Nurse Mental Health – Inpatient

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Job summary

Join Us as We Reopen Our New CAMHS Inpatient Unit

We are pleased to invite applications for Band 5 Mental Health Nurses to join our newly redesigned Children and Young People’s Mental Health Inpatient Unit, reopening in Autumn 2026.

Following extensive co-design with young people, families and staff, and significant investment in our workforce and therapeutic approach, this is an exciting opportunity to work in a modern, recovery-focused inpatient service delivering high-quality, purposeful care to young people with acute mental health needs.

Listen to our EBE podcast via the links below:

Spotify – Stepping Forward | Podcast on Spotify

YouTube – Stepping Forward Podcast – Series 1 – YouTube

About the unit

Our refreshed CAMHS inpatient service is built around:

  • Purposeful admissions with early review points
  • Structured, therapeutic care programmes delivered across 7 days
  • Strong links with crisis and community services, including COAST (Crisis Outreach Acute Support Team),
  • Trauma-informed and autism-aware practice
  • A focus on least restrictive practice and improving experience and outcomes
  • Supportive MDT working, safe staffing and strong clinical leadership

You will work as part of a skilled and supportive multidisciplinary team, delivering therapeutic care to young people and working closely with families and carers from admission through to discharge.

Main duties of the job

The role

As a Band 5 Mental Health Nurse, you will deliver high-quality, evidence-based inpatient nursing care for children and young people (aged 12- up to 18th birthday) experiencing acute mental health difficulties.

This is a developmental role, ideal for newly qualified nurses or nurses wishing to expand their skills. The service will be offering preceptorship support, CAMHS specific training, structured clinical supervision, and learning and progression opportunities.

You will work under the guidance of the ward manager, Clinical Nurse Specialist and senior nurses, while building confidence in assessment, care planning, safety management and therapeutic engagement.

Main duties of the job

  • Deliver compassionate, person-centred and trauma-informed nursing care
  • Act as primary (named) nurse for young people during their inpatient admission
  • Complete comprehensive assessments, care plans and risk assessments in collaboration with the MDT
  • Implement, monitor and review nursing interventions and therapeutic care plans
  • Support young people and families during periods of distress and crisis
  • Administer and monitor medication in line with NMC and Trust policy
  • Take charge of shifts as appropriate, with senior support available
  • Work collaboratively with families, carers and partner agencies to support discharge planning
  • Maintain clear, accurate and timely clinical documentation
  • Participate in supervision, appraisal, mandatory training and development opportunities

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Registered Nurse with current registration (mental health / LD/ Adult) appropriate to the job role.

Desirable

  • Other post-basic professional qualifications relative to the role and to the care group.

Knowledge/Experience

Essential

  • Knowledge of MHA (1983/2007). Knowledge of Mental Capacity Act (2005), to include practical knowledge of FACE documentation, DOLS and Best Interest decisions.
  • Child and Adult safe guarding procedures.
  • Demonstrate ability to enhance care through evidence based knowledge.
  • Demonstrates ability to assess and manage clinical risk

Skills

Essential

  • Effective written and verbal skills. Effective team worker. Excellent interpersonal skills.
  • Analytical skills to assist in diagnosing or highlighting an unmet health need. Understanding clinical information to formulate recommendations and appropriate intervention/action or referrals to be made. Undertaking initial patient assessments
  • Change management skills. Leading projects, chairing and running of regular meetings
  • Supervising junior staff, co-ordinating training to carers and service users
  • Computer literate. Sound working knowledge of Microsoft Word and Outlook
  • Ability to administer injections with good hand to eye co-ordination. ? Able to carry out PMVA interventions

Abilities

Essential

  • Ability to prioritise/cope with pressure. Ability to assess health needs in an initial assessment and prioritise them in order as soon as assessment is completed. Ability to deal with an unpredictable work pattern and deal with deadlines
  • Ability to deal with distressing and emotional circumstances which can happen unpredictably throughout a working day.

Approach and Values

Essential

  • Demonstrate support for the values and beliefs of the Care Group and those of the Trust
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the practices of Human Rights in the delivery of this role
  • Team working
  • Punctual and flexible across hours of work when required

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).

Closing Date: 26 July 2026

To apply for this job please visit apps.trac.jobs.