Devon Partnership NHS Trust

Community Practice Lead

The closing date is 12 September 2025

Job summary

Band 7 Community Practice Lead

Exeter City Core Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) Full-Time Substantive Post (37.5 hours per week) Flexible / Hybrid Working Available

Job Summary

We are offering an exciting opportunity for a skilled and motivated Band 7 Registered Mental Health Nurse (RMN), Occupational Therapist (OT), or Social Work professional to join our Exeter City Core CMHT as a Community Practice Lead.

This senior role is ideal for someone passionate about clinical excellence, team development, and service improvement. You'll work closely with the Team Manager to provide clinical leadership within a busy, dynamic, and supportive multidisciplinary team, helping shape the future of community mental health care in line with the Community Mental Health Framework.

Main duties of the job

Main Duties & Responsibilities

  • Provide clinical leadership and oversight across the team, supporting high standards of care delivery.
  • Supervise caseloads and offer guidance to clinicians on complex cases and risk management.
  • Manage and triage referrals, ensuring timely and appropriate allocation.
  • Lead on auditing clinical records, monitoring care standards, and promoting best practice.
  • Champion the use of Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) and other quality improvement tools.
  • Act as a key point of contact for clinical governance, safeguarding, and service evaluation.
  • Support the Team Manager in operational planning, staff development, and performance monitoring.
  • Foster a culture of learning, collaboration, and recovery-focused care across the CMHT.

About us

About Devon Partnership Trust

We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.

We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.

Details

Date posted

15 August 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

Depending on experience

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working, Compressed hours

Reference number

C9369-25-0648

Job locations

Wonford House

Dryden Road

Exeter

Devon

EX2 5AF


Job description

Job responsibilities

The Community Practice Leader is responsible for ensuring compliance with quality

& safety standards within their assigned clinical pathways / teams. They will ensure that all individuals receiving care and treatment from DPT services do so in line with Trust strategic objectives (safe, timely, personalised, sustainable and recovery focused) and are safeguarded from any harm.

The key responsibilities of this role are as follows:

Promote a recovery model that empowers users of services to be at the forefront of decision making and ownership of their care and treatment.

Champion dignity, equality, diversity, choice and respect

Prioritise demand and allocate/delegate accordingly

Work flexibly across a range of sites - regular and frequent travel from base to and between settings.

Lone working at times

Quality improvement and audit

Compliance with CQC standards

Managing complaints and compliments

Learning from experience

Practice education

Advanced clinical delivery and leading others in their clinical practice through training, supervision, coaching and mentoring

Applying quality improvement methodology to solve service delivery problems with qualified solutions

The post holder may be required to undertake regular clinical work which will be subject to an agreed job plan.

Additional Responsibilities

All practice leads will hold a portfolio of LDU responsibilities these will include: ensuring the quality and triangulation of provider compliance assessment tools and responsibility for updating and monitoring risk registers.

They will also take responsibility for key practice development projects across the directorate as assigned by the Head of Practice and Professions.

All Community Practice Leaders will hold a portfolio based on individual job planning

e.g. safeguarding, complaints, assurance.

Personal and professional qualities

Transformative leadership skills

Passion and enthusiasm for both evidenced and values based practice

Compassionate leader

Strong role model

Confidence

Willingness to learn and pass on knowledge

An amazing communicator

Job description

Job responsibilities

The Community Practice Leader is responsible for ensuring compliance with quality

& safety standards within their assigned clinical pathways / teams. They will ensure that all individuals receiving care and treatment from DPT services do so in line with Trust strategic objectives (safe, timely, personalised, sustainable and recovery focused) and are safeguarded from any harm.

The key responsibilities of this role are as follows:

Promote a recovery model that empowers users of services to be at the forefront of decision making and ownership of their care and treatment.

Champion dignity, equality, diversity, choice and respect

Prioritise demand and allocate/delegate accordingly

Work flexibly across a range of sites - regular and frequent travel from base to and between settings.

Lone working at times

Quality improvement and audit

Compliance with CQC standards

Managing complaints and compliments

Learning from experience

Practice education

Advanced clinical delivery and leading others in their clinical practice through training, supervision, coaching and mentoring

Applying quality improvement methodology to solve service delivery problems with qualified solutions

The post holder may be required to undertake regular clinical work which will be subject to an agreed job plan.

Additional Responsibilities

All practice leads will hold a portfolio of LDU responsibilities these will include: ensuring the quality and triangulation of provider compliance assessment tools and responsibility for updating and monitoring risk registers.

They will also take responsibility for key practice development projects across the directorate as assigned by the Head of Practice and Professions.

All Community Practice Leaders will hold a portfolio based on individual job planning

e.g. safeguarding, complaints, assurance.

Personal and professional qualities

Transformative leadership skills

Passion and enthusiasm for both evidenced and values based practice

Compassionate leader

Strong role model

Confidence

Willingness to learn and pass on knowledge

An amazing communicator

Person Specification

Knowledge

Essential

  • Knowledge of key areas of professional mental health practice
  • Specialist knowledge of mental health disorders
  • Knowledge of clinical risk assessment
  • Application of teaching theory into practice
  • Ability to undertake bio-psycho-social assessment and formulating, robust care pathways
  • Higher level communication skills, both written and oral
  • Sufficient clinical and operational knowledge to be able to make autonomous decisions, based on an analysis of complex presenting problems.
  • Management and organisational skills that enable a number of complex activities and clinical work to be undertaken, revising and adjusting these according to the needs of individual patients and the service.
  • Knowledge of the Mental Health Act, the Mental Capacity and Deprivation of Liberty
  • Information Technology skills

Qualifications

Essential

  • A professional mental health qualification to degree level or equivalent
  • Post Graduate qualification relevant to specialism eg CBT, NMP, DBT, etc.
  • Evidence of commitment to life-long learning and continuing professional development.
  • Leadership or quality improvement qualification.

Desirable

  • Management qualification
  • Training to level 3 in Safeguarding children and young people: roles and competencies for Health Care staff

Skills & Abilities

Essential

  • Excellent communication skills including the ability to engage with large groups who may be antagonistic and/or distressed. This will apply to persons who use the service and their carers/relatives and professional staff groups
  • Able to produce well written reports
  • Ability to communicate complex information across multi-agency teams
  • Ability to support junior staff: professionally and academically, promoting their personal growth and developing their competencies
  • Ability to develop a healthy culture of team working
  • Able to engage and communicate with confidence
  • Able to identify and own problems and get involved in the solutions
  • Ability to assess and manage all levels of risk
  • Excellent clinical assessment skills
  • Ability to manage change in a positive manner
  • Supervisory skills
  • Negotiation skills
  • Ability to manage own time and that of the teams
  • Ability to work flexibly

Experience

Essential

  • At least 2 post qualifying work, including community and inpatient mental health
  • Risk assessment/management
  • Clinical leadership
  • Ability to interpret research and apply to practice
  • Other relevant post registration experience
  • Understanding of research principles
  • Teaching, training and/or supervision of clinical staff
  • Experience of working in a senior or advanced clinical role

Desirable

  • Transformational and change management work within a clinical team / service
Person Specification

Knowledge

Essential

  • Knowledge of key areas of professional mental health practice
  • Specialist knowledge of mental health disorders
  • Knowledge of clinical risk assessment
  • Application of teaching theory into practice
  • Ability to undertake bio-psycho-social assessment and formulating, robust care pathways
  • Higher level communication skills, both written and oral
  • Sufficient clinical and operational knowledge to be able to make autonomous decisions, based on an analysis of complex presenting problems.
  • Management and organisational skills that enable a number of complex activities and clinical work to be undertaken, revising and adjusting these according to the needs of individual patients and the service.
  • Knowledge of the Mental Health Act, the Mental Capacity and Deprivation of Liberty
  • Information Technology skills

Qualifications

Essential

  • A professional mental health qualification to degree level or equivalent
  • Post Graduate qualification relevant to specialism eg CBT, NMP, DBT, etc.
  • Evidence of commitment to life-long learning and continuing professional development.
  • Leadership or quality improvement qualification.

Desirable

  • Management qualification
  • Training to level 3 in Safeguarding children and young people: roles and competencies for Health Care staff

Skills & Abilities

Essential

  • Excellent communication skills including the ability to engage with large groups who may be antagonistic and/or distressed. This will apply to persons who use the service and their carers/relatives and professional staff groups
  • Able to produce well written reports
  • Ability to communicate complex information across multi-agency teams
  • Ability to support junior staff: professionally and academically, promoting their personal growth and developing their competencies
  • Ability to develop a healthy culture of team working
  • Able to engage and communicate with confidence
  • Able to identify and own problems and get involved in the solutions
  • Ability to assess and manage all levels of risk
  • Excellent clinical assessment skills
  • Ability to manage change in a positive manner
  • Supervisory skills
  • Negotiation skills
  • Ability to manage own time and that of the teams
  • Ability to work flexibly

Experience

Essential

  • At least 2 post qualifying work, including community and inpatient mental health
  • Risk assessment/management
  • Clinical leadership
  • Ability to interpret research and apply to practice
  • Other relevant post registration experience
  • Understanding of research principles
  • Teaching, training and/or supervision of clinical staff
  • Experience of working in a senior or advanced clinical role

Desirable

  • Transformational and change management work within a clinical team / service

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Devon Partnership NHS Trust

Address

Wonford House

Dryden Road

Exeter

Devon

EX2 5AF


Employer's website

https://www.dpt.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Devon Partnership NHS Trust

Address

Wonford House

Dryden Road

Exeter

Devon

EX2 5AF


Employer's website

https://www.dpt.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Community Service Manager

Stephany Phillips

sphillips11@nhs.net

Details

Date posted

15 August 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

Depending on experience

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working, Compressed hours

Reference number

C9369-25-0648

Job locations

Wonford House

Dryden Road

Exeter

Devon

EX2 5AF


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

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