Job summary
We are seeking a highly skilled Mental Health Practitioner to take on the role of Team Leader within Lewisham Community Services. This is an exciting opportunity to step into a leadership role at the centre of our Community Redesign Programme, helping shape how mental health care is delivered across the borough.
As Team Leader, you will lead a multidisciplinary team to deliver safe, effective, and compassionate care to adults with complex mental health needs. You will play a key role in improving care pathways, supporting staff development, and ensuring high standards of clinical practice. Your leadership will ensure that service users and carers receive timely, person-centred support that promotes recovery and inclusion.
We welcome applications from qualified Community Psychiatric Nurses, or Allied Mental Health Professionals with substantial experience in community mental health. You will bring clinical credibility, operational confidence, and a collaborative mindset
Your responsibilities will include day-to-day team management, supervision, caseload oversight, and contributing to service improvement. You will ensure while promoting a culture of safety, accountability, and integrated working.
You will be supported by the Service Manager and work closely with other senior clinicians including the Community Matron and Senior Mental Health Practitioner.
If you're ready to lead with purpose and make a lasting impact in community mental health, we'd love to hear from you.
Main duties of the job
As Team Leader, you will hold overall responsibility for the effective delivery of care within Lewisham Community Mental Health Services, ensuring alignment with Trust policies, procedures, and values. You will lead a multidisciplinary team of clinicians and support staff, fostering a culture of high-quality, evidence-based practice and professional accountability.
You will ensure that regular supervision, appraisal, and reflective practice are embedded across the team, supporting staff development and wellbeing. Through strong operational oversight, you will manage resources efficiently, monitor service standards, and drive continuous improvement in care delivery.
A key aspect of the role is coordinating multidisciplinary working and maintaining robust communication across internal teams and external partners. You will ensure seamless interface and continuity of care across services, promoting collaborative working and integrated support for service users.
You will carry out both clinical and managerial duties to a standard that ensures safe, effective, and person-centred care. Your practice will reflect the highest professional standards and comply with the relevant Code of Conduct, safeguarding legislation, and governance frameworks.
About us
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) is one of the UK's leading providers of mental health services, with a rich history, strong community links, and an international reputation for excellence. We deliver specialist care across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Lambeth, Southwark, and Croydon, supporting over 45,000 people in the community each year.As part of Lewisham Community Services, you'll be working in a diverse, forward-thinking team committed to recovery-focused, person-centred care. We value compassion, inclusion, and innovation, and offer extensive opportunities for professional development, reflective practice, and career progression.SLaM is proud to be part of King's Health Partners, giving staff access to cutting-edge research, academic collaboration, and world-class training. By joining us, you'll be part of an organisation that combines clinical care, science, and education to improve mental health locally, nationally, and globally.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical Leadership:Ensure evidence-based, person-centred care across the team. Oversee care pathways, promote service user and carer involvement, and support therapeutic interventions. Maintain compliance with mental health legislation and safeguarding protocols.
Team Management:Supervise and support staff across disciplines. Promote professional development, reflective practice, and staff wellbeing. Implement HR policies and delegate responsibilities appropriately.
Quality & Governance:Set and monitor clinical standards. Promote safe, inclusive practice and ensure continuity of care. Respond to incidents and complaints, embedding learning and driving improvement.
Operational Oversight:Manage staffing, budgets, and safe working environments. Support agile working and address cost pressures. Ensure compliance with Health & Safety legislation.
Collaboration & Communication:Maintain strong links with partner organisations. Lead meetings and represent the team across services. Ensure high standards in documentation and data protection.
Additional Duties:Deputise for senior leaders, lead on complaints resolution, support student placements, and contribute to service-wide projects and initiatives.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical Leadership:Ensure evidence-based, person-centred care across the team. Oversee care pathways, promote service user and carer involvement, and support therapeutic interventions. Maintain compliance with mental health legislation and safeguarding protocols.
Team Management:Supervise and support staff across disciplines. Promote professional development, reflective practice, and staff wellbeing. Implement HR policies and delegate responsibilities appropriately.
Quality & Governance:Set and monitor clinical standards. Promote safe, inclusive practice and ensure continuity of care. Respond to incidents and complaints, embedding learning and driving improvement.
Operational Oversight:Manage staffing, budgets, and safe working environments. Support agile working and address cost pressures. Ensure compliance with Health & Safety legislation.
Collaboration & Communication:Maintain strong links with partner organisations. Lead meetings and represent the team across services. Ensure high standards in documentation and data protection.
Additional Duties:Deputise for senior leaders, lead on complaints resolution, support student placements, and contribute to service-wide projects and initiatives.
Person Specification
Education and Qualification
Essential
- Hold a professional qualification
- Membership of a Professional Body
- Evidence of recent continued professional development.
- Mentorship or equivalent.
Desirable
- A commitment to completing quality improvement training.
Experience
Essential
- oSignificant experience of managing clinical practice in a mental health service (A)
- oExperience of implementing and monitoring standards of care. (A) Mentorship Course (or other relevant teaching/assessment course) (A)
- oEvidence of continuing professional development. (A)
- oExperience of providing clinical and managerial supervision (A)
- oExperience of working in a multicultural environment and knowledge of methods to develop culturally sensitive practice (A)
- Experience of risk management and safeguarding
Desirable
- oExperience of managing non-clinical staff and other professionals (A)
- oExperience of staff performance management (A)
Knowledge
Essential
- oSpecialist clinical knowledge relevant to the service, including evidence based practice. (A/I)
- oWorking knowledge of all relevant legislation associated with acute mental health care, including MHA, CPA procedures, Human Rights Act, NSF, Child Protection and NHS Plan. (A/I)
- Knowledge of key legislation and guidelines in relation to statutory mental health responsibilities, including Safeguarding Adults, Young people and children.
- Ability to provide quality care that is responsive to service user needs, without close supervision.
Desirable
- Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment.
- Knowledge of the theory of psychological models, such as CBT, DBT, or MBT.
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Highly developed verbal and written communication skills including communicating complex, highly technical and sensitive information to clients, their families and colleagues.
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate and to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive and/or challenging behaviour.
- Effective IT skills.
- Good organisational skills.
- Skills in emotional resilience: able to cope in difficult interpersonal situations.
- Self-aware, self-confident and intrinsically motivated to do a good job and to motivate others.
Desirable
- Accredited practitioner skills in at least one model of psychological therapy.
- Accredited nurse prescriber
- Ability to contribute to, monitor and implement changes and improvements to services.
- Specialised clinical skills, e.g. group work, anxiety/anger management, family work skills
Person Specification
Education and Qualification
Essential
- Hold a professional qualification
- Membership of a Professional Body
- Evidence of recent continued professional development.
- Mentorship or equivalent.
Desirable
- A commitment to completing quality improvement training.
Experience
Essential
- oSignificant experience of managing clinical practice in a mental health service (A)
- oExperience of implementing and monitoring standards of care. (A) Mentorship Course (or other relevant teaching/assessment course) (A)
- oEvidence of continuing professional development. (A)
- oExperience of providing clinical and managerial supervision (A)
- oExperience of working in a multicultural environment and knowledge of methods to develop culturally sensitive practice (A)
- Experience of risk management and safeguarding
Desirable
- oExperience of managing non-clinical staff and other professionals (A)
- oExperience of staff performance management (A)
Knowledge
Essential
- oSpecialist clinical knowledge relevant to the service, including evidence based practice. (A/I)
- oWorking knowledge of all relevant legislation associated with acute mental health care, including MHA, CPA procedures, Human Rights Act, NSF, Child Protection and NHS Plan. (A/I)
- Knowledge of key legislation and guidelines in relation to statutory mental health responsibilities, including Safeguarding Adults, Young people and children.
- Ability to provide quality care that is responsive to service user needs, without close supervision.
Desirable
- Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment.
- Knowledge of the theory of psychological models, such as CBT, DBT, or MBT.
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Highly developed verbal and written communication skills including communicating complex, highly technical and sensitive information to clients, their families and colleagues.
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate and to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive and/or challenging behaviour.
- Effective IT skills.
- Good organisational skills.
- Skills in emotional resilience: able to cope in difficult interpersonal situations.
- Self-aware, self-confident and intrinsically motivated to do a good job and to motivate others.
Desirable
- Accredited practitioner skills in at least one model of psychological therapy.
- Accredited nurse prescriber
- Ability to contribute to, monitor and implement changes and improvements to services.
- Specialised clinical skills, e.g. group work, anxiety/anger management, family work skills
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).
