Job overview
An exciting new opportunity has arisen for a Duty Practitioner within the Greater Manchester Specialist Perinatal Service. This is a newly created role designed to strengthen our duty function and ensure timely, responsive care for mothers and birthing people during the perinatal period.
As a Duty Practitioner, you will act as the first point of contact for referrals and urgent queries, providing clinical triage, risk assessment, and advice to professionals and service users. You will work closely with our multidisciplinary team to ensure safe and effective care pathways.
We have a vacancy in Cluster 2, base TBC (in the Bolton area)
The Greater Manchester Specialist Perinatal Service is a well-established, expert multidisciplinary community team. We provide specialist mental health care and advice from pre-conceptual medication planning, throughout pregnancy, and up to the infant’s first birthday. Our service operates Monday to Friday, 9:00am–5:00pm (excluding bank holidays).
Main duties of the job
The role of the Perinatal community mental health duty practitioner will be to undertake duty triage appointments via video link or telephone, manage access to service for a complex caseload of service users, provide practical advice and support including risk management, psychological interventions and overseeing any safeguarding issues. Liaison with external stakeholders is a crucial part of this job to ensure patient led, collaborative, high quality care is being delivered.
The role will require the successful candidate to:
•To work in collaboration with both colleagues from Adult Mental Health services and staff from other perinatal services.
•To work collaboratively, Specialist Midwifery, Children and families’ services, Early attachment services and IAPT
•The post holder will work in a variety of settings undertaking assessments, using the agreed processes of women/birthing people with serious mental health conditions who have been referred to the team.
•They will also ensure that quality and timely care is delivered at all times.
•Supporting students and new team members with information and shadowing opportunities within the duty team.
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
7. fuelGenie Fuel Cards (for applicable roles)
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
8. •Relevant professional qualification – Registered Mental Health Nurse (RMN) qualification/ Diploma or degree in Occupational Therapy/ Certificate of qualification in Social Work/ or Diploma or Degree in Social Work., Dip SW, Ba Social work •Evidence of post registration development
Desirable criteria
9. Previous Perinatal Experience Previous Experience as a duty practitioner Postgraduate module in Perinatal mental health
Experience
Essential criteria
10. •Have recent experience of providing mental health care, working within a community setting, or a CMHT in order to demonstrate the required understanding of Risk Management
Desirable criteria
11. Previous Experience as a duty practitioner
Knowledge
Essential criteria
12. • Have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of relevant clinical interventions to safely provide treatment within a community setting. • Have an in-depth knowledge of relevant risk assessment tools and risk management frameworks to sustain service users’ community placements. Knowledge of childcare legislation and practice and understanding of the impact of mental health upon parenting abilities / family interactions.
Desirable criteria
13. Knowledge and understanding of the needs of women/birthing people/birthing people suffering from perinatal mental illness through evidence of ongoing formal training.
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.