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North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust

ASD Practitioner

The closing date is 11 March 2026

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Job summary

Join our forward-thinking Autism Assessment & Liaison Service and help transform how autistic people (without a learning disability) experience mental health care in North Staffordshire.

We're looking for a passionate clinician to support the wider team to reduce hospital admissions, improve care quality, and support autistic children, young people and adults across inpatient and community settings.

What Drives You

You'll be committed to person-centred, autism-affirming care grounded in recovery values, evidence-based practice, and meaningful carer involvement. You'll help mental health teams make effective reasonable adjustments and reduce inequalities faced by autistic people.

If you're enthusiastic about improving outcomes for autistic people and shaping an innovative service, we'd love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

  • Deliver Autism assessments and contribute to diagnostic decisions.
  • Offer specialist consultation, training and advice to wards, Community Mental Health Teams, families and partner organisations.
  • Build strong partnerships with mental health teams within the trust
  • Work therapeutically in the community with autistic people experiencing significant mental health needs.

About us

As a Trust we remain bold and ambitious with plans for both service and system collaborative transformation over the coming years to improve the health and wellbeing of our local people through high quality care.

We pride ourselves onensuring our team has their wellbeing put first and as such provide a range of wellness opportunities including flexible working.

We are committed to the Greener NHS national ambition to becoming the world's first 'carbon net zero' national health system by 2045 (Greener NHS (england.nhs.uk). As part of this, sustainability is embedded in our strategy as one of our four key enablers. In order to deliver on this commitment, we recognise that we need a workforce that is as passionate as we are about achieving these goals, for the benefit of our service users, workforce, local communities and the planet alike.

The Trust is committed to ensuring that a diverse workforce is representative and inclusive at all levels. We would very much welcome applications from all under-represented groups including women, people with disabilities, people from global majority backgrounds, and those from the lesbian, gay, bi and trans communities.

The Trust is committed to the Step into Health scheme and actively encourages applicants from the Armed Forces Communities to apply.

Details

Date posted

25 February 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£38,682 to £46,580 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

232-CMT-7789098

Job locations

The Bennett Centre

Hanley

ST1 4ND


Job description

Job responsibilities

The key aims of this post are to improve the quality of care received by autistic people with significant mental health needs in three main areas: a) when people are admitted to acute psychiatric inpatient wards within the trust b) when people are receiving input from Community Mental Health Services and are at high risk of admission to an acute inpatient bed and c) when autistic people are transitioning back to North Staffordshire with mental health needs after receiving treatment in an out of area hospital.

Job description

Job responsibilities

The key aims of this post are to improve the quality of care received by autistic people with significant mental health needs in three main areas: a) when people are admitted to acute psychiatric inpatient wards within the trust b) when people are receiving input from Community Mental Health Services and are at high risk of admission to an acute inpatient bed and c) when autistic people are transitioning back to North Staffordshire with mental health needs after receiving treatment in an out of area hospital.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • A registered mental health practitioner with a degree in nursing, social work or occupational therapy.
  • Evidence of professional updating and development at diploma level in the delivery of services to people with mental health issues.

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of working therapeutically in community settings.
  • Experience of working with children and young people and/or adults and their carers/families with a range of mental health needs

Knowledge

Essential

  • Knowledge of various approaches to mental health assessment and engagement
  • Knowledge/awareness of relevant legislation and guidance including The Mental Health Act (1983), The Care Act (2014), The Autism Act (2009), Building the Right Support (2015) and The Autism Act: 10 years on (National Autistic Society Report)
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • A registered mental health practitioner with a degree in nursing, social work or occupational therapy.
  • Evidence of professional updating and development at diploma level in the delivery of services to people with mental health issues.

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of working therapeutically in community settings.
  • Experience of working with children and young people and/or adults and their carers/families with a range of mental health needs

Knowledge

Essential

  • Knowledge of various approaches to mental health assessment and engagement
  • Knowledge/awareness of relevant legislation and guidance including The Mental Health Act (1983), The Care Act (2014), The Autism Act (2009), Building the Right Support (2015) and The Autism Act: 10 years on (National Autistic Society Report)

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).

Additional information

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

North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust

Address

The Bennett Centre

Hanley

ST1 4ND


Employer's website

https://www.combined.nhs.uk/working-together/join-our-team/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust

Address

The Bennett Centre

Hanley

ST1 4ND


Employer's website

https://www.combined.nhs.uk/working-together/join-our-team/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Autism Liaison Lead

Christopher Lane

Christopher.Lane@combined.nhs.uk

Details

Date posted

25 February 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£38,682 to £46,580 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

232-CMT-7789098

Job locations

The Bennett Centre

Hanley

ST1 4ND


Supporting documents

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