Senior Clinician, S117

We are seeking an experienced and credible Senior Clinical Lead for Section 117 Aftercare (Band 8b) to provide expert clinical leadership across the commissioning, delivery and quality assurance of Section 117 services. The postholder will work collaboratively with mental health providers, local authorities and wider system partners to ensure statutory responsibilities are met and that individuals leaving hospital receive high-quality, person-centred and recovery-focused support.

The successful candidate will have substantial experience in mental health services, a strong understanding of the Mental Health Act and Section 117 duties, and a proven track record of leading service improvement, complex case management and partnership working.

You will be responsible for leading the co-ordination of assessments and decision making and quality assurance for people who are entitled to Section 117 aftercare funding. They will bring a collaborative and partnership approach to this work as we develop our relationships with our partners to ensure that S117 is applied correctly, that people receiving this funding source are regularly reviewed and that our whole approach is based around the principles of hope and recovery.

The post holder will need to demonstrate sound clinical judgement, a good understanding of the regulations in relation to the mental health act, will be a team player, have excellent networking skills and thrives on developing a partnership approach

We value and promote diversity and are committed to equality of opportunity for all. We believe that the best employers are those that reflect the communities they serve. We want to increase the diversity of our NHS leadership and particularly encourage applications from women, people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, LGBT communities, younger candidates and from people with lived experience of disability, who we know are all under-represented in these important roles.

We are committed to delivering a trustworthy, flexible and responsible staff culture.

At our Organisation, our selection process ensures we recruit candidates with the right skills and values. We monitor AI use in applications and remain alert to misuse that misrepresents abilities. You must declare any AI use when submitting your application.

Ensure coordinated and proactive arrangements are delivered to prevent adults and children with mental illness and learning disabilities from being admitted to hospital unnecessarily. Work closely with partners to mobilise this preventative support.

Work across agencies to chair and co-ordinate, manage, monitor, and review the implementation of Section 117, Individual Funding Requests (IFR) and Non Contracted Activity (NCA) for people with mental health and learning disabilities who are at risk of admission to inpatient facilities.

To lead the development and implementation of an integrated s117 policy in collaboration with partners, and develop a more local standard operating policy to sit within that.

Work with the Head of Service to assure independently contracted placement reviews and application processes are delivered in line with legislation and locally agreed policy (once developed).

Work closely with the Head of service, finance team and contract team to assure budget management of S117, IFR and NCA placements. That all provision is accrued for and all packages are accurate and accounted for.

Please see full Job Description for more details.

• Qualifications within Mental health Nursing (RNMH). Current registration with the NMC Qualified RNMH.
• Six or more years of qualified professional experience in mental health in including two or more years of assessing adults with specialist mental health/learning disability needs
• At least 2 years’ management or commissioning experience in Health

• Demonstrable specialist knowledge in section 117 of the Mental Health Act.
• Experience of conducting section 117 reviews and moving people on when they are no longer eligible. Experience of managing a team
• Significant experience of successfully operating in a politically sensitive environment.
• Evidence of continued professional development.
• Demonstrated experience of co-ordinating projects in complex and challenging environments
• Experience of managing risks and reporting.
• Experience of drafting briefing papers and correspondence at senior…