Band 7 Senior Practitioner - BNSSG Integrated Access Partnership

at  Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

Imagine a role where every day brings new challenges and the opportunity to make a real difference. As a Senior Practitioner with the Mental Health Integrated Access Partnership (IAP), you’ll be at the heart of an innovative, multi-agency approach to mental health crisis care. This isn’t just a job, it’s a chance to pioneer the future of emergency mental health services.
Our award-winning, nationally-recognized initiative brings together BrisDoc Healthcare Services, Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership Foundation Trust, and South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust to provide an integrated front door service for people in mental health crisis across both 999 and 111.
We are seeking a dedicated Senior Practitioner to join our dynamic IAP team. The primary purpose of this role is to deliver high-quality mental health triage, assessment, and care coordination across various settings. You will play a crucial part in our multidisciplinary team, working to ensure patients receive timely, appropriate care that addresses both their mental and physical health needs.
This rotational post offers diverse experiences across multiple bases. You’ll be at the heart of our efforts to reduce inappropriate A&E attendances, decrease S136 detentions, and improve outcomes for individuals experiencing mental health crises.
Please see the IAP promotional video which will provide an oversight of the service here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUaAYFloE2o&feature=youtu.be

You would be primarily working clinically in the role demonstrating senior practice and leading by example. You will also supervise staff and support the team managers in working towards shared objectives.

• Provide specialist mental health triage and assessment across various settings.
• Offer clinical support and advice to emergency service professionals.
• Coordinate seamless, integrated responses addressing both mental and physical health needs.
• Participate in service development and quality improvement initiatives.
• Supervise and support team members, promoting a culture of continuous learning and excellence.
• Contribute to our 24/7 service delivery, including shift work covering days, nights, and weekends.

If you are considering relocating to the region, we can offer up to £8,000 relocation expenses (subject to terms and conditions).
We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust): a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.
We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.
Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.
At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.
Key Result Areas
1. Under the direction of the Team Manager to be responsible for developing and leading an efficient mental health service for a defined population in accordance with commissioned services.
2. To develop and support a service that delivers high quality effective health and social care interventions which lead to positive outcomes for service users and carers.
3. To lead by example, motivating and empowering others and promoting positive attitudes, mutual understanding and collaboration between all services involved in the care process.
4. To support the team manager to ensure staff within the team ensuring effective processes where this is delegated.
5. To proactively work towards continuous service improvement by positively assisting in the planning and development of services. This could include participating in the design and introduction of a new service, communicating effectively with staff about proposed changes and gaining commitment for change.
6. To support the team manager to supervise and authorise decision making on issues requiring statutory intervention including all aspects of initial investigations and necessary follow-up action.
7. To maintain an awareness of complex cases and projects for which allocated staff are responsible and ensure the team manager is appropriately informed regarding cases of particular risk or concern. This role does not include carrying a caseload.
8. To be responsible for the effective management of workload.
9. To support the team manager to manage the performance of all designated specialist practitioners and mental health workers within the team in line with the requirements of care co-ordination so as to ensure that consistent clinical and quality standards are maintained.
10. To ensure close working relationships and protocols with other internal and external services, encouraging their involvement in the planning and provision of the care plan, through effective liaison roles between Trust services and the commissioners.
11. To ensure appropriate compliance with Trust and Local Authority policies in relation to people management activities. These include recruitment and selection activity, effective sickness and attendance management and the application of standards in relation to conduct and performance at work as well as undertaking regular practice and management supervision.
12. Where indicated, to be responsible for ensuring ongoing completion of staff appraisals and that all team members have a development plan linked to the KSF.
13. To provide and ensure an effective learning environment for student placements across all professions.
14. To maintain a skill mix within the team which provides effective agreed services which can respond to statutory requirements, in line with relevant professional guidance and norms established by the Trust.
15. To support the team manager to manage the performance of the team as measured by key performance indicators defined nationally and locally, and set out in the SBU Balanced Scorecard covering both health and social care parameters.
16. To undertake investigations into complaints from service users and carers, untoward incidents and staffing matters, preparing reports as needed and working in partnership with others to meet required deadlines.
17. To be responsible for ensuring health and safety and other relevant risk assessments are undertaken, delegating responsibility as appropriate. This includes infection control.
18. To ensure appropriate systems are in place at team level to engage in integrated governance activity.
19. To engage with and contribute to relevant SBU and corporate management and governance forums.
20. To ensure the complete and accurate recording of all clinical and performance data on relevant paper and electronic systems (eg Rio, MHIS, CAST, CAD)
21. To ensure that case records and data are collected within approved policies and that data held on computer systems are accurate, so as to enable planning and monitoring of services.
22. To support the team manager to be responsible for ensuring compliance with defined quality standards such as CQC, CNST and Standards for Better Health, identifying responsibility within the team for key roles including infection control and emergency planning.
23. To support the team manager to be responsible for maintaining up to date evidence of quality and safety outcomes and providing these as required for inspection.
24. Dependant on the team location, to ensure relevant contributions are made by the team to the effective management of Trust estate and facilities.
25. Demonstrate responsibility for developing own practice in line with professional qualifications and for the development of others, both practitioners, and those in training by making use of and providing, effective feedback, coaching and appraisal.
The IAP are an energetic and innovative team who strive to provide compassionate and person centred care to those accessing our service. To learn more about how the IAP works, please see our video: About the Mental Health Integrated Access Partnership - YouTube

At IAP, we prioritise the wellbeing and development of our staff. As a member of our team, you’ll benefit from:

• Access to tri-organisational wellbeing services from AWP, BrisDoc, and SWASFT.
• In-house wellbeing and training budget for maximum opportunities in personal and professional development.
• Attractive unsocial hours enhancements that significantly boost your monthly take-home pay.
• Regular social events and team-building activities.
• Three fully catered away days per year.
• Onsite amenities including coffee machines, massage chairs, and free tea/coffee.
• Birthday Gift.

• Provide specialist mental health triage and assessment across various settings.
• Offer clinical support and advice to emergency service professionals.
• Coordinate seamless, integrated responses addressing both mental and physical health needs.
• Participate in service development and quality improvement initiatives.
• Supervise and support team members, promoting a culture of continuous learning and excellence.
• Contribute to our 24/7 service delivery, including shift work covering days, nights, and weekends