Community Psychiatric Nurse

Job summary

Are you a passionate mental health professional seeking a dynamic and rewarding career?

We are seeking an energetic and motivated individual to join our established Dartford Home Treatment team and Rapid Response Service in North Kent. This is an exciting time to join our team as recent investments and changes to the community mental health framework are creating more opportunities for dedicated work within the CRHTT service.

In this role, you will:

• Provide24/7 assessment and treatmentto individuals experiencing a mental health crisis in the community.
• Work collaboratively as part of amulti-disciplinary teamto deliver effective interventions.
• Develop your intervention and assessment skillsthrough ongoing support, supervision, and training opportunities.

We are looking for someone who:

• Is aregistered mental health Nurse with relevant experience.
• Possesses apassion for mental healthand a commitment to providing high-quality care.
• Ismotivated, energetic, and innovative with a desire to develop their skills

Main duties of the job

In this role, you will play a vital role in assessing patients' mental health needs, determining appropriate support levels, and ensuring their well-being within a legal framework.

What you'll do:

• Conduct comprehensive mental health assessments to identify needs and risks.
• Manage potential risks associated with patients' conditions.
• Assess patients' capacity to consent to treatment options.
• Ensure all actions adhere to relevant mental health legislation and regulations.
• Work collaboratively with service users, staff, and relatives to identify goals and determine and deliver an appropriate intervention plan which aims to maximise engagement and performance whilst balancing risk, and promoting choice and independence.
• Engage in short term psychosocial interventions appropriate to need and risks.
• Participate in physical intervention training, if required, to support team safety.

We are looking for someone who:

• Has experience working with diverse mental health conditions.
• Is competent in community-based mental health care.
• Possesses strong assessment and risk management skills.
• Demonstrates a commitment to patient-centered care and collaborative working.
• Has effective organisational /planning and decision-making skills to manage workloads and competing demands.
• Demonstrates clear communication skills and effective leadership skills.
• Is flexible and able to work shifts, including nights, weekends, and holidays.

About us

We are Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. We care for the mental health and wellbeing of people across Kent and Medway and are rated 'Good' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Our teams support children, young people and adults with a wide range of mental health needs. We also provide specialist services, including all-age eating disorder services and neurodevelopmental assessments for children and young people, such as autism and ADHD.

Because we work across the whole county and across hospital and community settings, we can make care more joined up and easier to access for the people we serve.

Our vision is simple: we are here to help communities not just live with mental illness, but live well. It's why we're passionate about working with communities to make mental health care better for everyone. Everything we do is guided by our values: caring, inclusive, curious and confident.

Join us if you share our passion for better mental health care and want to be part of a team that's working well together.

Take a look at our Community Nursing Video

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description for full details and main responsibilities of the role.

What is High Cost Area Allowance?

The High-Cost Area (HCA) allowance, also referred to as London Weighting is a payment made to employees who work in London and the surrounding areas.

As this post is based in Dartford, Gravesham or Swanley, the successful applicant will receive an additional payment each month.

5% of basic salary, subject to a minimum payment of £1,346 per year and a maximum payment of £2,270 per year (the agreed annual amount will be divided into 12 equal amounts and paid monthly) (2026/27 figures)

The post holder must hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car/vehicle to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).

Person specification

training and qualifications

Essential

• oNMC Professional qualification (4)

Desirable

• Additional training/qualification relevant to the post (2)
• Practice Assessor qualification (2)

knowledge and skills

Essential

• oExperience in qualified role (4)
• oUnderstanding of the impact of mental health crisis on lifestyle and function for clients, family and carers and common pharmacological and psychosocial treatments
• o Ability to maintain a high degree of professionalism at all times, especially in complex/challenging situations.
• o Ability to work autonomously and cooperatively as part of an interprofessional team.
• oAble to demonstrate proficient skills in assessment of mental health presentations, including mental state examination and formulation.

Desirable

• ounderstanding of community role (4)
• o Leadership skills
• o Ability to motivate, empower and enable others

Experience

Essential

• o Experience working in mental health service
• o Experience of prioritising casework and allocation /delegation of tasks to others.
• o Experience of liaising with a variety of stakeholders both internal and external to organisations.
• o To be able to work a 24hr shift pattern including day shifts, nights shifts and weekend shifts

Desirable

• o Experience working within a Rapid Response, Home Treatment Team or Psychiatric Liaison Service