Clinical Specialist Sensory Integration Practitioner

Job overview

Are you a dedicated, compassionate mental health professional committed to providing great care? Do you want the chance to help shape a new and genuinely innovative service for the women of Kent and Medway?

We're creating Kent and Medway’s first, and only, NHS Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for women, and are seeking a talented Sensory Integration Practitioner, to help us deliver this vital service.

Please note that the start date for this post will be March 2026, to allow for sufficient time for onboarding, induction, and training before the anticipated arrival of the first patient in April 2026.

This is a pioneering role, offering a unique opportunity to lead the development of sensory practice in a highly specialist setting. We’re seeking a compassionate and forward-thinking professional who understands how sensory processing differences, whether related to neurodiversity, trauma, or mental health, can impact function, communication, and engagement with treatment.

If this sounds like the opportunity you have been waiting for, come and join our diverse and compassionate team committed to delivering excellent care and support for service users and their loved ones.

This role comes with a High Cost Area Supplement: 5% of basic salary, subject to a min. of £1303 per year and a max. of £2198 per year (divided into 12 equal amounts and paid monthly). The salary listed is inclusive of the High-Cost Area Allowance. 

Advert

• Use advanced clinical assessment skills carry out and coordinate comprehensive, systematic holistic assessments which take account of relevant mental, physical, social, cultural, psychological, spiritual, and environmental factors, in partnership with patients and others through interaction, observation and measurement.
• Work collaboratively with other disciplines, patients and their carers to formulate and agree a holistic person-centred intervention plan that addresses the needs identified through assessment.
• Provide a strong presence, leadership and access to expertise across the clinical area with a significant contribution to direct care.
• Proactively develop, deliver and evaluate safe, person centred care in partnership with the service user and their carers to support recovery.
• Act as a clinical leader supporting the development of best practice in line with trust policy and NICE guidance.
• Facilitate and review approved Quality Improvement initiatives within directorates
• Use highly developed communication skills to enable the maintenance of high-quality service within a complex and challenging environment.
• Promote and deliver evidence-based care for patients. 

Working for our organisation

Working in a PICU is very rewarding but we want to be honest and share that it is demanding too. It is likely to be needed by people with severe and complex mental health conditions (e.g. Schizophrenia and  Bipolar Disorder and may be associated with Personality Disorder, Substance Misuse and PTSD). 

While emotionally challenging, the opportunity to support critically unwell women back to their communities, ensuring 'right care, in the right place, at the right time', is immense, and your skilled, multidisciplinary, team will be there to support you. 

You would be working as part of a team of mental health experts, dedicated to making sure the most unwell women in our communities have the same access to specialist care as men. 

We are recruiting now to make sure our new female PICU team is in place with enough time to train, form team bonds and prepare. So you can all make a profound difference to patient outcomes from day one.  

We also offer ongoing professional development to help you adapt and progress your career, including bespoke training and a comprehensive induction program.  

All jobs based at our Dartford unit come with a High Cost Area Supplement: 5% of basic salary, subject to a minimum payment of £1303 per year and a maximum payment of £2198 per year (the agreed annual amount will be divided into 12 equal amounts and paid monthly). The salary listed is inclusive of the High-Cost Area Allowance. 

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information, or give us a call to discuss the role further.

Quick Apply Option

To apply quickly, send your CV to [email protected] quoting the job reference number.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

KMPT Staff Benefits:

NHS pension scheme

Your employer pays 23.7% towards your pension and life assurance benefits.

For more details, please see http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/Pensions.aspx.

Annual leave for Agenda for Change

On appointment to NHS: 27 days for full-time staff, or pro rata if part-time.

After 5 years of NHS service: 29 days for full-time staff, or pro rata if part-time.

After 10 years of NHS service: 33 days for full-time staff, or pro rata if part-time.

Plus bank holidays, this adds up to as many as 41 days—more than 8 weeks of paid time off!

Medical staff have national Terms and Conditions. The option to buy and sell annual leave is also available as part of our flexible approach to staff benefits.

Recommend a friend campaign

If you already work for us, you can refer a friend from outside of the Trust to any of the roles below and receive £1000 if they are successfully recruited: Nursing staff (RMN, RGN, RNLD) at Band 5 and 6, Medical Doctors, Clinical Psychologists, and Allied Health Professionals.

Flexible working

This covers job shares, term-time working, flexible shifts, and more. Just ask and we will try to help.

Statutory and occupational maternity, paternity or adoption leave

This is dependent on the length of your NHS service.

Other paid/unpaid leave

This can be for Jury Service, Reserved Armed Forces, etc., and is paid outside of annual leave.

Non-paid leave is available for career breaks.

Staff Support

KMPT offers a face-to-face counselling service for any issues, not just work-related problems.

NHS discounts and shopping vouchers

Staff can sign up for Red Guava, PS discounts, and Health Service Discounts to receive a variety of savings on travel, fashion, technology, mobile phone contracts, food and drink, days out, and more.

Learning and Development opportunities

In addition to the mandatory subjects, there are a number of leadership, management, and staff topic areas, including coaching and mentoring.

Induction

KMPT is committed to supporting all new staff with a comprehensive Induction programme. The programme's duration depends on your role and can range from 2 days to 4 weeks (not always consecutive days).

The programme provides an excellent opportunity for new staff to meet and engage with KMPT’s subject specialists and includes all required training.

The programme may involve some travel to various training venues across Kent and Medway, with the main ones being Canterbury, Maidstone, and Dartford.

New starter bonus

To recognize the value of our nurses and the skills they bring, we offer a New Hire Bonus of £1200 pro rata for Band 5 and 6 nursing staff.

Staff Network Forums

A variety of staff network forums are available to empower, support, and encourage network members and allies, reflecting KMPT values and promoting equality and diversity.

Lease car scheme, Cycle to Work Scheme, the list goes on!

Important Information:

In cases where we receive a high volume of applications for a post, it may be necessary to bring the closing date forward. Please submit your completed application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

Due to the high volume of applications received, it is not possible to respond individually to your application. Should you not hear from us within six weeks of the vacancy closing, please assume that your application has not been successful.