CAMHS Deputy Ward Manager - *£3000 Recruitment/Retention Payment(RL)

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust; Greater London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 51,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent NHS Trust in Greater London is seeking a compassionate and motivated Deputy Ward Manager for its CAMHS inpatient services. The successful candidate will support clinical leadership, mentor junior staff, and ensure high-quality care for young people facing mental health challenges. This role offers excellent career progression opportunities and a commitment to continuous professional development in a supportive environment that values team members' contributions. Flexible working arrangements are encouraged.

Benefits

Generous pay and pensions

Flexible working options

Career development programs

Keyworker housing available

NHS discounts on retail brands

Wellbeing events and counselling services

Qualifications

• Registered Mental Health Nurse with a strong interest in CAMHS.
• Mentorship qualification and experience as a mentor or preceptor.
• Understanding of Mental Health Act and safeguarding children.

Responsibilities

• Support clinical leadership in the ward to ensure quality patient care.
• Mentor and coach junior staff to enhance their skills.
• Maintain a therapeutic environment for adolescents.

Skills

Leadership

Compassion

Mental Health Knowledge

Teaching Ability

Problem Solving

Education

Registered Mental Health Nurse

Mentorship Qualification

Master's Degree

Job description

This job is brought to you by Jobs/Redefined, the UK's leading over‑50s age inclusive jobs board.

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.

Our Values

We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I'm going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you'll be part of something special.

As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.

Job overview

Are you ready to take the next step in your leadership journey within CAMHS? Do you want to work in a team where you feel empowered, supported, and proud to make a difference in young people's lives? If so, joining the CAMHS Inpatient Units as a Deputy Ward Manager could be the opportunity you've been looking for.

We are committed to delivering high‑quality, patient‑centred care across our adolescent inpatient services, including general and PICU wards. Our patients are at the heart of everything we do, and we strive to create a safe, therapeutic environment that promotes recovery and resilience.

As a Deputy Ward Manager, you will play a key role in supporting the clinical leadership of the ward, ensuring safe staffing, effective care delivery, and a positive team culture. You'll work closely with the Ward Manager and multidisciplinary teams to uphold clinical standards, drive service improvements, and mentor junior staff.

We believe that providing excellent care starts with recruiting exceptional people. We're looking for compassionate, motivated leaders who are ready to go the extra mile for our patients and colleagues. Whether you're stepping into your first leadership role or building on existing experience, we'll support your development through structured training, coaching, and career progression opportunities. At SLaM, there's always a place for you to grow.

Please note vacancy can be closed early once maximum applications received.

Main duties of the job

During this role you will have the opportunity to learn new specialist skills through our excellent learning and development opportunities which will include leadership and managerial skills alongside clinical interventions. It is important to show through your application and interview, what transferable skills and experience you have.

As well as our in‑house development programme, we also have our CAMHS Nursing Academy which is a training and development program which is based on the four pillars of advanced nursing practice.

We have vacancies across our adolescent units;

• Tyson East 2, currently based on the Bethlem Royal Hospital site)
• Bethlem Adolescent Unit, Bethlem Royal Hospital
• CAMHS Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), Bethlem Royal Hospital

All three of our units are currently operating from the Bethlem Royal Hospital. PICU cares for some of the most unwell and vulnerable young people requiring secure mental health services in a compassionate, safe and timely manner.

Working for our organisation

We are committed to ensuring our staff get the most out of their benefits package and understand the importance of a healthy work life balance. There is an extensive range of excellent benefits for you and your family. We want you to feel like you are part of a close knit team at SLaM. It's important to us that you valued and appreciated and that are why we have a comprehensive benefits package on offer.

Some of our benefits are highlighted here:

• Generous pay, pensions and leave, we offer a comprehensive pay, pensions and leave package which is dependent on the role and length of service.

• Work life balance, flexible working and support a range of flexible options, such as: part‑time working and job sharing.
• Career development, There are plenty of opportunities to progress your career and we support your development through a number of programmes such as mentoring, coaching, positive people management, collective leadership and other talent programmes
• Car lease, our staff benefits from competitive deals to lease cars
• Accommodation, our staff benefits from keyworker housing available which is available on selected sites
• NHS discounts, with discounts up to 10% from a variety of well‑known retail brands though Health Service Discounts website.

Other benefits include

• Counselling services
• Wellbeing events
• Long service awards
• Cycle to work scheme
• Season ticket loan
• Childcare vouchers
• Staff restaurants

We are looking forward to receiving your application.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Working with young people in CAMHS is both demanding and deeply rewarding. As a Deputy Ward Manager, you will have the opportunity to support young people at a critical point in their mental health journey, helping them build resilience and a more positive outlook for their future.

In this leadership role, you will contribute to the planning and delivery of high‑quality clinical care, working closely with the Ward Manager and wider multidisciplinary team. You will use your clinical expertise to help maintain a safe, therapeutic environment and support the development of junior staff. You will be confident in assessing and managing risk‑both formally and informally‑and will understand how to balance this with least restrictive practice, ensuring care remains person‑centred and recovery‑focused.

You will bring a solid working knowledge of key legal frameworks, including the Mental Health Act (1983), Mental Capacity Act (2005), and Children Act (1989), and apply this knowledge to support safe and effective care delivery. You must be a qualified RMN with a strong interest in working in an inpatient CAMHS setting. An understanding of the challenges facing nurses working with young people today is essential, as is the ability to demonstrate resilience, empathy, and a commitment to supporting young people in creative and meaningful ways.

We offer excellent learning and development opportunities, including access to leadership and management training, clinical interventions, and our CAMHS Nursing Academy‑a structured programme based on the four pillars of advanced nursing practice. We welcome applications from nurses with sound clinical skills who are keen to develop their career in CAMHS, whether or not they have prior experience in the field.

Professional development is actively encouraged, and we support staff in pursuing additional training and academic qualifications. Where relevant to the service, there may be opportunities for training to be funded by the organisation.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Registered Mental Health Nurse and/or Registered Learning Disabilities Nurse
• Mentorship qualification

Desirable criteria

• Master's degree

Experience and Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Knowledge of relevant Professional and Clinical legislation
• Knowledge of clinical governance and audit
• Experience as a preceptor /mentor

Desirable criteria

• Experience of engaging /supporting clinical research projects
• Experience of delivering training
• Experience of recruitment and selection of staff

Skills and Attributes

Essential criteria

• Able to provide quality care that is responsive to service user's needs, without close supervision
• Teaching ability
• Advocates for all individuals, particularly those with protected characteristics; promotes equality and diversity
• Resilient: able to cope with difficult interpersonal situations

Desirable criteria

• Problem solving, ability to identify problems, review options and take appropriate action without a predetermined framework

Other Requirements

• Empathy for service users including individuals who have experienced mental health problems
• Able to work a flexible 24hr working pattern including night shifts and weekends

The Trust is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and that promote equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applicants from all sections of the community and people of all protected characteristics. We provide reasonable adjustments for candidates with a disability and are committed to treating people fairly with compassion, respect and dignity and in promoting equality and human rights. We aim to put this commitment into practice by:

• Embedding our commitment to tackling inequality, eliminating discrimination and harassment; promoting equality of opportunity and fostering good relations in our everyday practice
• Ensuring that all our services and all staff understand and support our commitment
• We believe that people who use our services, their carers and our staff, should be treated with compassion, respect and dignity

Please note

• That all applications for this post will need to be made online
• That you read and understand the Job Description and Person Specification attached to the role. Your Statement in Support should reflect the requirements specified as your application will be judged against these criteria
• That the closing date listed is a guide only and that the vacancy may close earlier should sufficient number of applicants have been received. We advise that you submit your application as early as possible
• That once you have submitted your application you agree to your application being transferred to a 3rd party e‑recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs
• That should you not have heard from us within three weeks from the closing date your application has not been successful
• That priority for applications may be given to at‑risk NHS employees
• That should you be successful and appointed, you authorise South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust to confirm your previous NHS service via an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process
• That we are a smoke‑free Trust

SLaM is a Stonewall Diversity Champion , Stonewall is the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans (LGBT) rights charity in Europe'

Helpful Resource: How to Use TRAC for Job Applications

If you're preparing to apply for a role, this guide provides step‑by‑step instructions on how to use TRAC effectively throughout the application process: Using TRAC to apply

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

• CAMHS Deputy Ward Manager (CCN) JD (PDF, 568.5KB)
• Addendum - Band 6 JD (PDF, 183.2KB)
• SLaM Staff Benefits (PDF, 1.1MB)
• Happy to Talk Flexible Working (PDF, 680.1KB)