Clinical Lead

Job responsibilities

Key Responsibilities and Leadership Duties: Provide strategic and professional leadership to the teams, aligned with the services philosophy and values. Act as a role model by demonstrating current knowledge of mental health and physical health needs, while continuously developing professional expertise and maintaining strong professional networks.

Champion the mental and physical well-being of service users by ensuring their health promotion, psychological, rehabilitative, and educational needs are proactively addressed.

Lead and coordinate the activities of the Community Mental Health Team (CMHT), ensuring comprehensive, person-centred care is delivered in accordance with Trust and local policies and procedures.

Actively engage service users and carers in the development and evaluation of services, ensuring their voices inform high standards of care delivery.

Ensure care plans are developed in line with the Community Mental Health Framework, tailored to meet the assessed needs of each individual.

Serve as a key point of contact for service users and families, responding to concerns with empathy and professionalism, using advanced communication skills to provide reassurance and negotiate effective solutions.

Communicate sensitive or complex information clearly and compassionately to staff, service users, and carers, using both verbal and non-verbal techniques to overcome barriers such as emotional distress or resistance.

Prepare verbal and written reports for internal departments and the Operational Team Manager on matters including complaints, incidents, and investigations.

Maintain expert knowledge in clinical practice, policy, and staff management to ensure consistently high standards of service delivery.

Conduct regular audits to identify and promote best practices based on robust research evidence, supporting the implementation of service improvements.

Identify and manage clinical and non-clinical risks appropriately, escalating concerns to the Operational Manager when external support is required.

Support the Operational Team Manager in managing service delivery factors such as budget, staffing, resource allocation, and service user dependency.

Manage staff absence and sickness in line with Trust policies, ensuring appropriate actions are taken at each stage.

Identify opportunities for service development and communicate these to the Operational Team Manager.

Embed high standards of service delivery and ensure Service Governance is integral to team operations. Promote staff awareness and engagement with the governance agenda.

Support the implementation of Trust policies locally, ensuring compliance and escalating any delivery challenges to the Line Manager.

Provide feedback on Trust policies to ensure team perspectives are represented.

Ensure all staff operate within the Community Mental Health Framework, including assessment, care planning, review, and audit processes.

Liaise with the Operational Team Manager regarding disciplinary or grievance matters, and take responsibility for resolution in line with the scheme of delegation.

Coordinate annual Personal Development Plans (PACE), incorporating training and development needs for all staff.

Provide timely and accurate feedback following formal meetings related to performance, sickness, or absence.

Exercise sound judgement in interpreting policies and procedures, seeking guidance when necessary, and contributing to the development of directorate protocols.

Lead investigations into incidents or complaints as directed, ensuring timely completion and clear, objective reporting of findings and recommendations.

Contribute to the development and communication of the business plan, ensuring staff are informed and involved in shaping service priorities.

Assist in budget management, including oversight of devolved Social Care budgets, and report any issues impacting financial performance.

Ensure all new staff receive a comprehensive induction, and that this is appropriately documented.

We celebrate diversity and promote equal opportunities; we are committed to challenging and eliminating racism and other forms of discrimination and advancing and promoting equality of opportunity in the provision of services and creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We believe that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.

We take positive action to support disadvantaged groups and also particularly encourage applications from BAME, disabled and LGBT people that are under-represented in our workforce. Furthermore we welcome applications from reservists and ex-armed forces as we recognise the benefits of the values, skills, training and experience that they bring to their work with us. We encourage all applicants to share their equality information with us.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we offer a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants who consider themselves to be disabled who meet the minimum (essential) criteria for the role in the person specification. If you would like your application to be considered under the Trusts guaranteed interview scheme you can indicate this in the personal information section of your online application form.

Please ensure you check the email account from which you apply for all correspondence. All information regarding your application will come from apps.trac.jobs not NHS Jobs. Only those applicants who demonstrate clearly how they meet our person specification will be shortlisted for interview.

Should you require a reasonable adjustment to our recruitment process please contact the recruitment team to ensure that measures can be put in place to support you.

Qualifications

Essential

• Professional Registration e.g. Registered Nurse Mental Health, Allied Health Professionals, Social Worker
• Educated to degree level or equivalent
• Minimum of 3 years experience in clinical practice
• Evidence of post-graduate professional qualification, PSI Cert/diploma

Desirable

• Masters Degree
• Qualification / training in criminal justice mental health related

Knowledge/Experience

Essential

• A demonstrated understanding of Equality and Human Rights
• The post holder would be expected to have extensive abilities in delivering innovation and quality in clinical practice, demonstrating leadership skills, change management expertise and the delivery of clinical developments that have tangible results for patients
• Will have experience of promoting clinical effectiveness & standards setting via audit & governance frameworks.
• Will also be able to demonstrate training and teaching expertise in applied settings.
• Will be service user focused with a track record that includes examples of clinical practice that have required collaborative interdisciplinary work to improve adult services.
• Ability to exercise a high degree of personal and professional autonomy and critical judgement.
• Will require an in-depth knowledge of clinical care with significant evidence of post -registration development activity.
• Must be able to demonstrate a commitment to service user involvement.
• Be able to work autonomously in a self - motivating style.
• Will possess excellent leadership and communication skills.
• Will have the ability to reflect on experience & generate a learning culture.
• Ability to undertake research and record of scholarship.
• Computer literate with a working knowledge of standard formats including spreadsheets and data management.
• Ability to disseminate in a professional manner to a range of professionals at regional and national level as evidenced by presentations at conference and/or publications in peer reviewed journals.
• Highly effective interpersonal skills and will be a recognisable role model for staff and patients.
• Articulate and effective communicator.

Desirable

• 2 - 3 years at Band 6 or above
• Experience of Criminal Justice Liaison
• Risk assessment experience

Values

Essential

• Continuous Improvement
• Accountability
• Respectfulness
• Enthusiasm
• Support
• High professional standards
• Responsive to service users
• Engaging leadership style
• Strong customer service belief
• Transparency and honesty
• Discreet
• Change oriented

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 Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).