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Mental Health Service Lead
The closing date is 28 October 2025
The mental health service lead is responsible for the delivery of high quality mental health, psychological, therapeutic and clinical substance misuse services at HMP Aylesbury.
The post holder will have overall responsibility for the line-management, clinical, operational and performance functions of the Mental Health team within the prison. This will involve ensuring effective and efficient resource utilisation, awareness of financial impact, the delivery of evidence-based patient care and a safe service. In conjunction with the Consultant Psychiatrist and the Head of Healthcare, the post holder will provide clear, visible leadership, vision and clinical expertise to enhance the service user experience.
To operate flexibly within a challenging healthcare environment, involving multiple providers, while being an ambassador for Healthcare and CNWL. To support the Team in the creation of effective pathways of care for the prisoners served.
Main duties of the job
To deliver effective leadership and direction to all staff within the Mental Health and Substance Misuse team.
To ensure the service is cost effective, well organised, evidence based, & service user focussed.
To ensure that all targets and performance indicators as agreed with the Head of Healthcare are met, and where they are ‘at risk’ to communicate with the Deputy Director Operations North and Business and Performance Lead as soon as a risk is identified.
To advance innovative ideas and strategies and provide vision and inspiration to enable staff to deliver care more effectively.
To ensure that clinical practice in the team is delivered safely and in accordance with the Care Qualify Commission Framework, Professional Practice standards and any other relevant national policies and standards.
To implement a culture that focuses on improving outcomes across the care pathway for clients.
To work in partnership with the Prison and other healthcare providers to ensure there are clear and responsive operational policies, procedures and protocols.
To take a leadership role in the ACCT process and other risk management processes.
To ensure the effective clinical management of patients in In-patients, Segregation, the wings/ houseblocks, and any other area of the prison.
To provide cover for the Head of Healthcare as required.
About us
We’re passionate about delivering first‑class patient‑centred, safe and effective care, whether it is in a hospital setting, in a community clinic or in the patient’s own home. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Top quality care depends on our ability to employ the best people. We’re always looking to recruit outstanding people who will go the extra mile to support our patients, colleagues, teams and the Trust. With every new employee we’re hoping to find our future leaders and we’ll support our staff by providing opportunities to develop your career. With a diverse culture and equally diverse range of opportunities across mental health, community services, addictions, eating disorders, learning disabilities and more – whatever stage of your career you’re at, there’s always a place for you at CNWL.
Job responsibilities
To ensure attendance at local team and clinical review meetings and ensure clinical meetings take place regularly to give guidance to multi‑disciplinary staff, taking into account their skills and experience.
To be responsible for the implementation of action plans from the Service Line Care Quality and Performance meeting.
To take part in audit processes as required and ensure that recommendations resulting from the audit are implemented.
To provide advice to individual nursing staff and other stakeholders on issues relating to clinical competence, nursing standards and procedures.
To ensure that nursing issues are identified within the business planning strategy of the Directorate and the Trust and that the aims of the Trust Nursing Strategy are effectively communicated to nursing and other staff.
To ensure nursing practice is sensitive to the needs of an ethnically diverse population.
To ensure clinical notes are maintained to the agreed standard at all times and that clients are appropriately assessed, admitted, care planned and discharged.
To ensure that data is entered onto systems according to agreed guidelines and that data collection is prioritised at all times and that incomplete/inaccurate data submission is rectified without delay.
To lead and advise nursing staff in monitoring and managing issues involving nutrition, cleanliness, physical care and infection control, and ensure that concerns are dealt with across the service line.
To ensure the development of effective supporting structures for carers in line with CNWL guidelines.
To manage all complaints and serious incidents, undertaking the relevant investigations as required by Trust Policy and to prepare reports as required for the Regional Operations Manager and Director.
To undertake any investigations as necessary, and ensure all action plans are implemented in a timely manner with appropriate evidence.
Person Specification
Education and Qualifications
* Registered Nurse, Allied Health or Social Care Professional.
* Recognised management training in leadership, policy or strategy
Previous Experience
* Consolidated years post‑registration experience
* Substantive experience of managing within a multi‑disciplinary staff team, including line management, supervision responsibility and operational management of services at band 7.
* Substantial experience within a prison or low, medium or high security hospital setting.
* Experience of re‑provisioning of services and managing staff through change
* Experience of writing reports and delivering presentations.
* Experience of managing budgets
Skills & Knowledge
* Up to date knowledge of nursing developments, especially in forensic mental health.
* Able to demonstrate an understanding of safeguarding practice for both vulnerable adults and children
* Ability to manage change and conflict
* Demonstrable ability to performance manage services to meet key performance indicators (KPIs) and performance targets.
* Detailed knowledge of policy agenda in forensic Mental Health services
* Understanding of the NHS Long term plan, and direction of travel for mental health services in IC
* To demonstrate a positive ‘can do’ attitude despite the difficulty of any given situation
* To demonstrate the ability to weigh up situations and consider the benefits and problems before decisions are made
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.
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
£55,690 to £62,682 a year per annum (pro rata if P/T)
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