Mental Health Practitioner - Response Service

Band 6

Main area Nursing Grade Band 6 Contract Permanent Hours

• Full time
• Part time

Site County Hall Town Norwich Salary £39,959 - £48,117 gross per annum (pro rata) Salary period Yearly Closing 06/09/2026 23:59

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust provides child and adult mental health services, learning disability, wellbeing, older people's and eating disorder services across Norfolk and Suffolk.

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and want to reflect the diversity of our local communities within our teams. We welcome applications from all talented individuals with the relevant qualifications, skills, knowledge and experience.

Please note due to the nature of our roles and patient demographic, you will be required to undertake physical intervention training and remain trained, as required by your role.

Be the difference at the moment it matters most.

We are looking for skilled, compassionate and motivated Mental Health Practitioners (Band
6) to join our new Initial Response Service (IRS), a key development within Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust designed to transform access to mental health services across the county.

The IRS will provide a single point of access for urgent, crisis and routine referrals, ensuring people receive the right support, from the right service, at the right time.

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a new service from the outset and help shape the future of mental health access and crisis response.

Working within a 24/7 multidisciplinary environment, you will undertake rapid mental health and risk assessments, support people experiencing mental health crises, and make critical clinical decisions that directly impact patient outcomes.

Every day will bring variety, challenge and the opportunity to make a meaningful difference to people's lives.

As a senior clinician within the service, you will work autonomously whilst being part of a supportive team that values collaboration, innovation and professional development. You will provide clinical leadership, supervision and support to colleagues, contribute to service improvement, and help develop a high-performing, compassionate culture that places service users at the heart of everything we do.

• Undertake comprehensive telephone and digital triage assessments for individuals presenting with mental health needs, including those experiencing acute distress, self-harm or suicidal ideation.
• Complete holistic mental health and risk assessments and formulate safe, person-centred care plans.
• Determine the most appropriate pathway of care and coordinate urgent interventions, referrals and onward support.
• Work collaboratively with service users, carers, GPs, emergency services, acute hospitals and community mental health teams to ensure timely access to care.
• Provide clinical advice, supervision and support to call handlers, senior call handlers and less experienced clinicians.
• Contribute to service leadership, quality improvement, audit and the ongoing development of the Initial Response Service.

At Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, inclusion is at the heart of how we work. We are committed to creating a fair, transparent and accessible recruitment process where every candidate has the opportunity to succeed.

We actively encourage applications from people from all backgrounds, particularly those currently underrepresented in our workforce, including those from the global majority. We recognise that not everyone has equal access to opportunities and are working to address this.

We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process and ensuring all candidates receive a positive and equitable experience.

Here at NSFT we pride ourselves on being a welcoming, talented, friendly and supportive team who like nothing better than sharing experiences and learning from each other. In addition to ongoing training and development opportunities, we are committed to providing an environment in which you can thrive.

We have challenges as a Trust, but we have ambitious…