South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

CAMHS Practice Development Nurse

The closing date is 23 February 2026

Job summary

Band 7 -Practice Development Manager, full time

This post will support and deputise for the Inpatient Matron who provides input across National & Specialist CAMHS. It is a key role to contribute to assuring service quality and standards by using a specialist knowledge and breadth of understanding of child and adolescent mental health theories, evidence-based assessments and interventions.

Main duties of the job

To co-ordinate training, education and development for nursing staff across CAMHS, working closely with senior staff including Managers, Matron's and Clinical Service Manager. To jointly develop the Training and Development Strategy with the Modern Matron and General Manager.

The post holder will be expected to support operational colleagues and where appropriate provide specific professional advice e.g. physical healthcare, contributing to the leadership and development of the units.

The post holder will be expected to benchmark and audit the service provided by services, carrying out audits as required.

To co-ordinate the preceptorship programme for newly qualified nurses and trainee Band 4 Nursing Associates, ensuring induction expectations are met and competencies completed

To use and maintain skilled standards of personal professional clinical practice in the treatment modalities required by the children and young people treated by the teams and be a resource to the whole service in maintaining the skills of others.

About us

Staff within the Directorate provide the main national training programmes for under and post graduate trainees from all the key mental health professions and it is important to ensure that academic and service interests work in a collaborative and mutually beneficial way. Child and adolescent mental health services have a history of multidisciplinary and multi-agency working and it is important to nurture these different perspectives to effectively contribute to the national policy of cross-agency collaboration.

The specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services within the South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust have a formidable reputation nationally and internationally. Clinical practice has thrived on mutually supportive links with the Institute of Psychiatry and with the Medical Research Council Child Psychiatry Unit.

The National and Specialist in-patient services are comprised of three units: the Bethlem Adolescent Unit and Tyson East Two Adolescent Unit; both General Adolescent Units based at the Bethlem Royal Hospital. And the Bethlem Adolescent PICU, a Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit due to open at the Bethlem in 2026. Please note, Tyson East Two Adolescent Unit is due to relocate to the Maudsley Hospital in late 2026. All three inpatient services treat complex cases including children and young people with neuropsychiatric conditions, obsessive compulsive disorder, psychotic and affective disorders.

Date posted

12 February 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£53,751 to £60,651 a year per annum inclusive of HCAS

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

334-NUR-7705289-FR

Job locations

Bethlem Royal Hospital

Beckenham

BR3 3BX

Job description

Job responsibilities

This post sits within the Senior Nursing & Quality Team, overseen by the Head of Nursing & Quality

4. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

4.1 Service Responsibility

a) To raise awareness of standards in the units, leading the implementation and on-going monitoring as required, specifically; CQC and QNIC

b) To give advice on environmental issues which affect CAMHs.

c) To contribute to ensuring that evidence-based therapeutic techniques are used within and across the teams to meet the needs of the client group and ensure that staff are adequately trained and supervised to deliver these.

d) To contribute to measuring outcome of treatment within the teams and make changes when necessary to maximise clinical effectiveness.

e) To contribute to the recruitment of a safe and proficient nursing workforce.

f) To co-ordinate training, education and development across the unit, working closely with the Matrons and managers.

g) When necessary to provide nursing clinical supervision and staff professional development across the units in conjunction with the ward managers. Duties will include regular contact, involvement in the production of personal development plans and ensuring that appropriate teaching and training is provided for professional students, trainees and junior staff in the relevant speciality.

h) To assist the matrons where necessary in completing audits in regard to patient care and working in partnership with managers to ensure action plans in relation to clinical standards are delivered upon.

4.2 Clinical Individual Responsibility

a) To undertake a limited amount of direct clinical work demonstrating best practice and role modelling to other staff.

b) Maintain good working relationships and clear lines of communication with all colleagues, professionals, agencies and departments. Develop own skills and advise colleagues on good practices for integrated working.

c) To act respectfully, honestly and with integrity at all times.

4.3 Healthcare Governance Responsibilities

a) To contribute to the establishment and maintenance of individual clinician and clinical team performance management.

b) To work with complaints, incidents and Child Protection services inside the Trust and with external agencies (e.g. Safeguarding Boards). This may include contributing to standard supervision of clinical practice, monitoring standards of practice, investigating and producing reports for internal and external inquiries.

c) To ensure compliance with the mental Health Act (2006)

4.4 Continuing Professional Development and Professional Regulation,

a) To maintain own CPD to meet the JD and person specification attached to this post and produce evidence of achievement at appraisal and appraisal reviews.

b) To contribute to the CPD of colleagues and junior staff through appraisal and appraisal reviews.

c) To contribute to the implementation and monitoring of practice development which ensures that CAMHS practice is evidence-based and supports the service plan objectives and progresses the Directorate and Trust's strategic aims.

d) To promote professional standards of practice across all disciplines based on profession specific codes of conduct.

e) To contribute to the formal regulation of practice in accordance with guidance set down by the relevant regulatory body.

4.5 Training, Research and Clinical, Learning & Professional Networks

a.) To encourage and assist with the development and implementation of research.

b.) To develop the internal teaching programme and teach on specific aspects of CAMHS. To work with the Matron on providing the internal teaching programme across the N&S service.

c.) To jointly develop and lead the Training and Development Strategy for the service working closely with the Matron.

4.6 Freedom to Act

To interpret general organisational policies for local use.

You will have the freedom within a framework as a practitioner accountable for your own professional actions. You will not be directly supervised and work within broad Governance standards for CAMHS, the Trust & NHS protocols and where applicable your professional body. You will manage your own time and the team within the service operational policy and procedures