CIMHS Operational Lead

The CIMHS Operational Lead will provide leadership to the Community Integrated Mental Health Service, working within a fast-paced, evolving system that positions CIMHS as the
front door to community mental health provision. The post holder will be responsible for the effective delivery, development and continuous improvement of neighbourhood-based mental health services, ensuring timely access, high-quality care and strong partnership working across primary care, secondary care, social care and the voluntary and community sector.

The post holder will provide operational leadership to CIMHS, which is organised around neighbourhood working and aligned to Primary Care Networks. They will be accountable for the day to day performance, capacity and flow of the service, ensuring that CIMHS operates as a responsive, accessible and clinically robust front door for adults with mental health needs.

Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are:
We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.

The Operational Lead will provide operational and line management supervision to senior staff within CIMHS, supporting a culture of accountability, collaboration, learning and continuous improvement. They will be responsible for workforce planning, managing demand and capacity in a high-throughput environment, and responding flexibly to changing pressures and system priorities.

CIMHS continues to integrate a range of provision, including secondary care mental health services, enhanced primary care functions, third sector partners, peer support and social care. The post holder will play a key role in embedding integrated ways of working
, ensuring clarity of roles, effective communication and shared ownership of outcomes across organisational boundaries.

A core element of the role is ensuring that neighbourhood CIMHS teams operate in line with the principles of the Community Mental Health Framework
: place-based, whole-person and whole-population approaches, with a strong focus on addressing inequalities and working alongside local communities. The post holder will support meaningful co-production with people who use services, carers and community partners.

The post holder will work closely with crisis and acute services to ensure smooth interfaces, effective escalation and de-escalation, and shared risk management, holding an appropriate level of operational risk and oversight for a dynamic community pathway.

They will also contribute to the development, implementation and oversight of governance arrangements
within this complex multi-agency environment, ensuring quality, safety, performance and learning are embedded within day-to-day operations.

• Relevant qualification:
  Social work, Nursing (RMN), Occupational Therapy, Psychology, Arts Therapies to degree or equivalent supplemented by specialist training experience within specialist area equivalent to masters level
• Evidence of professional development
• Registration with relevant professional body

• Significant experience of leading clinical work
• Significant experience as an AMHP, if applicable
• Significant experience of staff line management, development and leadership
• Experience of budget management
• Experience of recruitment, selection and retention
• Experience of developing services and the change process
• Experience of developing and delivering training
• Experience of working in a multidisciplinary team
• Experience of partnership working with other agencies

• Knowledge of current mental health legislation and initiatives
• Knowledge of the Mental Health Act 1983
• Knowledge and understanding of Social Care issues including Personalisation and Safeguarding adults and children
• Knowledge of the legal and ethical issues relating to health care
• Knowledge of equal opportunities, confidentiality and consent issues
• NHS/LA policies and procedures Spreadsheet & data analysis skills
• Ability to manage with available, sometimes limited, resources
• Health & Safety issues
• Demonstrate high level of care expertise
• High level of verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to co-ordinate and deliver services to a complex group
• Ability to plan and develop local policy and procedure
• Ability to line manage and develop a multidisciplinary clinical team
• Ability to manage competency
• Ability to provide and co-ordinate clinical / management supervision
• Ability to manage severely challenging behaviour/crisis intervention including intervention under the MHA
• Able to manage & lead incidents of verbal & violent aggression
• Ability to lead on all category SI reviews for the locality
• Ability to manage unpredictable workloads and frequent demands on concentration…