Senior Mental Health Practitioner
Berkshire Healthcare Foundation TrustSlough, SL2 5BX, South East
Overview
This is a NHS role (permanent) with Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust based in Slough, SL2 5BX. The advertised salary is £41,957 to £50,387. Applications close on 9 September 2026. GovJobs has indexed this vacancy from its official source — use the apply button to view the full advert and apply directly.
Job description
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 6 Senior Mental Health Practitioner to join the Slough Community Mental Health Service at New Horizons. We are looking for an experienced, compassionate and autonomous practitioner who can work effectively with adults experiencing mental health problems. You will join a supportive multidisciplinary team of psychologists, CBT therapists, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, nurses and social workers. The role combines specialist assessment, recovery-focused care planning, treatment delivery and positive risk management, with opportunities to support service development and junior colleagues. The post is based at New Horizons, Pursers Court, Slough, with community work across a range of settings.
Hold and prioritise a defined caseload, working autonomously with people who have serious and enduring mental health needs.
Complete comprehensive mental health assessments, formulations, care plans, crisis plans and risk assessments.
Coordinate and deliver evidence-based, recovery-focused interventions in service users' homes, community venues and team premises.
Work with the multidisciplinary team, carers, GP practices, local authority colleagues and partner agencies to develop coordinated packages of health and social care.
Undertake relevant Care Act 2014 and safeguarding responsibilities on behalf of the joint NHS and local authority service.
Participate in duty work, maintain accurate and timely Rio records, and contribute to clinical governance and service improvement.
Provide clinical leadership, supervision and support to junior staff and students, including guidance on risk assessment and positive risk taking.
Travel between Trust and community locations as required
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated 'outstanding' by the CQC, we're committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we're committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.
- Caring for and about you is our top priority
- Committed to providing good quality, safe services
- Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions
Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:
- Flexible working options to support work-life balance
- 27 days' annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
- Generous NHS pension scheme
- Excellent learning and career development opportunities
- 'Cycle to Work' and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
- Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
- Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
- Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
- Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
- Free parking across Trust sites
1. A diploma or degree-level professional qualification and current registration to practise with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
2. At least two years post-qualification experience of working with adults with mental health problems, including experience in community mental health services.
3. Strong skills in specialist mental health assessment, formulation, treatment planning, risk management, report writing and recovery-focused interventions.
4. The ability to work autonomously, manage and prioritise a complex caseload, contribute effectively within a multidisciplinary team, maintain high-quality electronic records and travel between sites.
For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.
We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.
Were committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.
We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please contact the recruiting manager using the details shown on the vacancy page, wholl be delighted to help.
Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.
1. A diploma or degree-level professional qualification and current registration to practise with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
2. At least two years post-qualification experience of working with adults with mental health problems, including experience in community mental health services.
3. Strong skills in specialist mental health assessment, formulation, treatment planning, risk management, report writing and recovery-focused interventions.
4. The ability to work autonomously, manage and prioritise a complex caseload, contribute effectively within a multidisciplinary team, maintain high-quality electronic records and travel between sites.
For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.
We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.
Were committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.
We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please contact the recruiting manager using the details shown on the vacancy page, wholl be delighted to help.
Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.
Education/Qualifications
- Diploma or degree level professional qualification
- Diploma or degree level professional qualification Registered for practice through NMC
- Further relevant qualification in the field of mental health or equivalent experience.
- Good standard of general education
- PSI or other
Training
- Evidence of continuous professional development to high standard
Previous Experience
- Experience of assessment and report writing
- Experience of supervising staff and students
- Experience of multi-disciplinary team working.
- Experience of working in community mental health services, minimum two years post-qualification experience of working with adults with mental health problems
- Thorough working knowledge of mental health problems and their management.
- Knowledge of assessment and treatment approaches
- Knowledge of current mental health policy
- Ability to carry out high quality assessments and treatment interventions to individuals and groups.
- Ability to work as a member of a multi-disciplinary team
- Ability to work autonomously and set own priorities within caseload management
- Ability to apply client-led principles and form non-discriminatory therapeutic relationships with clients and carers
- Ability to maintain good quality records, and write reports
- Ability to take responsibility appropriate to senior clinician role
- Ability to contribute creatively to the development of the service.
- Ability to work within a changing and progressive environment.
- Ability to deal with emotionally demanding situations, to remain calm under pressure, and to be adaptable to demands of the role
- Ability to reflect and critically appraise own performance
- Basic computer literacy and ability to use electronic system
Additional requirements
- Ability to travel between sites
Education/Qualifications
- Diploma or degree level professional qualification
- Diploma or degree level professional qualification Registered for practice through NMC
- Further relevant qualification in the field of mental health or equivalent experience.
- Good standard of general education
- PSI or other
Training
- Evidence of continuous professional development to high standard
Previous Experience
- Experience of assessment and report writing
- Experience of supervising staff and students
- Experience of multi-disciplinary team working.
- Experience of working in community mental health services, minimum two years post-qualification experience of working with adults with mental health problems
- Thorough working knowledge of mental health problems and their management.
- Knowledge of assessment and treatment approaches
- Knowledge of current mental health policy
- Ability to carry out high quality assessments and treatment interventions to individuals and groups.
- Ability to work as a member of a multi-disciplinary team
- Ability to work autonomously and set own priorities within caseload management
- Ability to apply client-led principles and form non-discriminatory therapeutic relationships with clients and carers
- Ability to maintain good quality records, and write reports
- Ability to take responsibility appropriate to senior clinician role
- Ability to contribute creatively to the development of the service.
- Ability to work within a changing and progressive environment.
- Ability to deal with emotionally demanding situations, to remain calm under pressure, and to be adaptable to demands of the role
- Ability to reflect and critically appraise own performance
- Basic computer literacy and ability to use electronic system
Additional requirements
- Ability to travel between sites
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).
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 Disclosur
How this role compares
We hold 445 NHS vacancies in South East that publish a salary, and their median advertised starting figure is £39,959. This role pays more than about 61% of them.
There are 3,997 NHS roles open across the UK on GovJobs right now, 614 of them in South East.
You have 10 days left to apply. NHS adverts we hold typically run for around 13 days, so this is about the usual amount of time.
Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust has 22 other vacancies open on GovJobs, with a breakdown of what they pay and the kinds of roles they recruit for.
These figures are calculated from the vacancies GovJobs currently holds, not from official pay statistics. They are a guide to the market, not a valuation of this post.
How to apply
GovJobs does not take applications or send your details to the employer. Use the apply button to open the official Nhs Jobs advert, then check the employer's instructions, attachments, person specification and closing time before applying.
This listing was last checked on 27 Aug 2026, 15:08. If the official advert has changed or closed, report it and we will review the listing.
Why this listing is on GovJobs
GovJobs indexes public-sector vacancies from official sources, normalises the title, employer, location, salary and deadline, and links back to the source so you can verify the advert yourself.
The source for this role is Nhs Jobs. Applications stay on the official employer or source website, not on GovJobs.
