Welcome from our Chief Executive - Samantha Allen

Our organisation is expanding and we're looking for people with the right values, skills and/or potential to join us. We need people with energy, expertise, enthusiasm to help us provide the very best possible specialist NHS mental health and learning disability care. This involves helping us achieve our strategy to improve the quality of life for the communities we serve through People, Prevention and Partnerships.

So what can we offer you in return?

We're an organisation which puts people first. We'll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. We'll help you learn, acquire new skills and gain further experience to support your career development. And we'll provide the opportunity for you to bring your fresh ideas to work about how we can do things differently and continue improving.

You will also be joining a health and care system committed to working together to do the best we can for the communities we serve. Above all, at Sussex Partnership you'll have the chance to make a difference to the lives of the patients, carers and families across our communities.

If you like the sound of that, then come and join our team.

Samantha Allen

Chief Executive

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a full-time band 5 Graduate Mental Health Practitioner at Lewes and Havens Assessment and Treatment Service.

Sussex Partnership is proud to have pioneered the development of this new role in secondary, community Mental Health services. The post holder will have a degree, and a Post graduate Certificate in Mental Health Practice (PGCMH) and provide short, evidence based, psychological interventions to our Service users.

We are a friendly and dynamic community mental health service, based in the seaside town of Newhaven. Newhaven, with its ferry port to France, sits in the beautiful South Downs National Park. It is minutes away from the vibrant city of Brighton and less than an hour away from London by train . There are many beautiful beaches stretching the length of Sussex with ample opportunities for water sports.

Covid-19 full vaccination may be a condition of employment for this role, unless an exemption applies. The successful applicant may have contact with vulnerable service users and we will therefore seek proof of being fully vaccinated during the recruitment process.

Main duties of the job

The Graduate Mental Health Training Programme is a joint venture between Higher Education and the NHS. The GMHP roles are intended to support existing roles, and are trans-disciplinary, informed by bio-psychosocial models of health care for people with severe and complex mental health difficulties.

Graduate Mental Health Practitioners help provide outstanding care and treatment, co-ordinate care provided, support people with their recovery journey, offer time limited interventions, monitor risks, and collaborate with carers and families.

The successful applicant will join a friendly, highly skilled, and enthusiastic team comprising consultant psychiatrists, community mental health nurses, occupational therapists, practitioner psychologists; support & peer workers. You will be working with adults in the High Weald, Lewes & Havens ATS providing high quality mental health care, with multi-disciplinary colleagues, where staff well-being is a high priority.

This is an opportunity to join an organisation which sets a high priority on the development of services in collaboration with Experts by Experience and Carers.

Working for our organisation

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is a leading teaching and research mental health trust. We are at the forefront for research on a number of topics such as Psychosis and Dementia and we have close links with the Universities of Sussex, Surrey, and Brighton.

The successful applicant will be offered regular supervision and additional training relevant to the role. After a preceptorship period of 6 months, with additional training and support you will be able to be a Lead Practitioner and carry a caseload.

As a mental health trust Sussex Partnership places a huge focus on the wellbeing of our staff, as well as ensuring our reward packages reflect the immensely important work they do.

As a nurse in our team we can offer you:

• Access to numerous wellbeing and support programmes, run by our internal wellbeing team
• Excellent supervision programmes, with ongoing opportunities for training and development
• Flexible working patterns
• Access to a host of discount schemes (including gyms, shopping, restaurants and cars)
• A position within a trust rated as 'Outstanding' for caring and 'Good' overall by the CQC
• Generous holiday entitlement (starting at 27 days + 8 bank holidays)

Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The role will include:

• co-running group treatments
• delivering individual, psychologically informed interventions
• supporting people to access care from other services including housing providers & third sector organisations
• contributing to multidisciplinary discussions;
• supporting the team with duty work and facilitating access to full pathways of care
• Following preceptorship, to hold Lead Practitioner responsibility
• Co-creating risk assessments and Care plans with Service Users

Person specification

Qualifications
Essential criteria

• Bachelors degree at 2:2 or above supplemented by specialist mental health training with a significant supervised practice component and a curriculum including risk assessment, evidence based psychosocial interventions, recovery and treatment planning, and team working
• A specialist mental health focused postgraduate degree which delivers competences in recognised evidence-based psychological interventions
• Evidence of a commitment to lifelong learning

Knowledge/Experience
Essential criteria

• Experience of working with people with mental health needs in a paid or voluntary capacity
• Experience running groups/activities
• Experience working as part of a team
• Experience of being supervised
• Experience of analysing and communicating complex information verbally and in writing

Sussex Partnership NHS FT is committed to supporting a diverse workforce that reflects our communities. Our workforce is currently under-represented from Black and Minority, Ethnic and disabled communities and we would welcome applications from these communities.

We regret that we are unable to advise candidates if they have not been shortlisted. If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date please assume that you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

In the event of an excessive number of applicants the Trust reserves the right to close this vacancy earlier than indicated.

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust takes its responsibilities for the safeguarding and protection of children and young people and vulnerable adults very seriously and expects this of all its employees and bank workers. The Trust works with adult and children's social care to ensure that the integrated service has systems in place to equip staff and bank workers with the knowledge and skills to recognize abuse, and take action to safeguard and protect vulnerable adults and children and young people. It is expected that all staff and bank workers familiarise themselves with the appropriate structures and policies and with the Sussex child protection and safeguarding procedures and the Sussex multi-agency policy and procedures for safeguarding vulnerable adults and undertake the relevant essential training and further training appropriate to their role.

Successful candidates are normally offered salaries at the bottom of the relevant salary range. However, where previous or equivalent NHS experience in a similar role can be demonstrated and evidenced, this may be taken into consideration when setting the starting salary.