Deputy Centre Lead / Team Leader

Job overview

• South-West Living Well Centre - Based at Gracefield Gardens in Streatham, providing Short Term Support Services, offering assessments and brief interventions to residents aged 18 and over regardless of diagnosis
• North Living Well Centre - Based at Brixton Road,  providing Focussed Support Services, delivering medium to longer-term mental health care using the Care Programme Approach.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will support their line manager in operating and developing the Living Well Centres, to include:

• Leading and managing safe and effective delivery of the care and support for people accessing the centre, within the parameters of delegated responsibility provided by the Alliance partnership organisations.
• Ensuring the centre workforce adheres to the principles, values and outcomes of the Living Well Network Alliance
• Effectively meeting all delegated statutory and regulated duties - with advice and support from relevant partner organisations.
• Improve quality, maintaining safety and leading innovative practice.

To apply for this post you must be a Registered Mental Health or Learning Disability Nurse, Occupational Therapist or Social Worker.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key Responsibilities:

• Management of Care and Practice

• Ensure that all clinical practice is developed using up to date evidence base, ensuring that all staff have the appropriate skill base and supporting mechanisms to access training to work with the service user group.
• Oversee a service user's care pathway, utilising available resources and Patient Journey framework and lead the team in its implementation.
• Ensure systems are in place to support user and carer-centred involvement in the planning and provision of care.
• Ensure that staff receives regular supervision and appraisal and are offered essential and developmental training in accordance with their personal development plans, and the needs of the service.
• Ensure that all service users are made aware of, encouraged, and assisted to use all services available to them.
• Ensure that the requirements of all mental health legislation are met

• Management of Clinical Standards

• Set, monitor and evaluate overall standards of care and practice in the team in liaison with the centre lead, Professional Advisors, and other agencies.
• Ensure that all practices and interactions in the team are based on the preservation and respect of service users dignity, individual and cultural identity, wishes (whenever possible) and are in accordance with the maintenance of individuals independence.
• Ensure that all staff is aware of the standards of professional behaviour expected by the Trust.
• Ensure that the service provides continuity out of hours, appropriately relating to the senior manager on-call and out of hours medical team.
• Work closely with the centres integrated workforce and involve them in all relevant day to day decisions.

• Management of Human Resources

• Maintain the efficient use of staffing resources in the team, ensuring that staffing levels are safe, appropriate and contain the necessary skill mix, but recognising and supporting Improving Working Lives within the confines of a safe service.
• The post-holder will ensure that each member of staff is fully aware of their responsibilities and has a personal development plan which is based on a balance between the needs of the individual and the service.
• Manage the overall development of the team, encouraging staff to contribute their views and ideas as appropriate.
• Implement all Trust policies and Human Resource Management, and ensure staff are aware of how to access this information.
• Delegate duties and responsibilities to other staff as appropriate to assist in the operation of the unit and to aid the development of individual staff.

• Management of Information and Communication

• Develop and maintain procedures that result in good communication between the integrated team and other agencies.
• Arrange and in some instances chair relevant meetings involving other agencies, patients and carers when necessary to facilitate good communication.
• The post-holder will lead the team in setting, implementing and monitoring realistic and achievable objectives in accordance with the aims and objectives of the service.
• Attend meetings and forums, representing the team at various levels both within the Trust and with external agencies, ensuring that all staff is kept fully briefed on any new developments etc.
• The post-holder may be required to participate in specific inter-agency work relevant to the service.
• Ensure that all communication (verbal or written) between the team and other departments or agencies is of a high standard both in its content and presentation.
• Ensure that all written and electronically stored information is accessible only to authorised personnel and is stored in accordance with the Data Protection Act.
• Ensure that administrative staff is aware of the importance of the collection of statistical data and ensure that this is collected and stored in an accurate and timely fashion.

• Management of the Environment

• Ensure that the Health and Safety at Work Act is adhered to by all staff.
• The post-holder will have particular responsibility for ensuring that all staff receives any training necessary in order to meet the requirements of the Act. (eg. fire training, first aid, etc.).
• The post-holder will be responsible for taking immediate action to deal with any problem which might affect service user, visitor or staff safety. This will involve liaison with the relevant Health and Safety Co-ordinator.
• Ensure local response in managing incidents by using the Trust Incident Policy and implementation outcomes to change and improve practice.

• Personal Development and Freedom to Act. The post-holder will:

• Be prepared to physically move between sites as needed.
• Ensure that they are fully aware of current developments and practice in their clinical area.
• Acknowledge their own limitations and discuss/identify their training and development needs with their line manager.
• Make effective use of supervision with their line manager on a regular and agreed basis. Be aware of the need to reflect on their practice both as clinician and manager.
• Manage own time efficiently.
• Be aware of and adhere to all Trust Policies and act as a role model to other staff.
• Meet the required professional standards for ongoing registration.
• Recognise emotional and mental effort required to fulfil the post.

• Other responsibilities. The post-holder will also be responsible for:

• Deputising for the centre lead as required.
• Establishing and building on excellent working relationships between other services within and external to the Directorate.
• Ensuring that systems are in place which invite service users and their carers to comment on the quality of services they receive.
• Implementation of the complaint’s procedure including investigation, response, and resolution.
• Ensuring that their line manager is kept informed of all developments and changes within the team.
• The safe storage and administration of medications.
• The creation and maintenance of an environment which is conducive to learning and which meets the educational standards required by Educational Institutions whose students are placed on the ward.
• The post-holder will be expected to facilitate actively the team’s involvement in the training and education of staff from a variety of disciplines.
• Participating in projects, within the team and Trust as required by the senior management of the Directorate.

• Other duties as delegated by the Clinical Service Lead.