Perinatal Infant Mental Health Lead Health Visitor

Job overview

Please note: at this stage, the role is open only to colleagues currently employed within Kent and Medway NHS Trusts, the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Medway Community Healthcare. Nursing vacancies are also open to Student Nurses and Newly Qualified Nurses.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Kent Health Visiting Service as a Perinatal and Infant Mental Health (PIMH) Lead Health Visitor.
The Lead Health Visitor for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health will be responsible for supporting the development and implementation of the Health Visiting Service’s Perinatal and Infant Mental Health offer, as well as its Parent-Infant Relationship (PIR) priorities. The post holder will work across the West Kent localities of Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells and Maidstone, providing expert clinical leadership to Health Visiting teams and wider multi-disciplinary colleagues in relation to Perinatal and Infant Mental Health and Parent-Infant Relationships.
The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in ensuring that women, infants and families receive high-quality, evidence-based support during the perinatal period. They will work collaboratively with internal and external partners to develop and implement comprehensive multi-disciplinary care pathways, policies and procedures that effectively address perinatal mental health needs and promote positive parent-infant relationships.

Main duties of the job

The role requires a high level of relevant expert knowledge and skills to ensure consistency, equity and efficiency of service delivery to families. They will work as part of the local health visiting team to support the wider delivery of the health visiting service, provide relevant training pertaining to Perinatal and Infant Mental Health, Parent Infant Relationship, Emotional Well-being and Birth Trauma. Develop and maintain effective multi-disciplinary care pathways and collaborative working practices.
The lead will also provide support and guidance to practitioners with an emphasis on prevention and early identification of mental health difficulties. They will build/strengthen partnership and foster positive relationships between parents and their infants. This will be achieved through the development of training packages, and programmes that aligned with national and local policies and procedures which will be delivered internally, to our external partners and the wider public health workforce. The Lead will also be responsible for co-facilitated group interventions, and support the delivery of the Institute of Health Visiting’s Emotional Wellbeing Visits intervention and ensure that practice is evidence-based.

This role presents an excellent opportunity for a motivated and experienced Health Visitor with a passion for perinatal and infant mental health to influence service development, improve outcomes for families, and provide leadership across the West Kent locality.

Working for our organisation

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust is due to integrate with Medway Community Healthcare on 1 October 2026. Following integration and to align our community services to the new Neighbourhood Model of care delivery, there will be a period of consultation which may result in changes affecting some services, teams or roles. Depending on the area you are applying to work in, this could include potential changes to your role, work base, reporting arrangements, or terms and conditions of employment. Any changes would be subject to consultation and managed sensitively and in line with relevant employment processes. Please do contact the recruiting manager if you have any concerns about this so they can answer any questions you might have.

Rated ‘Outstanding’ by CQC, we deliver high-quality care that improves the health of our communities. We are looking for people who share our values: Compassionate, Aspirational, Responsive and Excellent.

We are proud to be an inclusive, welcoming organisation and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We use protected characteristic information for monitoring only and it is not seen by recruiting managers, except where applicants choose to be considered under our disability guaranteed interview scheme.

We know life outside work matters. As a flexible working-friendly organisation, we welcome conversations about arrangements that help you thrive while supporting excellent care for our patients.

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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

As a community Trust, many of our roles require individuals to be able to drive to perform their duties. Where driving is a requirement of the role, you will be asked to confirm that you hold a full UK driving licence or a full driving licence issued by an EU country (not exchanged from a non-EU country) to proceed with your application. We are committed to supporting candidates with disabilities into employment. If you are unable to drive due to a disability, please contact the Recruitment Team via quoting the vacancy reference number, so we can support you further.

The job description and person specification gives you all the information you need about this role. Please look carefully at the criteria in the person specification and tell us what you have done that shows you meet this in your application. If you need an application form in an alternative format please let our recruitment team know. All information you supply on your application should, to the best of your knowledge, be true and accurate.

Still have questions? The recruiting manager would love to hear from you, their contact details can be found in the job advert.

We can get a lot of applications for some roles so to be in with the best chance of being shortlisted please make sure you apply as soon as possible. A vacancy may close early if there is a lot of interest in the job.

At KCHFT we strongly encourage colleagues in clinical and non-clinical roles who have direct or social contact with patients to be fully vaccinated. In this way we will be doing all we can to ensure your safety and that of your colleagues and the patients we serve.

Find out more about the community difference here.

Good luck! We can’t wait to meet you and welcome you to #teamKCHFT, #cometocommunity.

Person specification

Qualification

Essential criteria

• Level 6 Degree in Nursing or Midwifery as well as a Specialist Community Public Health Nurse with a Health Visiting qualification
• Nursing and Midwifery council Registration

Experience

Essential criteria

• Ability to work effectively within your area of practice, supported by relevant experience. As well as managing complex caseloads and supporting/ mentoring others
• Know when you are within your own limits and when to escalate

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Have knowledge of up to date clinical practice by using up- to- date skills and adhering to evidence-based procedures and clinical effectiveness frameworks

Desirable criteria

• Have an awareness of developments within the NHS

Skills

Essential criteria

• Have sound communication skills in order to understand and communicate both verbally and in writing
• Understand where to signpost clients and families to alternative services to support behaviour change and improve health

Work Environment

Essential criteria

• Able to adapt and respond with sensitivity and tact to complex or distressing circumstances

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