Senior Mental Health Practitioner FPCC

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust

Job summary

This role is offered on a permanent basis . The hours are part-time, 37.5 hours per week.

Are you someone who thrives in a fast paced environment?

Do you have a passion for being the first point of contact for those in need of mental health support when they need us the most? Can you provide a voice of reassurance and support? If so, we are looking for individuals like you to make a real difference!

Using your experience, you will be duty clinician and supervisor to a shift that consists of Band 7 Clinical Leads, Band 6 Senior Mental Health Practitioners, Band 5 Mental Health Practitioners Band 3 Call Handlers, and students, supervising, mentoring and coaching them to develop their skills and playing a key role in the development of the service.

Our First Point of Contact Centre (FPCC) is a priority one urgent response telephone service launched in 2019. Since then it has consistently demonstrated itself to be an integral part of our mental health services; we’ve improved access to mental health services for individuals who need it, whilst reducing demands on care and treatment delivery services.

We are continuing to evolve and build our team and the support we offer as part of the development of the National Mental Health NHS 111 response model. Which involves 24/7 working, including night shifts.

Main duties of the job

Forget caseloads and case management.

In the FPCC your skills and expertise will be in triaging patients at the point of contact, providing mental health support and identifying what service will best meet their needs moving forwards.

The spectrum of mental health needs varies significantly; you will have the ability to offer advice, guidance and support to those in mental health Distress. This will have a routine, urgent or crisis response. Equally, you will have the ability to respond to urgent referrals with more acute needs and higher risks in the community.

You will be handling a wide range of calls, and thriving amid the challenges this presents. This requires an outstanding amount of resilience and emotional strength as you will be supporting unwell and distressed patients at their time of need, their families, carers, emergency services, and referrers who may need support. Your support will make a difference to lives and requires people who can be there for those that need it, sometimes in the face of adversity and trauma.

We’re currently recruiting for a variety of shift patterns including:

Day Shifts/Long Day Shifts

  • 7am to 8pm
  • 9am – 10pm
  • 7am – 3pm
  • 9am – 5pm
  • 2pm – 10pm

Night shifts –

  • 21:30hrs – 07:30hrs

Flexible working options can be considered if this fits with the individual and service requirements

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Registered Mental Health Practitioner status or Registered Practitioner with significant mental health experience (nursing, allied health, and social care professionals) registered with a governing body for example the NMC

Lenghth and Nature of Experience

Essential

  • Demonstrable and significant post qualification experience in mental health or related areas
  • Sound experience of first line assessments including assessment of patient safety
  • Proven skills in multi-disciplinary working, with experience of communicating across teams, stat and non-stat agencies and GP’s.

Professional/Managerial/Specialist Knowledge

Essential

  • Sound understanding of the requirements of primary care and secondary care
  • A sound understanding of the Mental Health Act and other associated legislation

Desirable

  • Experience of using psychological treatments e.g. CBT/Anxiety management …
  • A good understanding of other community/voluntary facilities that may be of help to people with a mental health problem.

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: 9 August 2026

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