Assessment and Duty Practitioner
The closing date is 22 October 2025
Job summary
This post is suitable for registered Mental Health Nurses, Social Workers and Occupational Therapists who has experience working in Community Mental Health Services. The applicant would need to be registered with a professional regulating body.
Lancashire Care & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust is a great place to work and has a sound future as a leading provider of excellent services. The Trust invests in its staff and seeks to provide them with opportunities for training and personal development.
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 6 Community Mental Health Practitioner within our friendly and supportive team at South Lakes Community Mental Health Team. The initial main focus of the role will be undertaking Assessments and Duty within a busy Community Mental Health Team. You will cover a geographical area within the South Lakes area. The service is based at Kirkstone House in Kendal. The service is operational between the hours of 9.00am and 5pm however some out of hours and weekend working may be necessary to meet service demands.
The team serves the population of South Lakes. It is an established team with a welcoming and supportive culture. There is a visible and supportive leadership team who are committed to clinical supervision and professional development.
This is a demanding role in a busy service. Ideally, you will have current or previous experience of working within a mental health setting.
Main duties of the job
Clinically confident in working with individuals with complex needs and be able to work effectively in a multi professional context. You should have a collaborative and enthusiastic approach as well as passion and commitment in developing and promoting recovery based approaches for adults with severe and enduring mental health needs.
- To provide an assessment of people who have been referred to the CMHT and meet the criteria for secondary mental health.
- To provide evidence-based, time limited, recovery focused therapeutic interventions.
- To provide longer-term management and interventions for people with complex mental health needs.
- To liaise and work in partnership with primary care.
- To provide an integrated response for people who have special needs, (i.e. people who abuse substances, have a learning disability, prisoners)
As part of this team you will undertake comprehensive initial assessments for service users with high complex needs who have been referred to the Community Mental Health Team and you will undertake the role of making appropriate referrals to other professionals either within the team and or other services in the community.
About us
You will also be expected to complete discharges following assessments for those service users who do not require meaningful interventions from the Community Mental Health Team which may involve signposting to other services and or third sector agencies within the community.
Part of your role will require you to undertake the role of team duty worker. This role involves managing unplanned patient work within the team, responding to escalation of risk/crisis situations and may also include the triaging of new referrals and discharging service users back to the care of their GP.
We are seeking to appoint a candidate who demonstrates enthusiasm about advancing their clinical skills within mental health and can demonstrate an ability to work alongside service users, carers and the wider multi disciplinary team in providing excellent treatment within a potentially challenging environment. A car owner/driver is essential for this role.
We pride ourselves on providing an excellent support network for our staff. As a band 6, the successful candidate will receive regular Clinical Supervision from the Team and Clinical Leads from alongside line management supervision from the team leader. Learning and development needs will be identified via the trust preceptorship scheme and/or the PDR process.
Details
Date posted
08 October 2025
Pay scheme
Agenda for change
Band
Band 6
Salary
£38,682 to £46,580 a year per annum, pro rata (subject to confirmation)
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Part-time
Reference number
351-BAY843-MS
Job locations
South Lakes Community Mental Health Team
Kirkstone House, Oxenholme Road
Kendal
LA9 7RL
Employer details
Employer name
Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust
Address
South Lakes Community Mental Health Team
Kirkstone House, Oxenholme Road
Kendal
LA9 7RL
Employer's website
https://www.lscft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Supporting documents
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