Clinical Lead Mental Health Services

Clinical Lead for Mental Health Services The postholder will provide visible clinical and operational leadership across the charity's mental health services. As a registered professional, they will ensure assessment, care and support planning, risk management, safeguarding, record keeping and professional practice meet legal, regulatory, contractual and organisational requirements.

Lead Cypress Hospital, Supported Accommodation, Community Services, Alliance across multiple locations. Support the leadership of BeWell, as required. Hold delegated accountability for safe, effective and person-centred service delivery. Provide clinical, professional and operational leadership to a multidisciplinary workforce, including professional oversight for unregistered staff. Lead referral, assessment, admission, transition and discharge arrangements. Ensure effective management of clinical, operational, environmental, safeguarding and workforce risks.

Maintain safe staffing, effective rotas, clear escalation and out-of-hours arrangements. Lead and develop managers and designated staff, with clear roles, supervision, professional boundaries and accountability. Ensure compliance with CQC requirements, legislation, contracts, professional standards and organisational policy. Manage delegated budgets and resources, provide assurance and lead measurable service improvement.

Translate strategy and values into clear operational plans, annual objectives and measurable priorities. Maintain oversight of service activity, caseloads, staffing, incidents, risks, quality, outcomes and operational pressures. Promote consistent, integrated and recovery-focused practice across services and with external partners. Make timely decisions in complex or uncertain situations and elevate significant concerns promptly. Lead service planning, development and improvement; provide regular quality, safety and performance reports.

Contribute to organisational strategy, policy, business planning and governance; deputise in agreed areas and participate in the on-call rota.

Promote evidence-based, trauma-informed, strengths-based and recovery-focused practice. Provide specialist advice on complex mental and physical health needs, risk, capacity, safeguarding, care planning and deterioration. Ensure professional decisions are lawful, least restrictive and balance autonomy and positive risk-taking with protection from avoidable harm. Promote multidisciplinary formulation and decision-making, timely escalation and appropriate physical healthcare. Maintain professional registration and support registered staff with professional development, supervision and reflective practice.

Lead robust referral and assessment processes covering mental and physical health, capacity, medication, self-harm and suicide, substance use, violence, vulnerability, safeguarding, environmental risk, compatibility, staffing needs and personal goals. Ensure admission decisions are multidisciplinary, documented, evidence-based and confirm the service can safely meet need, with required resources or adjustments identified. Ensure safe transitions, lawful information sharing and transparent decisions where referrals are unsuitable.

Ensure each person has a current, accessible and person-centred care or support plan developed with the person and reviewed after significant change or incidents. Ensure risk assessments are current, dynamic and proportionate, with triggers, protective factors, controls, contingencies, escalation routes and responsibilities clearly recorded. Escalate risks that cannot be safely managed and ensure significant risks are reflected in governance arrangements.

Ensure adult and child safeguarding concerns are recognised, reported, referred and documented promptly, with immediate protective action where required. Support safeguarding enquiries, implement learning and monitor themes through governance. Ensure compliance with the Mental Health Act 1983, Mental Capacity Act 2005, Care Act 2014 and relevant human-rights duties. Ensure decision-specific capacity assessments, lawful best-interests decisions, access to advocacy and least-restrictive practice.

Escalate potential unlawful restrictions or deprivation of…