Warning
This job advert has expired and applications have closed.
Primary Care Mental Health Practitioner (ARRS Scheme) | Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
| Posting date: | 21 October 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | £50,008 - £56,908 per annum (inc. of HCAS) |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 20 November 2025 |
| Location: | Slough, SL2 5BX |
| Company: | Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 7564247/371-MHS896 |
Summary
Primary Care Mental Health Practitioner (ARRS Scheme)
Day-to-Day the successful applicant will be employed by the Trust (BHFT), but based within GP surgeries, seeing primary care patients and working on primary care systems, but with a specific mental health focus.
That being so, patients coming into primary care with mental health difficulties - rather than having a 10-minute appointment with a GP - will have a 15-30 minute appointment with a senior Mental Health Practitioner (Nurse, Social Worker or Occupational Therapist).
Although the successful applicant won't be doing 40 appointments per day like a GP does, these are still very busy roles in fast-paced environments. Most ARRS Mental Health practitioners see 14 patients on a normal day. Equally, there is no caseload, nor CPAs, nor funding applications for packages of care, nor management responsibilities - so the ancillary tasks that come with secondary care roles are certainly less.
The ARRS project has been an enormous success - patients are happy with the service, GP colleagues are happy as mental health needs are dealt with in primary carer more efficiently - and the ARRS Mental Health Practitioners who like the role really like it, but equally it's not for everyone. If you really enjoy patient contact and fast-paced work, this would suit you down to the ground, but obviously with that comes less flexibility around things like home-working, working hours, managing your own diary etc.
As above, day-to-day the successful applicant will be physically based within GP surgeries. Each Primary Care Network (PCN) has about 4 GP surgeries, and ARRS workers usually spend a day in all the surgeries on rotation.
Your clinics, like GPs' clinics, are populated by Surgery receptionists. Appointments are split betweeninitialappointments (generally 30mins) and follow-ups (15 mins). Key tasks involve mental state examinations, liaising with secondary services and Talking Therapies, making onward referrals.
Ifyou'rea Non-Medical Prescriber and/or have an 'Advanced History Taking' qualification, that would be ideal (but is not necessary). Respectively these would enable you toinitiatefirst-line pharmacological treatments for Anxiety and Depression (the most common presentations in primary care; and ascribe formal diagnoses.
Most applicantsdon'thave these qualifications, which isabsolutely fine, but it means a little bit more GP contact/oversight isrequiredwhen it comes toinitiatingand monitoring treatments in Primary Care.
You'llhave access to all the same training and CPD materials and opportunities as any other clinician involved in the trust, and your line manager and clinical supervisor will be based within BHFT.
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated ‘outstanding’ by the CQC, we’re committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we’re committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.
Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:
• Caring for and about you is our top priority
• Committed to providing good quality, safe services
• Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions
Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:
• Flexible working options to support work-life balance
• 27 days’ annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
• Generous NHS pension scheme
• Excellent learning and career development opportunities
• ‘Cycle to Work’ and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
• Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
• Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
• Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
• Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
• Free parking across Trust sites
The “must haves” for this role:
• Registered Mental Health Nurse/ Occupational Therapist/ Social Worker
• Experience in a leadership role
• Recent and relevant experience in an adult mental health setting.
• Excellent Risk Assessment skills and understanding of triangulation of risks
• Able to work onsite four days a week and one day from home at New Horizons Slough.
For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.
We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.
If you’re someone who shares our passion for excellence and care, you belong at Berkshire Healthcare!
We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to call: 01753 690950 or email: Ashim.Goswami@berkshire.nhs.uk or Baljit.Gill@berkshire.nhs.uk who’ll be delighted to help.
We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants where required.
This advert closes on Tuesday 4 Nov 2025
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.