Cimhs Operational Leadband 8A

East London Nhs Foundation Trust; England; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

East London NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an Operational Lead for the Community Integrated Mental Health Service (CIMHS). The role focuses on delivering accessible, high‑quality neighborhood mental health care and coordinating across primary, secondary, social care, and voluntary sectors.

The post emphasises line management, service development, and governance within a multi‑agency environment, with a strong focus on co production and population health.

Qualifications

• Relevant leadership experience in a health or social care setting.
• Experience with workforce planning and service development.
• Registration with the relevant professional body is required/considered essential.

Responsibilities

• Provide operational leadership to CIMHS and oversee performance, capacity and flow.
• Embed integrated ways of working across organisations and services.
• Lead governance, safety, and risk management within the CIMHS pathway.

Skills

Leadership

Staff management

Budget management

Partnership working

Communication skills

Education

Social work degree

Professional registration

Masters level training

Tools

Knowledge of MHA

O365

Data analysis

Job description

Job overview

The CIMHS Operational Lead will take charge of the Community Integrated Mental Health Service, operating within a dynamic and rapidly changing environment that positions CIMHS as the gateway to community mental health care. The person in this role will be accountable for the effective delivery, ongoing development, and continuous enhancement of neighborhood-based mental health services. This includes ensuring timely access, delivering high-quality care, and fostering strong partnerships across primary care, secondary care, social services, and the voluntary and community sectors.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will provide operational leadership to CIMHS, which is organised around neighbourhood working and aligned to Primary Care Networks. They will be accountable for the day to day performance, capacity and flow of the service, ensuring that CIMHS operates as a responsive, accessible and clinically robust front door for adults with mental health needs.

Working for our organisation

Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Operational Lead will provide operational and line management supervision to senior staff within CIMHS, supporting a culture of accountability, collaboration, learning and continuous improvement. They will be responsible for workforce planning, managing demand and capacity in a high-throughput environment, and responding flexibly to changing pressures and system priorities.

CIMHS continues to integrate a range of provision, including secondary care mental health services, enhanced primary care functions, third sector partners, peer support and social care. The post holder will play a key role in embedding integrated ways of working, ensuring clarity of roles, effective communication and shared ownership of outcomes across organisational boundaries.

A core element of the role is ensuring that neighbourhood CIMHS teams operate in line with the principles of the Community Mental Health Framework: place-based, whole-person and whole-population approaches, with a strong focus on addressing inequalities and working alongside local communities. The post holder will support meaningful co-production with people who use services, carers and community partners.

The post holder will work closely with crisis and acute services to ensure smooth interfaces, effective escalation and de-escalation, and shared risk management, holding an appropriate level of operational risk and oversight for a dynamic community pathway.

They will also contribute to the development, implementation and oversight of governance arrangementswithinthis complex multi-agency environment, ensuring quality, safety, performance and learning are embedded within day-to-day operations.

Person specification

Education/Qualification/training

Essential criteria

• Relevant qualification: Social work, Nursing (RMN), Occupational Therapy, Psychology, Arts Therapies to degree or equivalent supplemented by specialist training experience within specialist area equivalent to masters level
• Evidence of professional development
• Registration with relevant professional body

Desirable criteria

• Management qualification

Experience

Essential criteria

• Significant experience of leading clinical work
• Significant experience as an AMHP, if applicable
• Significant experience of staff line management, development and leadership
• Experience of budget management
• Experience of recruitment, selection and retention
• Experience of developing services and the change process
• Experience of developing and delivering training
• Experience of working in a multidisciplinary team
• Experience of partnership working with other agencies

Knowledge and Skills

Essential criteria

• Knowledge of current mental health legislation and initiatives
• Knowledge of the Mental Health Act 1983
• Knowledge and understanding of Social Care issues including Personalisation and Safeguarding adults and children
• Knowledge of the legal and ethical issues relating to health care
• Knowledge of equal opportunities, confidentiality and consent issues
• NHS/LA policies and procedures Spreadsheet & data analysis skills
• Ability to manage with available, sometimes limited, resources
• Health & Safety issues
• Demonstrate high level of care expertise
• High level of verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to co-ordinate and deliver services to a complex group
• Ability to plan and develop local policy and procedure
• Ability to line manage and develop a multidisciplinary clinical team
• Ability to manage competency
• Ability to provide and co-ordinate clinical / management supervision
• Ability to manage severely challenging behaviour/crisis intervention including intervention under the MHA
• Able to manage & lead incidents of verbal & violent aggression
• Budget management skills
• Ability to lead on all category SI reviews for the locality
• Ability to manage unpredictable workloads and frequent demands on concentration and attention
• Ability to lead and facilitate decision making processes
• Good skills in O365 packages
• Report writing / presentation skills
• Change management skills
• Knowledge of the principles and practice of clinical governance, clinical audit and risk management

Other

Essential criteria

• Committed to coproduction
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team and able to both/influence and work across professional boundaries.
• Ability to remain calm under pressure, motivate others and be flexible and adaptable to change.
• Able to demonstrate a commitment to self-development
• Passionate about population health
• Develop inclusivity and respect for others
• Demonstrates they care and values others, able to acknowledge and reward good work, celebrating team and individual success