Community Mental Health Acute Care Practitioner

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) is one of the largest healthcare systems in the United Kingdom, employing approximately 40,000 staff across a wide range of clinical and non-clinical professions and roles. We deliver acute hospital, primary, community and mental health services to a population of over 1.15 million people, and to a wider population of 2.2 million when regional and national services are included.

The role:

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the North West Community Mental Health Acute Care Service (CMHACS) as a CMHACs Practitioner.

The North West CMHACs offer high-quality care and fair access to people who are experiencing an acute mental health crisis. The team provide a rapid, specialist mental health and risk assessment along with a robust treatment plan. One of the primary functions of the CMHAC Service is to ensure that individuals who are at risk of being admitted to hospital are offered treatment safely in a community setting as an alternative to hospital admission.

The CMHACs Service works to minimise the length of stay in acute inpatient settings by supporting home passes or discharge where the clinical risk can be managed within the community. The team work alongside inpatient staff to identify individuals whose care needs can be met in a community setting. The service works across the North West area of Glasgow and are based within 3 Community Mental Health Teams.

You need to have a live NMC UK pin in order to be considered for this post.

Duration, Location, and Working Pattern:

• This is a permanent full-time post working 36 hours per week
• Working hours will be Monday to Friday, 9:00 am–5:00 pm or 12:00 pm–8:00 pm on a rota basis.
• You will also be required to work Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 am–5:00 pm, as part of a planned rota system.
• The role covers the North West Glasgow area, with the main base being the Arndale Resource Centre.

Key responsibilities:

As a member of the multi-disciplinary CMHAC Team within Community Mental Health Services, you will work closely and collaboratively with colleagues across all disciplines and partner agencies to deliver safe, effective, and person-centred care.

In this role, you will support individuals who present in crisis with complex mental health, physical, and social care needs, providing intensive home treatment and care interventions as an alternative to hospital admission wherever appropriate. You will also play an active role in supporting early discharge from inpatient services, contributing to discharge planning and ensuring timely and effective follow-up following acute inpatient care. Where required, you will also be involved in assessment of individuals on leave from inpatient services, ensuring continuity and safety of care.

You will take responsibility for supervising, supporting, and demonstrating clinical procedures to students and unqualified staff, while also acting as a mentor to learners undertaking their professional training, helping to develop a skilled and confident workforce.

In carrying out your duties, you will ensure that you always practise within relevant legal and ethical frameworks, adhering to professional codes of conduct, mental health legislation, and contractual responsibilities.

Knowledge, training, qualifications and/or experience required to do the job:

• You are a first-level registered nurse in mental health with a current valid registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, or an Occupational Therapist registered with the Health and Care Professions Council, or a Social Worker registered with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC).
• You have relevant post-registration experience, ideally gained within the mental health sector, preferably in a community setting.
• You can demonstrate evidence of ongoing continuous professional development.
• You have effective communication skills, enabling you to engage confidently and appropriately with service users, carers, and multidisciplinary colleagues.
• You can work independently without direct supervision, using your professional judgement and initiative.
• You are IT literate, with basic skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook.
• You hold a full UK driving licence, which is essential for this role.

What we offer:

We offer a wide range of supportive policies designed to enhance your employee journey, including a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme, Cycle to Work Scheme, bursary scheme and extensive learning and development opportunities.

As an NHS Scotland employee, you will be entitled to:

• A minimum of 27 days annual leave, increasing with length of service, plus public holidays
• Membership of the NHS Pension Scheme, including life insurance benefits
• Salary Sacrifice Car Benefit Scheme
• Development opportunities including study bursaries, e-learning and classroom-based courses
• Enhanced pay for working public holidays
• NHS discounts on a wide range of goods and services
• Confidential employee support and assistance, including counselling and psychological therapies

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, we would love to hear from you.

For an informal discussion, please contact:
David McKenna - CMHAC Team Lead on 0121 211 6184 or david.mckenna@nhs.scot

Details on how to contact the Recruitment Service and the Recruitment Process: Information for candidates

This post may close early due to the volume of response. Please submit your application form as soon as possible.

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NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) recognises the importance of work-life balance and is committed to offering a range of flexible working options where service needs allow. For roles where less than full-time hours can be accommodated, and where the tenure is listed as “various”, we encourage applications from individuals seeking flexible working arrangements. Flexible working will be included as a topic for discussion during the recruitment process.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde encourages applications from all sections of the community. We are committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion and are proud of the diverse workforce we employ.

By signing the Armed Forces Covenant, NHSGGC has pledged its commitment to being a Forces Friendly Employer. We welcome applications from across the Armed Forces Community and recognise military skills, experience and qualifications throughout the recruitment and selection process.

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