Band 5/6 Development Specialist Mental Health Practitioner – Devizes: Sponsorship Available

Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

Job summary

Following a very successful first recruitment, we are now offering another Band 5 developmental opportunity for a motivated and enthusiastic practitioner who is either recently qualified or looking to develop from a Band 5 role towards a more autonomous Band 6 level of practice.

This post is ideal for someone who is highly engaged in their work, demonstrates strong problem-solving skills, and is keen to build confidence, autonomy, and clinical decision-making. The successful candidate will be motivated to develop their clinical reasoning and rationale, and to take on the additional responsibilities associated with a more senior role, with robust support in place.

You will be embedded within an experienced and supportive team of Band 6 practitioners, working closely with the wider multidisciplinary team. Although you will largely undertake the duties of a Band 6 practitioner, this will be with enhanced supervision, mentorship, and structured support to ensure safe practice and ongoing development. A named supervisor will guide you through a clear developmental journey, helping you to consolidate skills, grow confidence, and progress towards greater independence.

This is a fast-paced and rewarding development role, offering significant opportunities for learning and progression. For the right person, it represents a genuine chance for rapid professional growth within a well-established, collaborative service that values curiosity, reflection, and high-quality clinical care.

Main duties of the job

Support the screening, triage, and assessment of referrals, working within agreed clinical and operational frameworks.

Demonstrate the ability to assess, and prioritise referrals based on clinical risk, acuity, complexity, and identified need, with appropriate supervision.

Identify and recommend appropriate care pathways and disposition routes, including onward referrals, signposting, and service allocation, in line with local and national guidance.

Clearly articulate clinical decision-making and rationale for triage outcomes and pathway recommendations, both verbally and through high-quality clinical documentation.

Undertake initial assessments, synthesising relevant clinical, psychosocial, and risk information to inform care planning.

Work collaboratively with the MDT, contributing to discussions around risk management, formulation, and care coordination.

Proactively utiliseclinical supervision, reflective practice, and feedback to support the development of autonomous Band 6-level skills, including complex decision-making.

Develop confidence in managingclinical uncertainty, problem-solving, and prioritisation in a fast-paced environment, escalating appropriately when required.

Contribute to maintaining safe and effective flow through the service, recognising pressures and balancing risk with responsiveness.

Maintain accurate, timely, and professionalrecords, ensuring decisions and rationales are clearly documented in line with Trust policy and professional standards.

Person Specification

Shortlisting

Essential

  • Professional registration
  • Experience of assessments
  • Knowledge of care pathways
  • Developed interpersonal skills

Desirable

  • Experince of PCLS

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: 4 October 2026

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