A rare and exciting opportunity has arisen for a 6-month secondment to the team manager post in the Lambeth older adults community mental health team (CMHT). We are looking for an enthusiastic, motivated individual who is committed to working with older adults and wants to develop or consolidate their management skills within a supportive team. The successful applicant will have a proven ability to lead in implementing and sustaining changes, and an ability to work collaboratively and bring people together.
The Lambeth CMHT provides community based mental health care for people over the age of 65 (or patients under this age with an early-onset dementia) living in the London borough of Lambeth. You would be working within a dedicated team of multi-disciplinary professionals, and be part of a supportive network of community team managers and clinical specialists. Crucial to the role is the ability to communicate effectively with staff, service users, carers and outside agencies, and to think flexibly and creatively. The role is a band 7 full time post and is open to health and social work professionals with a current clinical registration.
The team manager’s role is to take overall operational management responsibility for the CMHT. They will work with a small leadership team comprising a clinical nurse specialist, clinical specialist OT, and two consultant psychiatrists to ensure that the services provided by the CMHT are evidence-based, efficient, responsive, needs led, user-focussed and of the highest quality, and that the team is a reflective learning environment where practitioners feel supported to learn from each other, and feedback from patients and carers is valued.
The CMHT is a multi-disciplinary team comprising community psychiatric nurses, occupational therapists, psychology and psychotherapy staff, psychiatrists and administrators, and operates on an annual budget of approximately £1.9 million, including around 20 whole-time equivalent staff. The team manager is responsible for ensuring the team is managed in a financially sustainable way, and that all Trust policies and procedures are adhered to, including supervision and appraisal, sickness and annual leave management, and health and safety. The role will include regular review of data on activity and performance, and leading service improvement work to address any areas of need within this. It will also involve working closely with other teams across PMOA, as well as the governance team, safeguarding lead, professional leads, business manager and clinical service lead to ensure a joined-up approach to care and team development.
The team is based within a well functioning Directorate, with leadership in Community Older Adult services found to be outstanding in the most recent CQC inspection. This post offers a chance to learn and develop a broad portfolio of skills within a new and supportive management structure. Regular support and supervision will be provided to enable development into the role, along with opportunities to identify and meet learning needs. The Directorate supports career development and retention.
The service is based at the Maudsley hospital, although the majority of clinical work is undertaken as home visits in patients’ own homes, so the successful applicant must be able to travel across the borough (NB: public transport links are good, so driving is not essential).
1) To ensure the effective operational management of the CMHT. To ensure procedures are in place to support receipt of referrals, assessment, allocation and closing of cases. To ensure systems are in place to register and review service users under CPA and Section 117 aftercare.
2) To ensure that all relevant Trust, Social Services and local policies are complied with including Safeguarding procedures and the Care Act 2014. To assist in the development of integrated operational and clinical policies to support the work of community services in keeping with national and local policy.
3) To arrange regular team meetings, seek to promote a working environment which is open, honest, supportive as well as forward and outward looking. To promote equality and value diversity. To actively promote the workplace as a learning environment encouraging everyone to learn from each other and from external good practice, policy and best evidence alongside appropriate training.
4) To ensure the efficient use of human resources ensuring safe levels of staffing which reflect the necessary and appropriate skill mix. To lead on the recruitment and selection of staff within the CMHT. To monitor sickness absence, annual leave, training and study leave, taking any appropriate management action as required in keeping with Trust policy and procedures.
5) Coordinate and delegate work and review staff performance. To work with professional leads to ensure arrangements are in place within the team for effective management and professional/clinical supervision of staff and caseloads. To ensure all staff are in receipt of regular appraisal and professional development support.
6) To develop and maintain procedures which result in good communication within the CMHT, across the locality and with external and partner agencies. To develop and maintain strong working relationships with GPs, Social Service colleagues, other service providers and voluntary groups in order to ensure the promotion and development of seamless services for service users and carers across the Borough. To represent the service at meetings and other forums as agreed by line manager.
7) To ensure that clinical governance policy and procedures are implemented. To undertake investigations into complaints and incidents and implement recommendations arising from these. To undertake audit of clinical activity as required.
8) Maintain and develop an environment and culture that improves health, safety and security. To ensure that all staff, service users and visitors adhere to the Health and Safety Work Act and other relevant legislation and ensure that the Trust’s procedures are followed and all staff attend mandatory training. To ensure that Health and Safety risk assessments are regularly undertaken of the CMHT physical environment and clinical work, taking immediate action to deal with any problems which might affect service users, visitors or staff.
9) Coordinate, monitor and review the use of the team’s financial resources. To be responsible for the budgets within the CMHT ensuring that the team works effectively within their allocated financial framework and Trust policy. To ensure that measures are in place to ensure expenditure remains within the limits of the agreed budget and the Trust obtains value for money for all goods and services. To contribute to the directorate business plan and team budget setting.
10) Support the implementation of integrated information systems e.g. electronic Patient Journey System and ensure timely inputting of information by CMHT members so as to support effective Trust and Social Service reporting requirements and to ensure that clinical records are maintained to a high standard. To use information to support team clinical and managerial practice. To provide reports and feedback as required on the progress and activity of the team.
11) To undertake assessment and care management and carry a caseload as appropriate. To work in co-operation with team members and other agencies to assess, develop, implement and evaluate high quality packages of client centred care. To attend regular management/professional supervision. To acknowledge own limitations and discuss/identify/access training as appropriate and be aware of and to reflect on own practice as a manager/clinician. To be aware of and adhere to all Trust’s policies acting as a role model to other staff. To continue to meet professional standards of practice and relevant professional legislatio

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