Job summary
We are seeking a dynamic and compassionate Assistant Director to support
the leadership and delivery of high-quality adult acute mental health services. The role will work closely with senior teams
to ensure safe, effective and recovery-focused care, leading on service
improvement, staff development and operational oversight. It will suit someone with strong clinical and
managerial experience in mental health, excellent communication and organisational
skills and a commitment to partnership working with service users, families and
multi-disciplinary professionals. The role
will help drive innovation, maintain high standards and ensure services remain
responsive person-centred and aligned with organisational and regulatory
requirements.
Main duties of the job
The role will be responsible for ensuring high-quality, compassionate
and person-centred care, while fostering a culture of innovation,
collaboration, and continuous improvement across our adult acute teams. The
role will oversee service performance, workforce management, budget control and
compliance with regulatory standards, while driving service improvement and
supporting a positive recovery-focussed culture. Essential skills include strong leadership
and communication abilities, proven experience in managing clinical or
operational teams in mental health services, sound knowledge of mental health
legislation and CQC standards, and the ability to work collaboratively across
multidisciplinary teams. Ideally you
will be highly organised, resilient and committed to empowering staff,
improving patient experience and achieving excellence in mental health service
delivery .
About us
Hello!
We
are Navigo. We look after North East Lincolnshire's mental health and
well-being, an award-winning social enterprise that provides mental health
services to the NHS and beyond.
The
whole basis of our work is to deliver services that we would be happy for our
own family to use.
We
offer a range of mental health services, including acute and community
facilities as well as specialist support such as outstanding older adults
inpatient services, rehabilitation and recovery community mental health and an
outstanding specialist eating disorder facility.
Ranked
as one of the top UK companies to work for, we feature in the Best Companies
top 100 large company list.
As
a social enterprise, we do things a little bit differently and have also
developed income-generating commercially viable businesses that provide
training, education and employment opportunities including Grimsby Garden
Centre.
Working
at Navigo is not like working anywhere else. Lots of places say that, but we
really mean it.
We
like to work with forward-thinking people who want to make a difference.
Come
and Join us !
Please
note: Whilst we value all applications, if we believe an application to be AI
generated, we will use a checking tool and may reject any application that has
been automatically generated.
Should
you require any assistance in completing this application due to a disability
or other needs please contact navigo.recruitment@nhs.net
Job description
Job responsibilities
Strategy & Service Model
Lead the design and delivery
of an integrated adult acute pathway (inpatient CRHT liaison psychiatry),
aligned to the NHS England vision for timely, therapeutic, least restrictive
inpatient care and comprehensive crisis alternatives.
Ensure liaison psychiatry
services meet CORE24 principles (all age, 24/7, ED & wards coverage;
responsive timescales) and embed collaborative working with acute hospital
partners.
2) Quality, Safety &
Culture
Embed Culture of Care
Standards (trauma informed, autism informed, culturally competent care) across
all wards; champion reduction in restrictive practices with measurable
improvements
Implement PSIRF across acute
services, ensuring compassionate involvement of patients/families,
proportionate learning responses, and robust improvement cycles.
Assure compliance with the
Mental Health Act Code of Practice and CQC expectations for learning from
restrictive practices.
3) Operational Performance
& Flow
Manage bed capacity,
occupancy, out of area placements, delayed transfers and length of stay; lead
discharge improvement work as per NHS England inpatient flow guidance.
Ensure CRHT gatekeeping of
admissions, timely crisis assessment, and intensive home treatment as a safe
alternative to admission.
Oversee liaison psychiatry's rapid response in ED/wards and joint escalation with acute trusts to prevent
breaches and unnecessary admissions.
4) Workforce, Health &
Wellbeing
Deliver safe staffing models,
skills mix, training compliance and supervision; implement proactive sickness
absence support using NHS Employers toolkit and national analytics trends.
5) Patient Experience &
Engagement
Ensure routine use of Friends
& Family Test (FFT) and local experience measures across inpatient, crisis,
and liaison services, with you said we did improvements.
6) Governance, Data &
Finance
Maintain robust governance:
risk registers, incident oversight, audit and improvement programmes; use
national datasets (e.g., MHSDS restrictive practice dashboard) for
benchmarking.
Deliver agreed
budgets, cost improvement plans that protect quality, and business cases (e.g.,
liaison expansion to CORE24).
Job description
Job responsibilities
Strategy & Service Model
Lead the design and delivery
of an integrated adult acute pathway (inpatient CRHT liaison psychiatry),
aligned to the NHS England vision for timely, therapeutic, least restrictive
inpatient care and comprehensive crisis alternatives.
Ensure liaison psychiatry
services meet CORE24 principles (all age, 24/7, ED & wards coverage;
responsive timescales) and embed collaborative working with acute hospital
partners.
2) Quality, Safety &
Culture
Embed Culture of Care
Standards (trauma informed, autism informed, culturally competent care) across
all wards; champion reduction in restrictive practices with measurable
improvements
Implement PSIRF across acute
services, ensuring compassionate involvement of patients/families,
proportionate learning responses, and robust improvement cycles.
Assure compliance with the
Mental Health Act Code of Practice and CQC expectations for learning from
restrictive practices.
3) Operational Performance
& Flow
Manage bed capacity,
occupancy, out of area placements, delayed transfers and length of stay; lead
discharge improvement work as per NHS England inpatient flow guidance.
Ensure CRHT gatekeeping of
admissions, timely crisis assessment, and intensive home treatment as a safe
alternative to admission.
Oversee liaison psychiatry's rapid response in ED/wards and joint escalation with acute trusts to prevent
breaches and unnecessary admissions.
4) Workforce, Health &
Wellbeing
Deliver safe staffing models,
skills mix, training compliance and supervision; implement proactive sickness
absence support using NHS Employers toolkit and national analytics trends.
5) Patient Experience &
Engagement
Ensure routine use of Friends
& Family Test (FFT) and local experience measures across inpatient, crisis,
and liaison services, with you said we did improvements.
6) Governance, Data &
Finance
Maintain robust governance:
risk registers, incident oversight, audit and improvement programmes; use
national datasets (e.g., MHSDS restrictive practice dashboard) for
benchmarking.
Deliver agreed
budgets, cost improvement plans that protect quality, and business cases (e.g.,
liaison expansion to CORE24).
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered health or social care professional (NMC, HCPC, BPS, SWE) with current registration and/or Masters level study in leadership with demonstrable experience in healthcare senior leadership.
- Evidence of postgraduate leadership or management training (or willingness to undertake)
Desirable
- Quality improvement qualification.
- Accredited training in quality improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma, Model for Improvement).
Knowledge
Essential
- In-depth understanding of adult acute inpatient care standards, CRHT fidelity, liaison psychiatry (CORE24), and national policy.
- Knowledge of restrictive practice reduction strategies and trauma-informed care.
- Understanding of patient safety frameworks (PSIRF) and incident learning processes
Desirable
- Familiarity with workforce planning and wellbeing strategies.
- Understanding of research and innovation in mental health care
Experience
Essential
- Significant senior leadership experience in adult acute mental health services.
- Proven track record of managing inpatient wards and crisis/home treatment services.
- Experience of implementing quality improvement initiatives and delivering measurable outcomes
Desirable
- Experience of working across integrated care systems and multi-agency partnerships.
- Previous involvement in service accreditation (e.g., AIMS, PLAN)
Additional Requirements
Essential
- Strategic planning and service redesign skills.
- Ability to interpret and use data for performance management and improvement.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills
Desirable
- Advanced negotiation and influencing skills across organisational boundaries.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered health or social care professional (NMC, HCPC, BPS, SWE) with current registration and/or Masters level study in leadership with demonstrable experience in healthcare senior leadership.
- Evidence of postgraduate leadership or management training (or willingness to undertake)
Desirable
- Quality improvement qualification.
- Accredited training in quality improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma, Model for Improvement).
Knowledge
Essential
- In-depth understanding of adult acute inpatient care standards, CRHT fidelity, liaison psychiatry (CORE24), and national policy.
- Knowledge of restrictive practice reduction strategies and trauma-informed care.
- Understanding of patient safety frameworks (PSIRF) and incident learning processes
Desirable
- Familiarity with workforce planning and wellbeing strategies.
- Understanding of research and innovation in mental health care
Experience
Essential
- Significant senior leadership experience in adult acute mental health services.
- Proven track record of managing inpatient wards and crisis/home treatment services.
- Experience of implementing quality improvement initiatives and delivering measurable outcomes
Desirable
- Experience of working across integrated care systems and multi-agency partnerships.
- Previous involvement in service accreditation (e.g., AIMS, PLAN)
Additional Requirements
Essential
- Strategic planning and service redesign skills.
- Ability to interpret and use data for performance management and improvement.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills
Desirable
- Advanced negotiation and influencing skills across organisational boundaries.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
.png){kind=logo}
