Clinical Lead

Job overview

This is a really exciting opportunity to take on a 12 month Clinical Lead role within the Wellingborough and East Northants CMHT. It offers the chance to bring together your clinical experience and leadership skills, while making a real difference to people with complex mental health needs as part of a developing service.

In this role, you will provide day to day clinical leadership to a supportive and experienced team, helping to maintain high standards of care and supporting staff to grow and develop. As community mental health services continue to evolve, this is an important role for someone who is motivated, forward thinking and keen to shape how services are delivered in the future.

You will work closely within a triumvirate leadership team alongside a Band 7 Operational Manager and a Band 7 Specialist Nurse, reporting to the Band 8a Service Manager. Together, you will focus on delivering safe, effective and person centred care, while continuing to improve the service and outcomes for the people we support.

Main duties of the job

The Clinical Lead is responsible for ensuring the delivery of high quality, evidence based care within the CMHT that is recovery focused. They will act as a source of expert clinical advice, leadership and support to the wider team, promoting safe and effective practice.

The post holder will use a range of clinical systems, including SystmOne, SMART, MaST and Datix, to support governance, quality monitoring and service delivery. They will have oversight of the day to day workload of the clinical team, supporting effective allocation of work and ensuring care is delivered safely and efficiently.

Working closely with the Operational Manager, the Clinical Lead will ensure adherence to local and national safeguarding procedures, and will support the development, implementation and embedding of both national and local policies within the team.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Clinical Lead will provide effective clinical leadership to the Community Mental Health Team, ensuring the delivery of safe, high quality and recovery focused care. Working as part of the triumvirate leadership structure, the post holder will support service development, workforce capability and continuous improvement within a changing healthcare environment.

Clinical leadership and quality

• Provide visible clinical leadership and expert advice to support safe, effective and evidence based practice
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, ensuring care is person centred, recovery focused and aligned with best practice
• Lead on clinical quality standards, including audits, care standards and governance requirements such as MaST and infection control
• Use systems including SystmOne, SMART, MaST and Datix to support quality monitoring and clinical governance

Service delivery and performance

• Oversee the day to day management of clinical activity, including caseload oversight and allocation of work
• Work in partnership with the Operational Manager to ensure effective management of demand, capacity and waiting lists, including the Referral to Treatment pathway
• Support the delivery and monitoring of key performance indicators, ensuring services are safe, responsive and efficient

Safeguarding, governance and risk

• Ensure adherence to local and national safeguarding procedures and statutory requirements
• Support the implementation and embedding of national and local policies within the team
• Lead on learning from incidents, complaints and patient safety investigations, ensuring improvements are embedded in practice

Leadership, supervision and workforce development

• Provide clinical supervision and support to a range of staff including Band 6 qualified clinicians such as Occupational Therapists and Community Psychiatric Nurses, as well as non qualified staff including Community Support Workers
• Support newly qualified staff through structured preceptorship, helping them to build confidence, consolidate clinical skills and transition safely into practice
• Promote reflective practice, professional curiosity and continuous professional development across the team
• Foster a positive and inclusive learning culture where staff feel valued, supported and able to grow
• Oversee the supervision of learners and contribute to maintaining a high quality learning environment
• Deliver teaching, training and development opportunities, sharing advanced clinical knowledge and skills

Collaborative working and communication

• Chair and contribute to multi disciplinary meetings, supporting the management of complex clinical situations
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with internal and external partners
• Communicate highly complex, sensitive or contentious information in a clear and professional manner

Service development and improvement

• Contribute to service transformation, supporting the development of new ways of working and improved care pathways
• Act as a champion for research, innovation and evidence based practice within the team
• Work with the leadership team to identify opportunities for service improvement and improved patient outcomes

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.