Interim Director of Mental Health Commissioning

Job responsibilities

The functional areas of responsibility include the following outcomes, in partnership with the local system:

Transforming access and experience of mental health services for the population of Sussex; this includes children and young people, working age adults, and older people and ensuring services deliver high quality care, making the best use of available resources

Working across Sussex to ensure that mental health transformation is fully integrated into all health and social care strategy and delivery, including place-based delivery plans

Delivering all relevant statutory, regulatory and other NHS requirements within the context of the NHS Long Term Plan and agreed local priorities

Developing flexible and transformational commissioning and delivery approaches aligned to the further strategic development of the Sussex Integrated Care System.

Oversight of all agreed mental health programmes within Sussex, resources available to support these and the performance of all mental health services including NHS and non-NHS commissioned services.

Within the context of the Sussex Integrated Care System work alongside our key NHS mental health provider, Local Authorities, other providers, local Voluntary and Community Sectors and District and Borough Councils, to ensure all developments and partnership initiatives are framed in way that is consistent within the wider Sussex-wide system approach and take account of place-based leadership and plans.

In collaboration with key place-based system partners the postholder will for Sussex:

Lead a continuous transformational programme of work that ensures NHS Sussex and partners have an up-to-date strategic understanding of the needs and aspirations of people who require mental health services in Sussex and develop a strategy and underpinning plans to address these innovatively with demonstrably improved outcomes.

Lead the development of the strategy for integration as a delivery mechanism for improvement in line with national policy in partnership with stakeholders

Develop and communicate the vision for integration and mental health and wellbeing improvement across the system and at place.

Lead for NHS Sussex on delivery the transformation programmes in line with the NHS Long Term Plan regarding mental health and ensure good governance of system plans that enable system accountability, including strategic approaches to system transformation as part of Health and Wellbeing Board strategies and plans.

Ensure delivery of all agreed trajectories and targets, taking action to address any underperformance to ensure delivery.

Lead on work with Public Health and LDA Teams to ensure that the mental health joint strategic needs and objectives are kept up to date and delivered.

Engage proactively with key strategic regional and national policy makers to inform development of strategy and policies.

Ensure all approaches are evidence based and draw on examples of national and international best practice.

Influence and set the expectation for the provision of an efficient, high performance, high quality and well led commissioning, procurement and contract management service.

Offer highly professional leadership to the mental health team across NHS Sussex, implementing frameworks to ensure consistently high performance.

Offer expert mental health advice and views to other directorate areas such as complex care, primary care and performance and intelligence.

Qualifications

Essential

• Educated to masters level or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level with continuing professional development.
• Extensive knowledge of specialist areas, acquired through post graduate diploma or equivalent experience or training plus further specialist knowledge or experience to masters level equivalent.
• Evidence of post qualifying and continuing professional development.
• Must have an understanding of the background to and aims of current healthcare policy and appreciate the implications of this on engagement.
• Should have an appreciation of the relationship between the Department of Health, Regional Office of NHS England and individual provider and commissioning organisations.

Skills & Capabilities

Essential

• Leadership, vision, strategic thinking and planning with highly developed political skills.
• Plans and organises a broad range of complex activities, formulating and adjusting plans to reflect changing circumstances.
• Inputs to strategic plans across NHS and within the specific teams.
• Good use of available information sources to enable efficient and effective planning.
• Ability to work under pressure and to tight and often changing deadlines.
• Skills for direct line management and job management.
• Skills for delivering results through managing through others and using a range of levers in the absence of direct line management responsibility.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office with intermediate keyboard skills.
• Ability to provide and receive, convey and present highly complex, sensitive and/or contentious information to large groups, responding openly to questions to ensure full understanding and engagement.
• Ability to communicate with clinical, academic and all levels of staff effectively.
• High level analytical skills and the ability to draw qualitative and quantitative data from a wide range of sources and present in a clear concise manner.
• Ability to analyse numerical and written data, assess options and draw appropriate conclusions.
• High level critical thinking skills.
• Practical experience of facilitating organisational and cultural change within organisations, departments and team.
• Ability to develop and maintain communication with people on complex matters, issues and ideas and/or in complex situations.
• Demonstrates sound judgement in the absence of clear guidelines or precedent, seeking advice as necessary from more senior management when appropriate.

Experience

Essential

• Experience:
• Experience and knowledge of mental health transformation, provision or both at a senior level.
• Experience of working in partnership across agencies to deliver improved outcomes.
• Experience of working with Stakeholders to develop performance improvement plans and to develop plans for innovation.
• Previously responsible for a budget, involved in budget setting and working knowledge of financial processes.
• Experience of managing relationships with a range of different stakeholders.

Values

Essential

• It is essential that all employees uphold the values of NHS Sussex. The first part of the interview process will involve a question from the values listed below;
• Respect and dignity - Commitment to quality of care - Compassion - Improving lives - Working together for patients - Everyone counts