Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust

Lead Nurse for Mental Health

The closing date is 25 January 2026

Job summary

Are you passionate about improving mental health care and driving excellence across clinical practice? We have an opportunity for an enthusiastic individual with the passion, drive, skills, and commitment to be part of our service and to make a real difference for the people we care for. You will help shape the future of our mental health agenda and service provision.

This is an exciting time to become part of the ongoing development and progression of our Vulnerable People Service. You will join a supportive team of dedicated staff committed to improving service delivery and health outcomes for people with mental health needs.

You will manage our Enhanced Care and Support Team Leads, taking responsibility for the development and performance of the team to ensure the successful delivery of high quality, personalised care that meets the enhanced care needs of the people we care for.

The team delivers and influences enhanced care and support across the acute hospital. This includes care for people with mental health needs, people with eating disorders, people living with dementia, people with delirium, people with a learning disability, and autistic people.

Main duties of the job

In this key role, you will help to lead improvements in care across the Trust. You will provide expert clinical leadership, act as a role model, and set the highest standards of practice. You will help to raise the profile of mental health needs within the Trust. You will offer specialist advice to staff, and ensure patients receive safe, compassionate, and evidence-based care. Your leadership will help achieve the best possible outcomes for the people we care for.

You will work closely with people with lived experience, partner organisations, and key stakeholders to co-produce and implement better care pathways.

Collaboration with AWP and Oxford Health/CAMHS liaison teams will be central to co-creating personalised care plans and clear escalation pathways for those experiencing acute mental health challenges. By supporting staff and sharing your expertise, you will play a vital role in shaping services and improving patient experience across the Trust.

To be successful in the role, you will have substantial experience of working with people with mental health needs and are a skilled mental health professional with strong clinical knowledge and leadership experience. You also have:

Strong collaboration skills and the ability to work across teams and organizations.

A commitment to co-production and improving patient outcomes.

A passion for raising the profile of mental health and driving service improvement.

About us

At the RUH we put people at the heart of what we do, working together as one team to make a difference for our patients, each other, and our community. No matter what your role is, we value everyone's contribution in supporting the exceptional, person-centred care we pride ourselves on.

We are proud to be in thetop 20 best hospitals to work for in the country.

We are committed to creating a compassionate and inclusive environment. This can be seen in our growing community of staff networks - celebrating successes and creating opportunities to listen and learn. We value our differences, champion kindness and civility, and truly believe that diversity makes us stronger.

A culture of learning, developing and innovating is the thread that runs throughout our whole organisation. We want to support you to thrive, taking your career to its full potential.

We value staff wellbeing, with a well-established programme of support. We believe in a holistic approach spanning all aspects of living a healthy life, including physical, emotional, spiritual and financial wellbeing. We've even got a pool!

We are committed to supporting you and hope you want to join our team. In the meantime, find out more about living and working the beautiful historic city of Bath, learn about our extensive package of staff benefits, and read about how we're providing healthcare fit for the future with the landmark Dyson Cancer Centre and our passion for research.

Details

Date posted

11 December 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£55,690 to £62,682 a year Per anum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

427-7657609

Job locations

RUH Bath

Combe Park

Bath

BA1 3NG


Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see attached job description and person specification for more information about this opportunity.

Please see Job Description.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see attached job description and person specification for more information about this opportunity.

Please see Job Description.

Person Specification

Qualifications & Training / Experience

Essential

  • Registered with NMC

Desirable

  • Postgraduate diploma and training in Mental Health

Knowledge & Experience

Essential

  • In-depth knowledge of the Mental Health Act (1983/2007), Mental Capacity Act (2005) and the Mental Capacity (Amendment) Act (2019), Equality Act (2010), Human Rights Act (1998)
  • Experience of leadership role in Mental Health
  • Significant experience working within Mental Health

Desirable

  • QI Methodology experience
Person Specification

Qualifications & Training / Experience

Essential

  • Registered with NMC

Desirable

  • Postgraduate diploma and training in Mental Health

Knowledge & Experience

Essential

  • In-depth knowledge of the Mental Health Act (1983/2007), Mental Capacity Act (2005) and the Mental Capacity (Amendment) Act (2019), Equality Act (2010), Human Rights Act (1998)
  • Experience of leadership role in Mental Health
  • Significant experience working within Mental Health

Desirable

  • QI Methodology experience

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

Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust

Address

RUH Bath

Combe Park

Bath

BA1 3NG


Employer's website

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

Employer details

Employer name

Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust

Address

RUH Bath

Combe Park

Bath

BA1 3NG


Employer's website

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

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Associate Director for Vulnerable People

Jo Baker

jo.baker14@nhs.net

07795981474

Details

Date posted

11 December 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£55,690 to £62,682 a year Per anum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

427-7657609

Job locations

RUH Bath

Combe Park

Bath

BA1 3NG


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

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