Pennine Care NHS FT

PCN Senior Mental Health Practitioner

The closing date is 20 November 2025

Job summary

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust is excited to advertise a Senior Mental Health Practitioner role across the Primary Care Networks (PCNs) in HMR. The introduction of these roles supports the wider transformation of community mental health services for adults and older adults, which seeks to bridge the gap between primary and secondary mental health services, and physical health services.

The Senior Mental Health Practitioner will be employed by Pennine Care but based within the Primary Care Networks, within GP surgeries and will be accessible and responsive to GPs and patients within the Primary Care Network. The Senior Mental Health Practitioner role promotes and provides early assessment, treatment and improved access, providing evidence-based interventions for people with mental health needs. The role will help people to focus on achievable goals, access local community resources and promote self-management.

  • Those with mental health needs that exceed the access criteria for Talking Therapies and do not meet the access criteria for secondary care
  • People with serious or significant mental illness (SMI) who are in recovery and relatively stable in secondary care mental health services who could be cared for within primary care
  • People with SMI who are eligible for an annual health check and medication review and improved access to physical health interventions

Main duties of the job

The post holder will:

  • Be a key player within the Neighbourhood Mental Health Teams (Living Well) MDT
  • Provide mental health triage, assessment, formulation and clinical interventions based on NICE guidance within the locality
  • Support an access function for people, ensuring swift and seamless access to the most appropriate care pathway and onward access to mental health services
  • Develop and implement mental health clinics based on the needs of the PCN.
  • Directly support GP's with the management of more complex mental health presentations and linking with secondary care mental health services
  • Support people presenting in crisis, assessing clinical risk and providing short term interventions, where possible, to manage the crisis, link in to mental health support networks and promote self-management
  • Provide a link role between neighbourhood primary care services and secondary care mental health services for complex cases and issues
  • Identify training and education needs for PCN & neighbourhood teams in relation to mental health practice and support the development of mental health training as required

About us

If you come and work for us we will offer a range of benefits and opportunities, including:

  1. Generous annual leave entitlement for Agenda for Change and Medical and Dental staff.
  2. Flexible working opportunities to support your work/life balance
  3. Access to Continued Professional Development
  4. Involvement in improvement and research activities
  5. Health and Wellbeing activities and access to an excellent staff wellbeing service
  6. Access to staff discounts across retail, leisure and travel

If you are Kind, Fair, Ingenious and Determined then we want you to come and join our#PennineCarePeople

https://www.penninecare.nhs.uk/values

Details

Date posted

07 November 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

311-R383-25

Job locations

Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCNs

Various GP surgeries across HMR

Rochdale

OL12 9QB


Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see attached job description and person specification to support your application for this post. Please refer to the essential criteria in the person specification which will highlight the skills, knowledge and experience you will need to demonstrate in your application, by way of example, to give yourself the best opportunity to be shortlisted.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see attached job description and person specification to support your application for this post. Please refer to the essential criteria in the person specification which will highlight the skills, knowledge and experience you will need to demonstrate in your application, by way of example, to give yourself the best opportunity to be shortlisted.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Registered Nurse - Mental Health (RMN), Social Worker, Occupational Therapist, with current registration
  • Post graduate qualification or equivalent level of experience

Desirable

  • Non-medical Prescribing

Experience

Essential

  • Substantial post registration experience of working with people with serious mental illness
  • Proven experience of working with clients with complex needs
  • Experience of leading multidisciplinary working in mental health care with complex cases
  • Experience of working to objectives and meeting deadlines, within a performance management framework
  • Experience of providing day to day clinical leadership and operational management
  • Experience of supervising junior staff
  • Experience of managing budgets or resources

Desirable

  • Experience of working in community settings

Knowledge

Essential

  • Working knowledge of current mental health legislation and guidance
  • Safeguarding thresholds and procedures
  • Understand the nature of working in a primary care setting
  • Working knowledge of NICE guidance in the treatment of common mental health problems
  • Knowledge of mental health /risk management processes
  • Understanding of confidentiality and data protection issues
  • Comprehensive understanding of deliberate self-harm and appropriate management strategies
  • Display a good understanding of clinical governance and quality improvement
  • Be competent in developing and delivering training packages relating to mental health
  • Overview and knowledge of the range of interventions and services that meet the needs of all service users referred to the service
  • Ability to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review interventions
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Registered Nurse - Mental Health (RMN), Social Worker, Occupational Therapist, with current registration
  • Post graduate qualification or equivalent level of experience

Desirable

  • Non-medical Prescribing

Experience

Essential

  • Substantial post registration experience of working with people with serious mental illness
  • Proven experience of working with clients with complex needs
  • Experience of leading multidisciplinary working in mental health care with complex cases
  • Experience of working to objectives and meeting deadlines, within a performance management framework
  • Experience of providing day to day clinical leadership and operational management
  • Experience of supervising junior staff
  • Experience of managing budgets or resources

Desirable

  • Experience of working in community settings

Knowledge

Essential

  • Working knowledge of current mental health legislation and guidance
  • Safeguarding thresholds and procedures
  • Understand the nature of working in a primary care setting
  • Working knowledge of NICE guidance in the treatment of common mental health problems
  • Knowledge of mental health /risk management processes
  • Understanding of confidentiality and data protection issues
  • Comprehensive understanding of deliberate self-harm and appropriate management strategies
  • Display a good understanding of clinical governance and quality improvement
  • Be competent in developing and delivering training packages relating to mental health
  • Overview and knowledge of the range of interventions and services that meet the needs of all service users referred to the service
  • Ability to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review interventions

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).

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.

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Pennine Care NHS FT

Address

Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCNs

Various GP surgeries across HMR

Rochdale

OL12 9QB


Employer's website

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

Employer details

Employer name

Pennine Care NHS FT

Address

Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCNs

Various GP surgeries across HMR

Rochdale

OL12 9QB


Employer's website

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

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Service Manager

Hayley McLellan

hayley.mclellan@nhs.net

01706676100

Details

Date posted

07 November 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

311-R383-25

Job locations

Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCNs

Various GP surgeries across HMR

Rochdale

OL12 9QB


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

Pennine Care NHS FT's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)