Duty and Risk Mental Health Practitioner

Salary: Depending on skills and experience

Hours: Full-time (could consider part-time for the right candidate)

We have an excellent opportunity for an experienced Duty, Risk and Mental Health Practitioner to join us in a new role in an established Talking Therapies service.

Working as part of a regional team, you will play a key role in supporting several Talking Therapies services, providing expert clinical risk and safeguarding guidance to practitioners, liaising with clients and stakeholders, and ensuring the delivery of safe, high-quality care.

This is a fast-paced and rewarding position with significant clinical responsibility, offering the opportunity to further develop your expertise in risk assessment, safeguarding, and multidisciplinary mental health care.

Experience Required:

• Working within NHS mental health services supporting individuals with a range of mental health conditions.
• Assessing and managing multiple and complex presentations of clinical risk.
• Working effectively within multidisciplinary teams.
• Assessing and managing a wide range of safeguarding concerns.
• Supporting individuals experiencing acute mental distress.
• Providing risk and safeguarding advice, consultation, and/or supervision to other healthcare professionals.
• Communicating confidently with clients, healthcare professionals, and external agencies.
• Working across primary and secondary mental health care pathways (desirable).

Qualifications & Registration Required:

• Hold current registration with a recognised professional healthcare regulatory body.
• Maintain ongoing professional development and training.
• Have safeguarding training equivalent to Level 3.
• Demonstrate a strong understanding of risk management, safeguarding processes, and mental health service pathways.

Key Responsibilities:

• Work within the regional Duty Team supporting several Talking Therapies services.
• Provide clinical advice and support regarding risk and safeguarding to CBT Therapists, Counsellors, DIT and IPT Therapists, Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWPs), and administrative staff.
• Ensure robust risk management and safeguarding processes are maintained across services.
• Undertake significant client contact via telephone, often supporting individuals who may be distressed.
• Screen referrals and assess service suitability, ensuring clients receive timely access to appropriate care.
• Facilitate referrals into secondary mental health services where required.
• Liaise with GPs, Secondary Care services, and other external agencies.
• Support interface discussions between Talking Therapies Services and Secondary Care Mental Health Services.

Role Information:

• Staff development is very important to Vita Health Group and you will have an annual study leave allowance, for your own development as a practitioner.
• The role will be remote but we encourage team building days on site at Vita Health Group bases in the region. You will need to have private working space to take confidential calls.