Nurse Consultant – Adult Mental Health (Band 8a) Location: NHS Borders, Melrose Department: Adult Mental Health Community Teams Contract: Permanent, Full-time 37hrs About the Role We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Nurse Consultant in Adult Mental Health to join our Mental Health Directorate at NHS Borders. This is a senior leadership role providing expert clinical, professional, and strategic guidance to improve the quality of care for adults with mental health needs across community settings. You will take a lead role on policy development, education, research, and clinical governance, while maintaining your own complex clinical caseload. Working collaboratively across professional and organisational boundaries, you will influence service delivery and shape future mental health nursing practice. Key Responsibilities Provide expert clinical leadership and consultancy in Adult Mental Health nursing. Lead on policy, standards, and strategic planning for mental health services. Deliver and support education and training for nursing staff and stakeholders. Drive research and quality improvement initiatives to enhance patient care. Participate in the Mental Health management on-call rota and deputise for senior leadership when required. About You Registered Mental Health Nurse with valid NMC registration. Educated to master’s level with advanced specialist knowledge in Adult Mental Health. Proven experience in clinical leadership, policy development, and service improvement. Strong communication, influencing, and interpersonal skills. Ability to work autonomously and manage complex priorities. What we offer Excellent training and development opportunities to support your career progression. A supportive and collaborative working environment within an established multi-disciplinary team (MDT). The chance to shape and influence high-quality mental health care across the Scottish Borders Why Join Us? NHS Borders provides a supportive and forward-thinking environment where innovation and collaboration thrive. In this pivotal role, you will help shape mental health services for a population of 116,000, working across diverse community settings. Enjoy the best of both worlds – a fulfilling career and the chance to live in one of the UK’s hidden gems. The Scottish Borders offers stunning rural landscapes and an exceptional quality of life, while the vibrant cities of Edinburgh and Newcastle are just an hour away by car or even less by train. Interview date : 13/12/2025 Due to legislative changes from 1 April 2025, this post may require a different level of criminal records check done than is currently the case. If the post is assessed as a "regulated role", your appointment will be subject to joining the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme. If there is any change to what is currently required, this will be confirmed by either the Hiring Manager or the Recruitment Team. For more details on these changes please visit: Disclosure Scotland Changes. To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service. As part of the pre-employment checks for a preferred candidate, NHS Scotland Boards will check your entitlement to work in the UK. It can be evidenced through a number of routes including specific types of visa as well as EU settled and pre-settled status. To find out more about these routes of permission, please refer to the GOV.UK website here. For specific types of post, if you do not have the necessary eligibility to work in the UK, it might be possible (though not guaranteed) to secure sponsorship via a UK Skilled Worker/Health & Care Worker Visa. However, this is only possible if the employer is a licenced Sponsor, and if the post does not fall below the current minimum salary threshold or ‘going rate’. Further information on these criteria can be found here. It is ESSENTIAL that you have checked that you either already have an appropriate right to work in the UK or that the post would be eligible to be sponsored BEFORE submitting your application form PLEASE NOTE: We cannot accept late applications so please ensure your application is submitted early NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.