Clinical Team Leader -Community
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a team leader in Dulwich Community Mental Health Team. We are looking for a highly experienced and enthusiastic senior clinician who has a real passion for mental health and who promotes the highest standards of care in their practice.
The post holder will lead a community based multidisciplinary mental health team that provideson-going holistic assessments, treatment and support to service users with diagnosis of a severe mental illness. Crucially enabling staff to provide a high quality service for service users and carers.
You will need to be able to provide effective managerial and clinical leadership in the team and will coordinate and lead on internal and external referrals.
In exchange, you will be supported through regular supervision and appraisal. We are committed to helping to develop the people that come to work with us.
The post-holder will:
Have overall management responsibility for the delivery of care within the Dulwich Community mental health team, in accordance with Trust policies and procedures.
Lead a team of professional and support staff in the delivery of high quality evidence-based practice, ensuring that regular supervision and appraisal take place.
Manage administrative and operational resources in a cost-effective manner, evaluating the standard of service delivered.
Co-ordinate multidisciplinary working, maintaining excellent communication and working relationships with all team members, and other services within the Trust, to ensure effective interface and continuity of care between disciplines and services.
Ensure that all referrals to the service are screened, that, where necessary, service users are provided with a full assessment of health and social needs and that aftercare is provided from the most appropriate service.
Carry out clinical and managerial procedures to a standard that ensures safe and effective care, and complies with the relevant Code of Professional Conduct. There is an expectation that the post holder will place the needs of service users at the centre of care delivery.
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.
We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good'.
We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone's potential as change makers.
The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.
Key Responsibilities:
(i) Management of Care and Practice
- Ensure that all clinical practice is developed using up to date evidence base, ensuring that all staff have the appropriate skill base and supporting mechanisms to access training to work with the service user group.
- Oversee a service user's care pathway, utilising available resources and Patient Journey framework and lead the team in its implementation.
- Ensure systems are in place to support user and carer-centred involvement in the planning and provision of care.
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Ensure that staff receive regular supervision and appraisal, and are offered essential and developmental training in accordance with their personal development plans, and the needs of the service.
- Ensure that all service users are made aware of, encouraged, and assisted to use all services available to them.
- Ensure that the requirements of all mental health legislation are met with particular regard to the Mental Health Act 1983 (including amendments and Code of Practice) and Community Care Legislation (eg. CPA, Supervision Registers and Supervised Discharge etc), NSF, Child Protection and NHS Plan, Care Act 2014, and ensuring that all practices are within the guidelines set by the NMC and are in accordance with Trust policy.
(ii) Management of Financial and Material Resources
- Ensure team finances are managed within allocated budget, including recruitment of staff.
- All absences, bank and agency are managed within budget and Trust guidelines.
- Communicate to all staff how they can contribute to the efficient management of financial and material resources.
- Identify and deal with cost pressures which may have an impact on the financial expenditure of the team. The post-holder will be expected to notify any such situations to the service manager if they cannot be dealt with at a local level.
(iii) Management of Clinical Standards
- Set, monitor and evaluate overall standards of care and practice in the team in liaison with the Clinical Service Lead, Professional Advisors, and other agencies.
- Ensure that all practices and interactions in the team are based on the preservation and respect of service users’ dignity, individual and cultural identity, wishes (whenever possible) and are in accordance with the maintenance of individuals’ independence.
- Ensure that all staff are aware of the standards of professional behaviour expected by the Trust.
- Ensure that the service provides continuity out of hours, appropriately relating to the senior manager on-call and out of hours medical team.
- Work closely with the multidisciplinary team and involve them in all relevant day to day decisions, strategy and business planning, and maintain close liaison with the Clinical Service Lead and Clinical Director when difficulties arise.
(iv) Management of Human Resources
- Maintain the efficient use of staffing resources in the team, ensuring that staffing levels are safe, appropriate and contain the necessary skill mix, but recognising and supporting Improving Working Lives within the confines of a safe service.
- The post-holder will ensure that each member of staff is fully aware of their responsibilities and has a personal development plan which is based on a balance between the needs of the individual and the service.
- Manage the overall development of the team, encouraging staff to contribute their views and ideas as appropriate.
- Implement all Trust policies and Human Resource Management, and ensure staff are aware of how to access this information.
- Delegate duties and responsibilities to other staff as appropriate to assist in the operation of the unit and to aid the development of individual staff.
(v) Management of Information and Communication
- Develop and maintain procedures that result in good communication between the multidisciplinary team and other agencies.
- Arrange and in some instances chair relevant meetings involving other agencies, patients and carers when necessary to facilitate good communication.
- The post-holder will lead the team in setting, implementing and monitoring realistic and achievable objectives in accordance with the aims and objectives of the service.
- Attend meetings and forums, representing the team at various levels both within the Trust and with external agencies, ensuring that all staff are kept fully briefed on any new developments etc. The post-holder may be required to participate in specific inter-agency work relevant to the service.
- Ensure that all communication (verbal or written) between the team and other departments or agencies is of a high standard both in its content and presentation.
- Ensure that all written and electronically stored information is accessible only to authorised personnel and is stored in accordance with the Data Protection Act.
- Ensure that administrative staff are aware of the importance of the collection of statistical data and ensure that this is collected and stored in an accurate and timely fashion.
(vi) Management of the Environment
- Ensure that the Health and Safety at Work Act is adhered to by all staff. The post-holder will have particular responsibility for ensuring that all staff receive any training necessary in order to meet the requirements of the Act. (eg. fire training, first aid, etc.). The post-holder will be responsible for taking immediate action to deal with any problem which might affect service user, visitor or staff safety. This will involve liaison with the relevant Health and Safety Co-ordinator.
- Ensure local response in managing incidents by using the Trust Incident Policy and implementation outcomes to change and improve practice.
(vii) Personal Development and Freedom to Act
- Be prepared to physically move between sites as needed.
- Ensure that they are fully aware of current developments and practice in their clinical area.
- Acknowledge their own limitations and discuss/identify their training and development needs with their line manager.
- Make effective use of supervision with their line manager on a regular and agreed basis.
- Be aware of the need to reflect on their practice both as clinician and manager.
