Community Mental Health Lead Practitioner N

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The closing date is 27 February 2026

Band 6 Community Mental Health Lead Practitioner Northamptonshire Early Intervention in Psychosis Service (N-STEP) Community Mental Health Team (Monday to Friday).

An exciting 6 month secondment opportunity has arisen for a full time self‑motivating and resourceful community mental health practitioner to join our Early Intervention in Psychosis Team. We are looking for a registered Mental Health Nurse, Occupational Therapist, or Social Worker.

Based at Carey Block St Mary’s Hospital.

You will be working with individuals and their families from aged 14‑65 years; CAMHS experience will be welcomed.

The post holder will be working in the county localities, at the forefront of shaping the team's service model, working alongside MDT colleagues to ensure services meet the National Access and Waiting Standards for Early Intervention services. This will include CBT and brief family interventions, ensuring services are responsive, flexible, and innovative. You will be involved in evidence‑based assessments, developing and delivering recovery‑focused interventions and community groups.

You will maintain Care‑Coordinator / keyworker responsibilities for a caseload of service users with first‑episode psychosis, and participate in day‑to‑day team duties.

Managing a small caseload of service users with first‑episode psychosis, working as an integral part of a multi‑disciplinary team with a whole‑team approach.

The successful candidate must have excellent communication and assessment skills, be confident in supporting service users and their families with psychosis, and be a whole‑team player.

If you have the drive, interest and professionalism to deliver a quality service, we welcome your application.

Closing Date:
This job advert will close as soon as sufficient applications have been received.

NHFT is an integrated primary care and mental health Trust, providing physical, mental health and specialty services in both hospital settings and the community. We focus on delivering care that is easy to access, allowing many services to be provided at home, work or in schools. We also provide health services to various prisons and detention centres in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

NHFT promotes a culture of learning to improve the care and safety of our patients and staff, focusing on people who enable our Trust to be ‘outstanding’ by supporting opportunity, innovation, development and growth.

• Experience of working with individuals with severe mental illness.
• First‑level registered nurse, social worker (RMN or equivalent) with community experience, or relevant experience with this specialist client group.
• Experience of delivering mental health care in non‑traditional settings and of practising involvement in early detection and assertive outreach work.

• Registered practitioner.
• A sound working knowledge and expertise of psychosocial interventions specific to early intervention achieved through recognised training, in depth.

• Application of clinical and multidisciplinary approaches.
• CAMHS knowledge and experience.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust