Band 5 Specialist Practitioner (Developmental Role) - Devizes

Job summary

We are offering a Band 5 developmental opportunity for a motivated and enthusiastic practitioner who is either recently qualified or looking to develop from a Band 5 role towards a more autonomous Band 6 level of practice.

This post is ideal for someone who is highly engaged in their work, demonstrates strong problem-solving skills, and is keen to build confidence, autonomy, and clinical decision-making. The successful candidate will be motivated to develop their clinical reasoning and rationale, and to take on the additional responsibilities associated with a more senior role, with robust support in place.

You will be embedded within an experienced and supportive team of Band 6 practitioners, working closely with the wider multidisciplinary team (MDT). Although you will largely undertake the duties of a Band 6 practitioner, this will be with enhanced supervision, mentorship, and structured support to ensure safe practice and ongoing development. A named supervisor will guide you through a clear developmental journey, helping you to consolidate skills, grow confidence, and progress towards greater independence.

This is a fast-paced and rewarding development role, offering significant opportunities for learning and progression. For the right person, it represents a genuine chance for rapid professional growth within a well-established, collaborative service that values curiosity, reflection, and high-quality clinical care.

Main duties of the job

Support the screening, triage, and assessment of referrals, working within agreed clinical and operational frameworks.

Demonstrate the ability to assess, and prioritise referrals based on clinical risk, acuity, complexity, and identified need, with appropriate supervision.

Identify and recommend appropriate care pathways and disposition routes, including onward referrals, signposting, and service allocation, in line with local and national guidance.

Clearly articulate clinical decision-making and rationale for triage outcomes and pathway recommendations, both verbally and through high-quality clinical documentation.

Undertake initial assessments, synthesising relevant clinical, psychosocial, and risk information to inform care planning.

Work collaboratively with the MDT, contributing to discussions around risk management, formulation, and care coordination.

Proactively utiliseclinical supervision, reflective practice, and feedback to support the development of autonomous Band 6-level skills, including complex decision-making.

Develop confidence in managingclinical uncertainty, problem-solving, and prioritisation in a fast-paced environment, escalating appropriately when required.

Contribute to maintaining safe and effective flow through the service, recognising pressures and balancing risk with responsiveness.

Maintain accurate, timely, and professionalrecords, ensuring decisions and rationales are clearly documented in line with Trust policy and professional standards.

About us

We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust):a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.

We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.

Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.

At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.

Details

Date posted

30 April 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 5

Salary

£32,073 to £39,043 a year

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

9 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

342-WTS061-0426

Job locations

Green Lane Hospital

Marshall Road

Devizes

SN10 5DS