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Job summary

Main area
Head of Mental Health
Grade
8b
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
278-HOMH-0724-CC
Employer
South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Nexus House
Town
CRAWLEY
Salary
£58,972 - £68,525 Per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
02/08/2024 23:59

Employer heading

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust logo

Head of Mental Health

8b

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) has a vision to ‘support our staff to provide a caring, high quality and efficient urgent and emergency care service to our communities’. We are rated ‘Good’ for care by the Care Quality Commission and while the other areas under their most recent report require improvement, our aim is to continually improve and to reach outstanding across all areas of the Trust.

Our 4,000+ workforce provide services to 4.9m people across Kent, Surrey, Sussex and North East Hampshire. We handle over 1 million calls to 999 and 1 million calls to NHS 111 every year. More information regarding our services and locations can be found on our website.

Job overview

We have a great opportunity for an experienced leader in Mental health to join us in a newly created position as Head of Mental Health. 

In this role, you will provide senior clinical leadership and expertise to ensure the highest level of prehospital care for mental health is delivered to our patients. You will support the achievement of national performance standards, optimal clinical outcomes, and compliance with national and local clinical practice standards. 

You will have organisational responsibility for mental health, reporting to the Deputy Director for Quality & Nursing (Assurance and Care), and overseeing our Senior Mental Health Locality Leads

Main duties of the job

  • To provide senior leadership and advice to the Trust on all matters related to mental health patient care, working collaboratively with the senior leadership and executive team to inform strategic direction.
  • Lead the Mental Health team to develop and support improvements in practice in care pertaining to mental health.
  • To implement and lead initiatives to deliver the mental health component of the Trust’s Clinical Strategy, ensuring alignment with clinical governance systems. This involves driving change management processes, overseeing the integration of best practices, and ensuring that mental health services meet established standards of quality and safety. Additionally, you will monitor progress, evaluate outcomes, and adapt strategies as necessary to ensure continuous improvement in mental health care delivery within the Trust.
  • Collaborate with the operations directorate and the clinical triumvirate—Chief Medical Officer, Chief Nursing Officer, and Chief Paramedic—to embed a culture of Clinical Quality and Governance specific to mental health. Develop, implement, and monitor governance frameworks to ensure continuous improvement and effectiveness in mental health services.

Working for our organisation

  • Option to join NHS pension scheme
  • A minimum 27 days' holiday each year, increasing after 5 years’ service.
  • Personal and professional development and training opportunities.
  • Salary Sacrifice schemes for cars or push bikes.
  • Access to occupational health and counselling services.
  • Award winning wellbeing hub
  • Back up buddy App
  • Access to NHS discounts, offering NHS employees a range of money-saving deals.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The successful person will provide senior clinical leadership and hold senior accountability for the regional portfolio for Mental Health, serving as the main point of contact alongside senior mental health locality leads and acting as the primary expert in this field. Coordinate and/or participate in relevant Trust, regional, and national groups and committees.

Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification

No agencies please 

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Registered Mental Health Professional.
  • Educated to master’s degree level or demonstrable equivalent experience working at senior level in this specialist area.
  • Extensive knowledge and experience in patient safety within healthcare organisations.
  • Evidence of active continued professional development to support the delivery of a senior leadership role
  • Teaching, coaching or mentorship qualification with relevant experience in training delivery
Desirable criteria
  • qualification - A recognised qualification in Quality Improvement methodology

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Highly developed specialist knowledge in relation to mental illness and disorder
  • Excellent proven knowledge in relation to the Mental Health Act
  • Knowledge of the impact of trauma on mental health
  • Advanced communication skills are required, including the ability to diplomatically challenge misperceptions and resolve inter-agency differences.
Desirable criteria
  • • Contributing to locality, regional or national level professional and service development

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Significant consolidated experience and professional/clinical credibility
  • Expert knowledge of mental health care and ability to demonstrate credibility
  • Up-to-date portfolio including significant demonstrable relevant and recent CPD activity.
  • Experience in undertaking formal investigations and collecting and analysing evidence.
  • Staff management.
Desirable criteria
  • Experience working in other clinical settings together with Previous knowledge of managing professional standards and quality issues.

Personal qualites

Essential criteria
  • Personal qualities should include, professional curiosity, resilience, tenacity, positive outlook, caring and innovative
  • Evidence of commitment to personal and professional development and a commitment to staff development
  • A resilient and conscientious individual who consistently meets deadlines, ensuring tasks are completed to a high standard.
  • Must have in place adequate external supervision for the clinical aspect of the role which meets NMC requirements and provides a safety net for the potential impact of this role.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Veteran AwareAge positiveInvestors in People: GoldImproving working livesArmed Forces Covenant (Silver Award)Mindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerThe Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion (enei) is the UK's leading employer network covering all aspects of equality and inclusion issues in the workplace.Care Quality Commission - Requires improvementStep into healthEmployers Network for Equality & InclusionArmed Forces CovenantCycle to Work

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Giovanni Mazza
Job title
Deputy Director for Quality & Nursing
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07899992018
Additional information

Jane Spencer

Business Support Manager, Quality & Nursing Directorate

e mail: [email protected]

 

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