Job overview
This post is a key role part of a new 24/7 Mental Health First Response service and be the first point of contact for people who may require urgent mental health support in the GMMH 24/7 Trust helpline/111.
The post involves working with people of all age (Children and Young People, Adults or Older People) experiencing a mental health crisis via telephone triage.
Working as part of the wider multi-disciplinary team, MH First Responders will provide initial assessment and triage via the phone, as well as information, support, signposting, and advice.
They will provide compassionate and confidential support to service users (including carers) and will support and assist individuals to cope more effectively with their mental health issues by assisting them with key aspects of their care plans, (if in place), supporting them in managing distress and challenges / difficulties which they might be finding it difficult to manage their own mental health and wellbeing. MH Practitioners will seek advice from the clinical leads/shift coordinators with any call where the service user may require urgent assessment or signposting to the appropriate services.
Applicants must have a full professional registration as a Qualified Mental Health Nurse, Social Worker or Occupational Therapist
Main duties of the job
For people experiencing a mental health crisis, MH First Responders will provide.
• Mental state assessments
• Risk assessments
• Safety planning
• A range of brief therapy interventions
• Validation and de-escalation of crisis
• Signposting to the relevant services.
Working for our organisation
Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) Foundation Trust employs over 7000 members of staff, who deliver services from more than 122 locations.
We provide inpatient and community-based mental health care for people living in Bolton, the city of Manchester, Salford, Trafford and the borough of Wigan, and a wide range of specialist mental health and substance misuse services across Greater Manchester, the north west of England and beyond.
Greater Manchester is one of the world's most innovative, original and exciting places to live and work. From the beauty of the surrounding countryside to the heart of the vibrant inner city with great shopping, entertainment and dining options.
Wherever you go you will experience a great northern welcome with people famed for their warmth, humour and generosity.
Our people enjoy their work, have opportunities to learn and develop their skills and are encouraged to generate new ideas that improve care for our service users.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see attached job description and person specification
Staff benefits
1. Pay Enhancements – 30% additional for Evenings (8pm onwards) and Saturdays and 60% additional for Sundays and Bank holidays.
2. 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays rising to 29 after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years
3. Excellent pension
4. Cycle to work scheme
5. Salary sacrifice car scheme
6. Wellbeing programme
Person specification
Knowledge
Essential criteria
7. Evidenced based interventions relevant to the clinical service.
8. Knowledge of multi- disciplinary working
9. Understanding of recovery principles in mental health
10. Knowledge and understanding of both adult and children’s safeguarding guidance.
11. Knowledge of the mental capacity act and deprivation of liberty safeguards
Qualifications
Essential criteria
12. HCPC/RMN-NMC/Social Work England Active Registration Required
Experience
Essential criteria
13. Experience working as a qualified RMN/ Occupational Therapist or Social Worker in the UK / completion of a UK preceptorship programme/ AYSE.
14. Application of evidenced based interventions relevant to the clinical services
15. Evidence of working with people of any age who have experienced a mental health problem
16. Evidence of working with people who have experienced mental health issues (Children and Young People, adults, and older people)
Skills
Essential criteria
17. Ability to form positive therapeutic relationships with users of services, carers, and other professional bodies.
18. Ability to assess situations, make decisions, coordinate, and organise appropriate responses.
19. Assessment, planning and evaluation of mental health difficulties.
20. Ability to risk assess
The Trust mandates all post holders who require a DBS for their role to subscribe to the DBS Update Service. You will be required to enrol for this service for a fee of £16 per year and maintain registration throughout your employment with GMMH.
Applicants are encouraged to apply for posts at Greater Manchester Mental Health who have direct experience of mental health, learning disability or drug and alcohol services either as a service user or a carer.
The Trust is also committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and requires all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
We are aspiring to ensure our workforce is representative of the diverse communities that we serve, and we are strongly committed to removing barriers to employment for candidates from under-represented groups, for example BAME, Disabled and LGBT+ communities. If you would like to have an informal chat about the recruitment process for this role or would value some additional support, we’d love to hear from you.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when writing job applications
A candidate may utilise the help of AI when writing job application. The assessment of an application is made on its entirety and most times AI-generated content does not fully grasp the context and requirements of the job one applies for thus producing inaccurate and misleading information, especially in the supporting statement section of an application that can lack real life examples of one’s achievements, success and challenges.
We have added a disclaimer to our application process advising that the use of AI is monitored. GMMH reserves the right to follow up with a candidate at the interview on specific responses and those examples used in the supporting statement to explore it further.
Sponsorship
We are proud to be an approved sponsor for the Skilled Worker visa. Applications from individuals who require sponsorship will be considered alongside all other applications. Please be aware that not all roles are eligible for sponsorship. You can review the list of eligible roles and salary requirements on the UK Government’s website – click .
If you are offered a role with us and you require sponsorship, we will check your eligibility in line with the information on the above website. Your offer of employment could be withdrawn if the role is not eligible for sponsorship, and you are not otherwise able to evidence your right to work in the UK.
The Home Office introduces new changes from 22/07/2025 that impact the health and care sector, you may wish to familiarise with it.
Do you have experience outside the NHS?
We want to attract and retain people with diverse skills and experience, to deliver inclusive healthcare services to our communities.
We will consider relevant experience outside the NHS to calculate your salary on appointment.