Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Lead

Job summary

The Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Lead will lead the operational delivery of the Trusts Critical Incident Stress Management framework, ensuring timely, psychologically informed support is available to staff following traumatic or high-impact incidents.

The postholder will coordinate the Critical Incident Service Management response to incidents that may have a significant psychological impact on staff, including serious incidents, unexpected patient deaths, violence or aggression, safeguarding events, and other distressing clinical situations.

Working closely with the Consultant Clinical Psychologist and the Trust Director of Psychological Culture, the postholder will ensure consistent implementation of the Trusts CISM framework across Services, taking responsibility for reviewing the procedures and processes to continue the development of the service and manage the established service. The role will contribute to the Trusts wider approach to psychological safety, psychological consultation, our trauma-informed approach and staff recovery following critical incidents.

This vacancy is part time for 22.5 hours per week over 3 days.

Main duties of the job

Lead the operational delivery of the Trusts Critical Incident Stress Management programme across the organisation, taking responsibility for reviewing the procedures and processes to continue the development of the service and manage the established service.

Review and implement procedures, guidance and pathways for responding to incidents that may have a psychological impact on staff.

Ensure the Trust has a coordinated and timely system for providing early psychological support following critical incidents.

Work with the Consultant Clinical Psychologist to ensure that CISM responses reflect best practice in trauma informed approaches and psychologically informed staff support.

Contribute to the development and implementation of policies relating to staff support following traumatic incidents.

Implement evidenced based practice, manage and evaluate changes that lead to improved and high standards of care and in particular any service changes following feedback about the CISM service.

Promote innovation and participate in benchmarking and quality audits to measure effectiveness of current practices in line with ICISF standards and developments.

About us

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides joined-up mental and physical healthcare for around two million people across our communities. With over 13,000 staff working in the community and local hospitals, we deliver care at every stage of life, helping people live their best and healthiest lives.

Our mental health services include community-based support and early intervention in psychosis (EIP) for both adults and young people, alongside a network of specialist inpatient wards covering forensic, learning disability, eating disorder and older person's care.

We deliver extensive physical health services too, from urgent community response teams helping frail and older patients remain safely at home, to hospitals at home teams providing acute-level care in familiar surroundings. Our neurological services offer rehabilitation and treatment for conditions including Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Motor Neurone Disease, Head Injury, Cerebral Palsy and Stroke. Across Hampshire, our community hospitals provide inpatient rehabilitation as a step down from acute care, and our dedicated teams also staff Treetops Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Portsmouth, offering expert, compassionate support.

Everything we do is underpinned by our CARE values of compassion, accountability, respect and excellence

Details

• Date posted: 20 October 2026
• Pay scheme: Agenda for change
• Band: Band 8a
• Salary: £57,528 to £64,750 a year Based on full time hours
• Contract: Permanent
• Working pattern: Part-time
• Reference number: 348-COR-12720
• Job locations: Tatchbury Mount, Calmore, Southampton, Hampshire, SO40 2RZ, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities

Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached. It is important to us that we ensure our recruitment processes are accessible and inclusive to everyone - if as a potential candidate you are concerned a person specification may prevent or restrict your application for employment as a result of unintentional barriers on the grounds of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, religion/belief or disability please initially contact the Trust's Recruitment team - detailed in the advert. The Trust will seek to resolve this issue wherever possible.

We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.