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Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

Community Mental Health Practitioner

The closing date is 10 February 2026

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Job summary

We are seeking a dedicated and compassionate Mental Health Practitioner to join our Community Mental Health Team based at Pathways MHRC in Bamber Bridge.We are a dynamic and innovative team who are committed to upholding the highest standards of care. Our service is built on strong values of collaboration, respect, and recovery, and we believe in working in true partnership with patients, carers, and families to form the Triangle of Care -- ensuring everyone involved in a person's care is listened to, supported, and included.As a Band 5 Keyworker, you will hold a defined caseload and deliver holistic, recovery-focused care to adults with complex and enduring mental health needs. You will play an active role within a multidisciplinary team (MDT), contributing to assessments, care planning, risk management, and evidence-based interventions.A thorough understanding of psychotropic medications, including Clozapine and Lithium, is essential, as you will be responsible for supporting safe medication management and monitoring within community settings.

Main duties of the job

We have an exciting opportunity for a Band 5 Community Mental Health Practitioner to join our Adult Community Mental Health Team service, based at Pathways, Bamber Bridge, Lancashire.You will join a friendly team who are committed to their own development and who are, outgoing and sociable. The team is also flexible and family friendly where everyone's individualised cases are considered to help manage work-life balance where possible.

We are looking for a Core registered mental health practitioner, with significant post qualification experience in working clinically with service users experiencing a range of mental health problems, who are able to work as part of a multidisciplinary team, and has experience in assessing, planning, implementing and reviewing care needs and pathways with complex mental health issues.

We require someone who has great knowledge of medications and how to monitor them. Particularly psychotropic medications including Clozaril and Lithium.

You will also be required to have experience and knowledge of risk assessment and care and safety management, the ability to explore issues relating to the impact of health and social needs in mental health and well-being. We take an multi-disciplinary approach, in a holistic way.

You will also be expected to take part in our Duty system on a rotational basis.

About us

LSCFT values diversity and inclusion, recognising that talent from varied backgrounds creates a flexible, creative, and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from all, regardless of age, disability (including those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion, belief, or sexual orientation.

Our aim is to reflect the communities we serve, so we particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups. If you'd like to discuss your application, please ask.

We also welcome individuals with lived experience relevant to the role or service area, as your insight brings authenticity to our services.

LSCFT support flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as term time, part time, compressed hours and flexi-time.

Details

Date posted

27 January 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 5

Salary

£31,049 to £37,796 a year pa

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

351-CEN2420-CL

Job locations

CMHT South Ribble

Pathways

Preston

PR5 6GD


Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role.

Person Specification

Education/qualifications

Essential

  • Professionally Registered Mental Health Nurse.
  • Equivalent professional registered social worker.

Knowledge

Essential

  • Knowledge of mental illness and impact upon quality of life
  • Pharmaceutical knowledge of medications: particularly psychotropics, Clozapine and Lithium
  • Risk formulation
  • Demonstrable interest in continuing developing knowledge
  • Evidence of continuing professional development.
  • Ability to manage complex caseload

Experience

Essential

  • Post qualification experience within mental health services. With some of these to have been within acute mental health services.
  • Experience of working with a full range of mental illness
  • Experience of providing supervision.
  • Demonstrable experience of providing teaching/training
  • Working with and supporting Carers
  • Engagement / working closely with wider agencies (e.g. ASC, housing, 3rd sector)

Personal

Essential

  • Skills in the use of methods of assessment, formulation / interventions, and evaluation
  • Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex and or clinically sensitive information to service user, their families, and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
  • Well-developed skills in providing clinical supervision and consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
  • Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of multi- media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional, academic settings
  • Ability to work sensitively and supportively with staff who are retraining and/or changing their way of working

Other

Essential

  • The resilience necessary to overcome obstacles and resistance.
  • Sensitivity towards organisational and political complexities.
Person Specification

Education/qualifications

Essential

  • Professionally Registered Mental Health Nurse.
  • Equivalent professional registered social worker.

Knowledge

Essential

  • Knowledge of mental illness and impact upon quality of life
  • Pharmaceutical knowledge of medications: particularly psychotropics, Clozapine and Lithium
  • Risk formulation
  • Demonstrable interest in continuing developing knowledge
  • Evidence of continuing professional development.
  • Ability to manage complex caseload

Experience

Essential

  • Post qualification experience within mental health services. With some of these to have been within acute mental health services.
  • Experience of working with a full range of mental illness
  • Experience of providing supervision.
  • Demonstrable experience of providing teaching/training
  • Working with and supporting Carers
  • Engagement / working closely with wider agencies (e.g. ASC, housing, 3rd sector)

Personal

Essential

  • Skills in the use of methods of assessment, formulation / interventions, and evaluation
  • Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex and or clinically sensitive information to service user, their families, and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
  • Well-developed skills in providing clinical supervision and consultation to other professional and non-professional groups.
  • Ability to teach and train others, using a variety of multi- media materials suitable for presentations within public, professional, academic settings
  • Ability to work sensitively and supportively with staff who are retraining and/or changing their way of working

Other

Essential

  • The resilience necessary to overcome obstacles and resistance.
  • Sensitivity towards organisational and political complexities.

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

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

Address

CMHT South Ribble

Pathways

Preston

PR5 6GD


Employer's website

https://www.lscft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

Address

CMHT South Ribble

Pathways

Preston

PR5 6GD


Employer's website

https://www.lscft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Interim Team Manager

David Gardner

david.gardner@lscft.nhs.uk

01772676068

Details

Date posted

27 January 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 5

Salary

£31,049 to £37,796 a year pa

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

351-CEN2420-CL

Job locations

CMHT South Ribble

Pathways

Preston

PR5 6GD


Supporting documents

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