Specialist Health Visitor in Perinatal Mental Health

The closing date is 28th Dec 2025

Job summary

We have an exciting opportunity to work as a Specialist Health Visitor in the Perinatal Mental Health Team. The successful candidate will work closely with the Infant Mental Health Team and will provide professional leadership as a specialist practitioner to manage, develop and lead family-based care in the perinatal period where the parents have or are at risk of developing mental health difficulties and where these are likely to impact on their infant's emotional development and attachment. This will supplement the care given by the universal Health Visiting Service Hampshire wide.

The successful candidate will provide expert clinical leadership with a visible, accessible and professional presence within agreed settings, working clinically alongside staff and be available to patients, their families and key partners offering information, advice and support on perinatal and infant mental health where required.

Main duties, tasks & skills required

The successful candidate will develop and progress integrated care pathways for perinatal mental health across the wider trust are a clear remit of the Specialist Health Visitor, also liaising and working closely with the Infant Mental Health Team to allow an integrated family as required. The role will have key specialist clinical, consultative, training, practice development and strategic responsibilities; the post holder will provide a visible, accessible and authoritative presence in the field of perinatal and infant mental health, acting as a professional role model by providing leadership and support within multidisciplinary, 0-19 Public Health Nursing and Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) teams. They will ensure all family members receive appropriate and evidence-based information about perinatal mental health in a sensitive way using a variety of media including service wide websites and social media as appropriate.

About us

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides joined-up mental and physical healthcare for around two million people across our communities. With over 13,000 staff working in the community and local hospitals, we deliver care at every stage of life, helping people live their best and healthiest lives.

Our mental health services include community-based support and early intervention in psychosis (EIP) for both adults and young people, alongside a network of specialist inpatient wards covering forensic, learning disability, eating disorder and older person's care.

We deliver extensive physical health services too, from urgent community response teams helping frail and older patients remain safely at home, to hospitals at home teams providing acute-level care in familiar surroundings. Our neurological services offer rehabilitation and treatment for conditions including Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Motor Neurone Disease, Head Injury, Cerebral Palsy and Stroke. Across Hampshire, our community hospitals provide inpatient rehabilitation as a step down from acute care, and our dedicated teams also staff Treetops Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Portsmouth, offering expert, compassionate support.

Everything we do is underpinned by our CARE values of compassion, accountability, respect and excellence

Job description

Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached. It is important to us that we ensure our recruitment processes are accessible and inclusive to everyone - if as a potential candidate you are concerned a person specification may prevent or restrict your application for employment as a result of unintentional barriers on the grounds of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, religion/belief or disability please initially contact the Trust's Recruitment team - detailed in the advert. The Trust will seek to resolve this issue wherever possible.

We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.

Person specification
Qualifications
Essential

Qualification as SCPHN (Health Visiting)

Relevant Master's degree or additional qualification relevant to the specialist post eg. mental health or counselling.

Evidence of recent professional and personal development

Car driver with business insurance as travel is required across Hampshire

Desirable

Additional specialist qualification/ training in Behaviour Change, CBT, Solution Focused etc.

Coaching or Improvement qualification

Experience
Essential

A high level of relevant expert knowledge, skill and recent experience in parental mental health, developed through training and practice. Experience of working in partnership with other relevant services eg. CAMHS, specialist perinatal mental health, IAPT and 3rd sector organisations.

Evidence of delivering high quality teaching and learning interventions to staff groups

Evidence of leadership and practice development

Facilitation of groups

Evidence of multi-agency working

Ability to work as a role model and expert in specialist perinatal mental health practice.

Evidence of the ability to influence and motivate

Knowledge and understanding of the improvement agenda

Strong written and oral presentation skills, including the ability to author concise and persuasive reports and business cases

Additional Criteria
Essential

Excellent understanding of clinical and professional requirements, current issues, policies and evidence based practice relevant to perinatal mental health, specialist community public health nursing and external bodies (NMC).

Knowledge of clinical governance requirements and management

Excellent communication skills and ability to work proactively and cultivate relationships with key stakeholders, senior managers and clinical staff, including at times of stress

Excellent time management skills

Ability to prioritise.

A positive approach to teaching and customer care, with ability to manage difficult conversations. Evidence of teaching, presentation and facilitation skills.

Negotiation/influencing skills

Sensitive and honest with the ability to inspire and motivate others

Evidence of good organisational skills and the ability to use own initiative and meet deadlines

Excellent verbal, written, numeracy and IT skills

Evidence of significant contribution to transformational change

Demonstrates outstanding commitment to patient care, quality of care and outcomes

Patient and person centered

Looks across organisational boundaries and focuses on forging relationships

Sets clear goals, promoting a learning culture and celebrating success

Commitment to self-development, with an in-depth knowledge of key policies and themes in children's health, perinatal and infant mental health.

Ability and interest in coaching of staff to improve performance

Ability to interpret and analyse information, research and audit data to influence and initiate change.

Clear knowledge of safeguarding children and adults and the risks associated with the presence of perinatal mental health within the family.

Desirable

Evidence of leadership of transformational change

iHV Infant mental health and/ or Perinatal mental health champion and training facilitator

Facilitated Clinical Supervision for individuals or groups

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Professional Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

For help with your application, contact:

Claire Aspery

Pay scheme

Agenda for Change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£ to £ Yearly

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-Time, Full-Time

Reference number

348-CFS-9829

Job locations

Southern House

Otterbourne

Winchester

Hampshire

SO21 2RU

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