Community Perinatal Mental Health Practitioner
Band 6
Main area: Mental Health Practitioner, Grade: Band 6, Contract: 5 months, Hours: Full time, Flexible working, 37.5 hours per week (Monday to Friday 9AM–5PM).
Employer: Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust. Salary: £25.83 per hour (Hourly). Closing date: 18/06/2026 23:59.
Job overview
Surrey and Borders is looking for a Community Perinatal Mental Health Practitioner to assess, plan, implement and evaluate the nursing care needs of the women accessing the service and lead the care for a specified caseload. To mentor, supervise and teach qualified and unqualified staff, including students.
Location: Unither House, Curfew Bell Road, Chertsey, KT16 9FG
Working Pattern: Monday to Friday 9AM–5PM.
Key responsibilities
- Be accountable and responsible for a defined caseload that reflects the priorities of the local population and carry responsibility for the assessment of care needs, under the supervision of the Clinical Lead Nurse.
- Ensure effective daily management of referrals, including appropriate triage and assessment within specified timescales across the service.
- Ensure appropriate response to emergency referrals, supporting referrals within the acute care pathway and liaising with services involved including HTT, inpatient services and MBU.
- Participate in the multi-disciplinary assessment of women with mental health problems living in the community, by providing a community perinatal mental health nursing perspective and expertise.
- Be aware of the potential for vulnerability to abuse amongst the service users/families, and use local policy to inform appropriate personnel in line with safeguarding vulnerable adults and children and SABP Policies.
- Ensure that carer’s support is offered to carers of women that use our service.
- Participate in the provision of community perinatal mental health nursing advice and consultation to colleagues, community groups and organisations.
- Ensure detailed and appropriate records are maintained to demonstrate that contact with people who use services, and their carers’, is meaningful and effective.
- Adhere to the requirements of the NMC Code of Conduct at all times.
- Lead the clinical management of a care package to an individual who uses our services.
- Co‑ordinate and monitor the delivery of person‑centred healthcare to a designated caseload, using complex clinical decision‑making where appropriate.
- Work as a member of the MDT in assessing and planning care and responding to changes in the health of the women accessing the perinatal service.
- Act in a manner to respect the customs, individuality, values, sexuality, and spiritual beliefs, actively supporting the individual to fulfil these.
- Create, develop and maintain professional supportive relationships as well as joint working arrangements with colleagues in the Perinatal service, secondary care mental health services, maternity services, children’s services, primary health care, social services, and voluntary services.
- Liaise with relevant midwifery and obstetric service around the physical health needs of the women accessing the perinatal service.
- Participate in the maintenance and monitoring of service standards, collect and collate data/ information effectively for the purpose of audit, research, and service performance.
- Contribute to the maintenance, monitoring and implementation of service standards and policies.
- Promote shared decision‑making with service user/relatives/carers, as appropriate, involvement in all aspects of their care.
- Undertake risk assessments and management strategies in line with trust and local policies and ensure the delivery of care within those boundaries.
- Recognise potential crisis situations and act responsively and responsibly to resolve the situation, seeking assistance if required.
- Identify and address health education issues that cause risks relevant to service user group.
- Participate in the education of pre and post registration nursing, social work, psychology, medical and occupational therapy students.
- Supervise junior nurses and other non‑qualified staff in the service/team.
Person specification
Qualifications
- Professional registration with recognised body
Experience
- A minimum of 12 months post registration experience in Adult Mental Health
- Aware of personal and professional boundaries
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
