Job summary
The post holder will be responsible for the development and management of health and social care resources to ensure a seamless, responsive, and flexible service for patients and carers. The focus of the service is on recovery, self-management of long-term conditions, and enabling patients to live independent and fulfilling lives. The role ensures the service line is comprehensive and flexible, with strong emphasis on service user involvement at every stage of the care pathway. The post holder also has management accountability for mental health services outside the CMHT psychosis pathway and must ensure clinical and operational systems are fit for purpose while providing senior leadership for continuous service development.
Main duties of the job
- Provide senior leadership and overall accountability for the service line.
- Oversee day-to-day operational management across sites to ensure services run safely and effectively.
- Lead and support staff through recruitment, supervision, appraisals, and ongoing development.
- Ensure integration across community teams and effective partnership with external agencies.
- Monitor performance, activity, risks, and financial targets, taking action where required.
- Support change management, service improvement, and delivery of quality standards.
- Ensure robust systems for safeguarding, Health & Safety, infection control, and risk management. Maintain effective communication within teams and across internal/external stakeholders.
About us
Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children's centres, schools and people's homes.We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.
Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:
- We're Kind
- We're Fair
- We Listen
- We Care
Job description
Job responsibilities
Leadership & Management
-
Lead the service line, ensuring achievement of performance, quality, and safety standards.
-
Manage staffing structures, workforce development, and promote a positive team culture.
Clinical & Service Delivery
-
Ensure timely access to assessment and treatment for adults with complex mental health needs.
-
Oversee demand and capacity planning and maintain compliance with KPIs and national standards.
-
Manage delegated budgets and ensure evidencebased practice is embedded across teams.
Governance, Safety & Quality
-
Maintain strong systems for risk management, Health & Safety, complaints handling, and safeguarding.
-
Promote safe, effective care and adherence to Trust policies and regulatory standards.
Training, Education & Development
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Support identification of training needs, monitor learning, and facilitate student placements.
-
Participate in audits, research, and Trustwide improvement initiatives.
Communication & Partnership Working
-
Maintain effective communication systems within teams.
-
Work collaboratively with primary care, local authority teams, voluntary sector partners, and specialist services.
-
Produce reports on complex operational and clinical issues when required
Job description
Job responsibilities
Leadership & Management
-
Lead the service line, ensuring achievement of performance, quality, and safety standards.
-
Manage staffing structures, workforce development, and promote a positive team culture.
Clinical & Service Delivery
-
Ensure timely access to assessment and treatment for adults with complex mental health needs.
-
Oversee demand and capacity planning and maintain compliance with KPIs and national standards.
-
Manage delegated budgets and ensure evidencebased practice is embedded across teams.
Governance, Safety & Quality
-
Maintain strong systems for risk management, Health & Safety, complaints handling, and safeguarding.
-
Promote safe, effective care and adherence to Trust policies and regulatory standards.
Training, Education & Development
-
Support identification of training needs, monitor learning, and facilitate student placements.
-
Participate in audits, research, and Trustwide improvement initiatives.
Communication & Partnership Working
-
Maintain effective communication systems within teams.
-
Work collaboratively with primary care, local authority teams, voluntary sector partners, and specialist services.
-
Produce reports on complex operational and clinical issues when required
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to degree or diploma level with a relevant qualification or equivalent experience
- Clinical or postgraduate management qualification, or equivalent level of experience.
- Proven ability to perform at this level, demonstrating knowledge and competency expected of a senior manager.
Desirable
- Postgraduate training in leadership, service improvement, or change management .
- Additional training related to risk management, governance, or quality improvement.
- Evidence of continued professional development (CPD) relevant to mental health services or operational management (required for maintaining effectiveness per JD expectations).
Skills/Abilities/Knowledge
Essential
- Ability to provide and receive complex and emotive information with staff, service users, carers, and stakeholders
- Ability to present information clearly and communicate effectively.
- Understanding of effective systems for integrated governance and management of clinical and non-clinical risks.
Desirable
- Knowledge of key local and motivational drivers.
- Ability to adapt leadership style to ensure delivery of objectives
- Ability to hold professionals and peers to account in a constructive manner
Experience
Essential
- Extensive experience of managing health or social care services.
- Experience of managing resources, change management, efficiency savings, and financial recovery plans.
- Experience of developing and maintaining effective partnerships for service redesign.
Desirable
- Experience of modernising services without additional resources
- Experience managing a diverse, multi-site practitioner team.
- Experience in project management and imaginative service planning
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to degree or diploma level with a relevant qualification or equivalent experience
- Clinical or postgraduate management qualification, or equivalent level of experience.
- Proven ability to perform at this level, demonstrating knowledge and competency expected of a senior manager.
Desirable
- Postgraduate training in leadership, service improvement, or change management .
- Additional training related to risk management, governance, or quality improvement.
- Evidence of continued professional development (CPD) relevant to mental health services or operational management (required for maintaining effectiveness per JD expectations).
Skills/Abilities/Knowledge
Essential
- Ability to provide and receive complex and emotive information with staff, service users, carers, and stakeholders
- Ability to present information clearly and communicate effectively.
- Understanding of effective systems for integrated governance and management of clinical and non-clinical risks.
Desirable
- Knowledge of key local and motivational drivers.
- Ability to adapt leadership style to ensure delivery of objectives
- Ability to hold professionals and peers to account in a constructive manner
Experience
Essential
- Extensive experience of managing health or social care services.
- Experience of managing resources, change management, efficiency savings, and financial recovery plans.
- Experience of developing and maintaining effective partnerships for service redesign.
Desirable
- Experience of modernising services without additional resources
- Experience managing a diverse, multi-site practitioner team.
- Experience in project management and imaginative service planning
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
