social care services across Plymouth, South Hams, and West Devon, with specialist services in parts of Devon and Cornwall. Our teams work in community hospitals, GP practices, sports centres, and health hubs.

As an organisation with a strong social conscience we are guided by our values,kindness, respect, inclusivity, ambition, responsibility, and collaboration. We focus on transforming services to ensure sustainability, while empowering staff and those we serve.

We involve the people we care for, along with their families and carers, in shaping the care they receive, striving to deliver the right care at the right time and place. Centering our work on individual needs helps people lead healthy, independent lives.

We prioritise employees' development, offering protected CPD time, training pathways, leadership programs, and funding for qualifications like the Care Certificate and Nurse Training Scholarships. Our induction and preceptorship programs ensure a smooth transition into our organisation.

Livewell Southwest values diversity and encourages applications from all sections of the community, including those with armed forces experience, lived experience of mental health, neuro-diverse conditions and learning disabilities. If you need assistance or reasonable adjustments during the application process, contact the Recruiting Manager listed in the job advert.