Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation NHS Trust

Lead Mental Health Practitioner

The closing date is 07 September 2025

Job summary

If you're a Mental Health Nurse, Occupational Therapist, Social Worker or other registered professional working within Mental Health and want to workwith and across a variety of GP surgeries in the beautiful City of Norwich - this could be the ideal role for you!

As Lead PCN Mental Health Practitioner, you'll play an incredibly important role in transforming community mental health services. We're working collaboratively with the Integrated Care System to offer 'Place Based Care' - ensuring communities receive fast and effective treatment, in the familiar surroundings of their GP surgery.

You role will include shaping the service while managing a small team of Mental Health Practitioners. You will set up and deliver patient clinics that provide support, medication advice (if qualified to prescribe), treatment, education and problem-solving approaches to members of our community experiencing challenges with their mental health. You'll be providing a dedicated growing service that makes sure individual needs are met in a seamless environment.

We are happy to accept full time or part time applications and can be flexible / happy to discuss different working patterns, provided these are within and around the GP practice working and enhanced hours.

Main duties of the job

Primary Care Networks (PCNs) are groups of GP practices who work together in a local geographical area - in this case, Norwich is the largest in Norfolk with a population of around 230,000. It is divided into 4 PCNs with a number of GP practices in each. Your role would be based in Central Norwich.

As the Lead PCN Mental Health practitioner, you will be the lead for a small team of staff in addition to the day-to-day operational and clinical mental health issues arising in your allocated GP Practice/s. You'll work at a quick pace, autonomously managing your own clinics and will provide an intervention led approach, acting as an incredibly important mental health resource for people who need specialist care and interventions not available through NHS Talking Therapies and not requiring Secondary Care level services. You will work with patients from age 16 carrying out Mental Health Assessments and will be an important conduit into specialist mental health services if and where required.

The ideal candidate will be conscientious, kind and compassionate - you'll be able to work well independently but will also have the support of the wider team and training. Driven by the needs of those who use your service,you will need to have good organisational skills, System resource awareness and experience working in a mental health setting.

About us

You will be an autonomous practitioner, making clinical judgements, identifying alternative courses of action, managing, and providing high-quality care.

Your role is an unusual and important one, helping to bridge any gaps between Primary and Secondary health care services. You will be comfortable working collaboratively and able to build strong relationships with health care professionals across your network and within your designated GP practices.

Here at NSFT we pride ourselves on being a welcoming, talented, friendly and supportive team who like nothing better than sharing experiences and learning from each other. In addition to ongoing training and development opportunities, we are committed to providing an environment in which you can thrive.

Why work for us? We have challenges as a Trust, but we have ambitious aspirations, are pushing ahead with exciting transformation work and we need dedicated individuals to support us on our journey. We have strong, established professional networks coupled with an exceptional leadership team who will ensure you are truly cared for and cared about.

Details

Date posted

22 August 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year Gross per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

246-CEN7402255

Job locations

Central Norwich PCN

Norwich

NR4 7TJ


Job description

Job responsibilities

Why Norfolk and Suffolk? The people here are warm and welcoming, youll never be far from the beautiful coastline or Broads National Park. Were an hour and a half away from London and have an international airport in Norwich too. Our villages, towns and cities are packed full of history, independent cafes, shops and theatres. We have excellent shopping, eating out, top ranking schooling and affordable house prices too.

Feedback from service users who have benefited from this new approach has included:

It was very good to be able to speak openly and frankly about my mental health with a professional person as I didnt want to burden friends and family.

I was listened to and was given positive suggestions to help me and provided links to other sources to help. Knowing that help is available, and a follow up appointment made really gave me some confidence to be more positive.

Thank you for making this facility available.

If you want to play your part in making a positive impact in your local community, transforming the way we care and develop this exciting service we would love to hear from you.

The role of the PCN Mental Health Practitioner has already proven itself and has shown to reduce referrals into secondary care were developing and growing the team so are in need of dedicated practitioners to join us, who want to be part of the changes and play a key role.

Please find attached our Job Description and Person Specification for more detail on your Key Accountabilities. If you feel you have what it takes to make a difference to the patients of the Norwich PCNs, then click to APPLY.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Why Norfolk and Suffolk? The people here are warm and welcoming, youll never be far from the beautiful coastline or Broads National Park. Were an hour and a half away from London and have an international airport in Norwich too. Our villages, towns and cities are packed full of history, independent cafes, shops and theatres. We have excellent shopping, eating out, top ranking schooling and affordable house prices too.

Feedback from service users who have benefited from this new approach has included:

It was very good to be able to speak openly and frankly about my mental health with a professional person as I didnt want to burden friends and family.

I was listened to and was given positive suggestions to help me and provided links to other sources to help. Knowing that help is available, and a follow up appointment made really gave me some confidence to be more positive.

Thank you for making this facility available.

If you want to play your part in making a positive impact in your local community, transforming the way we care and develop this exciting service we would love to hear from you.

The role of the PCN Mental Health Practitioner has already proven itself and has shown to reduce referrals into secondary care were developing and growing the team so are in need of dedicated practitioners to join us, who want to be part of the changes and play a key role.

Please find attached our Job Description and Person Specification for more detail on your Key Accountabilities. If you feel you have what it takes to make a difference to the patients of the Norwich PCNs, then click to APPLY.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

  • Able to demonstrate significant experience at senior clinical level, including staff management/ supervision
  • Able to demonstrate a significant level of knowledge of mental health practice from previous experience
  • Evidence of leading service development within a mental health care setting.

Desirable

  • Higher Degree or post graduate certificate in Leadership, clinical, or therapeutic practice or equivalent. (eg, NMP, AMHP, Therapy, or equivalent)

Qaulifications

Essential

  • Nursing, OT or SW degree or equivalent
  • Core professional qualification and registered with professional body.

Desirable

  • Ongoing professional development at degree level or higher
  • Higher Degree or post graduate certificate in Leadership, clinical, or therapeutic practice or equivalent. (eg, NMP, AMHP, Therapy, or equivalent)
  • Mentorship qualification or Practice Supervisor or Assessor
Person Specification

Experience

Essential

  • Able to demonstrate significant experience at senior clinical level, including staff management/ supervision
  • Able to demonstrate a significant level of knowledge of mental health practice from previous experience
  • Evidence of leading service development within a mental health care setting.

Desirable

  • Higher Degree or post graduate certificate in Leadership, clinical, or therapeutic practice or equivalent. (eg, NMP, AMHP, Therapy, or equivalent)

Qaulifications

Essential

  • Nursing, OT or SW degree or equivalent
  • Core professional qualification and registered with professional body.

Desirable

  • Ongoing professional development at degree level or higher
  • Higher Degree or post graduate certificate in Leadership, clinical, or therapeutic practice or equivalent. (eg, NMP, AMHP, Therapy, or equivalent)
  • Mentorship qualification or Practice Supervisor or Assessor

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

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

Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation NHS Trust

Address

Central Norwich PCN

Norwich

NR4 7TJ


Employer's website

https://www.nsft.nhs.uk/Pages/Home.aspx (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation NHS Trust

Address

Central Norwich PCN

Norwich

NR4 7TJ


Employer's website

https://www.nsft.nhs.uk/Pages/Home.aspx (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Primary Care Network Clinical Service Manager

Mel Nevard

mel.nevard@nsft.nhs.uk

07768021888

Details

Date posted

22 August 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year Gross per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

246-CEN7402255

Job locations

Central Norwich PCN

Norwich

NR4 7TJ


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