Care Coordinator

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust; Croydon; On-site; GBP 44,000 - 53,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in mental health is seeking a Care Coordinator in Croydon to work with adults experiencing severe mental illness. The role involves developing care plans, coordinating care teams, and ensuring quality service delivery. The ideal candidate will have relevant professional qualifications and experience in community settings, as well as excellent communication and self-management skills. A competitive salary ranging from £44,485 to £52,521 is offered, along with comprehensive benefits.

Benefits

Comprehensive pay, pensions and leave package

Work-life balance with flexible working options

Career development opportunities

NHS discounts

Qualifications

• Experience of working with people experiencing severe and enduring illness.
• Experience of working in the community.
• Empathy for service users including individuals who have experienced mental health problems.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate junior staff and the wider care team.
• Produce reports and care reviews.
• Administer and monitor medication side-effects.

Skills

Excellent self-management skills

Dynamic risk assessment

Excellent communication skills

Education

Relevant professional qualification: Mental Health Nursing, Social Worker, or Occupational Therapist

Job description

Overview

Go back South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust – Care Coordinator. The closing date is 30 September 2025.

Croydon has undertaken a service transformation within its community mental health services. The transformation is about enhancing our quality service delivery, improving the experiences of those using our services and enhancing staff morale and in meeting the NHS Long Term Plan. It is an exciting time to be part of this transformation in Croydon, getting involved in improved ways of working due to investment in resources. The Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) is a generic team integrated with Croydon Social Care in working with all adults experiencing severe and enduring mental illness. We are looking for enthusiastic care coordinators that will grow and develop with the locality teams from nursing, social work and occupational therapy. The Social Workers will be offered a contract to work under South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. This advert is for vacancies in SOUTH LOCALITY TEAM.

The post holder will work as Care Coordinator for a caseload of service users in the local community who have complex mental health difficulties, and work with their carers where applicable. The post holder will be expected to have excellent self-management skills, and work collaboratively within the team. The post holder must be able to formulate flexible, robust and holistic care plans with service users and/or carers, to work well under pressure, be experienced in dynamic risk assessment, and to have excellent communication skills.

Main duties of the job

1. Croydon Community Mental Health Service (CMHT) has undergone service transformation. The transformation is about enhancing the quality of our service delivery, improving the experiences of those using our services, maintaining staff morale and ensuring services are meeting the NHS Long Term Plan. It is an exciting time to be part of this transformation in Croydon and you will be directly involved in improving ways of working with investment in resources to enhance services. The new teams will no longer be based on diagnosis and will work with all individuals from a locality who have mental health needs that require support from secondary care. Croydon CMHT has 3 localities NORTH, CENTRAL and SOUTH. Our Locality Teams are highly experienced and supportive and Multi-disciplinary.
2. In keeping with our obligations under the new Coronavirus Regulations 2021 in relation to Care Home visits, the successful candidate will be required to provide evidence of full vaccination status against Covid-19.
3. Produces reports and in-care reviews as part of responsibilities.
4. Coordinate junior staff and the wider care team in providing hands-on care to service users and evaluating processes of care delivered, including one-to-one engagement with service users, developing care plans with service users, carers and the MDT, and maintaining service user records.

About us

• 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, opportunities to progress through mentoring, coaching, leadership programmes and other talent development.
• Car lease, competitive deals to lease cars.
• Accommodation, keyworker housing available on selected sites.
• NHS discounts, discounts up to 10% from various brands through Health Service Discounts.
• We are committed to getting the best out of our staff and supporting career progression with pathways to Senior Clinical Practitioner or Clinical Team Leader, plus ongoing leadership and MSc programmes.

Job responsibilities

1. Working autonomously within the parameters of the role, leading and supporting junior staff and wider care team to deliver quality nursing care in a recovery-focused way, including addressing issues that arise.
2. Leading activities to ensure fundamentals of care are met (nutrition, hydration, hygiene, comfort, emotional and social support); coordinating and evaluating collaborative, patient-centred care; sharing feedback to improve plans with the MDT; providing information about care to patients and carers; liaising with the MDT and partner organisations; administering and monitoring medication side-effects and patient compliance; safe custody of medicines and clinical equipment; reporting incidents according to Trust policy.
3. Leading and supporting/teaching junior staff on risk assessment and risk management, informed by evidence, individual service user context and clinical judgment.
4. Supporting and supervising junior staff to develop care needs management.
5. Producing reports and in-care reviews.
6. Coordinating junior staff and the wider care team in providing hands-on care and evaluating processes; engaging with service users honestly and non-judgmentally; developing care plans in partnership with service users, MDT and family/carers.
7. Escort service users as required, in line with Trust policies.
8. Advocating for service users’ needs and rights within Trust policy; empowering service users to have responsibility for their programme of care.
9. Knowledge and Frameworks – understanding Mental Health signs/symptoms and how they present in practice, risk factors, and teaching juniors to respond appropriately.
10. Recognising and responding to challenging behaviour per Trust policies and training; leading de-escalation and team debriefing as needed.
11. Understanding fundamentals of the Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, Deprivation of Liberty and related legislation; teaching juniors about legal frameworks.
12. Communication – contributing to effective communication with patients, carers and colleagues; active listening and accessible communication; handling difficult conversations with cultural awareness and professional boundaries; accurate documentation and handovers; escalation when needed.
13. Maintaining timely and accurate records; using care plans and pathway documents appropriately.
14. Reporting safety or security concerns promptly; contributing to safeguarding processes and ensuring welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults as applicable.
15. Maintaining confidentiality in line with Trust policies.

Teamworking and Professional development

1. Maintaining a safe and clean environment; adhering to health and safety and infection control policies; leading audits and compliance activities.
2. Working with the team to share responsibility, respect and courtesy; upholding Trust values and professional boundaries.
3. Leading and participating in team meetings; promoting reflective practice and training; supporting supervision and performance reviews.
4. Supporting CPD, including Care Certificate and apprenticeships where appropriate; contributing to clinical placements and governance reviews.
5. Assisting the team manager with incident investigations, reporting and governance management; supporting staff development and HEI engagement where applicable.
6. Demonstrating leadership and acting as a role model in line with Trust values; ensuring mandatory training is up to date.
7. Contributing to training and development programmes and sharing best practice across teams.
8. Supporting the clinical placement of student nurses and helping Band 5 nurses with Care Certificate co-ordination for Healthcare Support Workers.

Leadership and Management

1. Developing the clinical practice of junior staff and newly qualified nurses.
2. Serving as a point of contact for inquiries; coordinating unit activities with the team manager and MDT.
3. Deputising for the team manager during absence; ensuring safe staffing and resource deployment within budget; escalating concerns per HR policies.
4. Assisting with investigations of incidents and complaints; producing and disseminating reports to senior management.
5. Identifying and driving improvement in nursing practice; ensuring mandatory and statutory training is up to date.
6. Collaborating with HEIs to align care delivery with teaching standards; supporting workforce development initiatives.
7. Engaging with workforce development programmes to develop the band 2-5 clinical workforce and support junior staff through apprenticeships as appropriate.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Relevant professional qualification: Mental Health Nursing, Social Worker, or Occupational Therapist with affiliated professional registration (NMC/HCPC).
• Relevant continuous in-house or external training.
• Qualification/training in relevant psychosocial interventions.

Experience

• Experience of working with people experiencing severe and enduring illness.
• Experience of working in the community.
• Experience of supporting practice development in clinical areas.

Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of CPA, Community Care Act, Carers Act, Mental Health Act and other relevant legislation as applicable to practice.
• Strong understanding of care planning and holistic care.
• Knowledge of clinical governance and audit.

Other requirements

• Empathy for service users including individuals who have experienced mental health problems.
• Ability to fulfil all the requirements of the role (including physical).
• Loyal and able to advocate for and show pride in the work area and organization, demonstrating Trust values.

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.

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

£44,485 to £52,521 a year, inclusive of High Cost Allowances