Clinical Lead - Neighbourhood Mental Health Team

NHS; Crawley; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare organization is looking for a Clinical Lead to join their Crawley team. This role involves facilitating patient transitions between acute and community services while providing essential clinical and managerial guidance. The ideal candidate will have experience in mental health settings and relevant qualifications, ensuring safe, timely patient discharges. This position offers a competitive salary, professional development opportunities, and a supportive team environment. Flexibility in working arrangements promotes a healthy work/life balance.

Benefits

Regular supervision and mentoring

Access to training and CPD

Leadership development opportunities

Qualifications

• Qualified and registered Social Worker, Occupational Therapist or Mental Health Nurse.
• Experience within a mental health setting.
• Organised and able to adhere to deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical and managerial leadership to inpatient services.
• Ensure timely and safe discharges for patients.
• Support a multidisciplinary team in achieving patient care.

Skills

Communication skills

Leadership

Clinical knowledge

Flexible and self-motivated

Education

Relevant qualification or equivalent experience

Tools

CPD evidence

Job description

Job summary

We are seeking a Band 7 to join us as a Clinical Lead working across Crawley.

The role will be based in the Crawley Neighbourhood Mental Team and will facilitate the smooth and consistent transfer of clients between acute and community services and between other care groups.

• To attend all acute/community meetings such as Crisis Team MDT meeting, ward risk huddles/bed meetings, ward rounds, discharge planning meetings, zoning meetings.
• Be allocated as Lead Practitioner to all new admissions to SPFT Acute Hospitals and ECR beds who are not known to the service and be actively involved in care from admission to discharge and for 4 – 6 weeks after discharge, then to either discharge to primary care, signpost to other agencies, refer to Pathfinders or request allocation from the team. To liaise effectively with carers and families and link in with Acute Day Services, Havens, Staying well service.
• To link in with Lead Practitioners in teams who have clients in hospital and to facilitate liaison with ward where required. Liaison with discharge co‑ordinators, clinical bed managers.
• Attend transition meetings with CAMHS and Perinatal services and make decisions on whether referrals are appropriate.
• Carry out a number of complex priority assessments for the team each week.
• Liaise with other organisations.
• Be part of the leadership team and provide a supervisory role for junior staff.

Main duties

As a Clinical Lead you will be responsible for providing clinical and managerial leadership to colleagues in our hospital discharge teams, to ensure that we achieve timely and safe discharges for patients. You will have oversight of all patients identified with complex needs, ensuring that the discharge planning and pathways are being robustly and proactively managed for these individuals.

As a senior and experienced clinician, you will play a key role in supporting our inpatient services in achieving timely discharges, supporting our aspiration to offer care and treatment for all patients within the most appropriate environments.

In line with our Trust value of ‘People First’, evidence shows that people who are treated nearer home and in the least restrictive manner, have better outcomes. You will work collaboratively with our multidisciplinary team and our Adult and Older Adult Services, to help us provide this opportunity for the people of Sussex.

About us

Over the next five years, community mental health services are going to be undergoing a real transformation, and you could be part of these exciting developments. Our community mental health teams will become part of a much more integrated network of services and our mental health clinicians will be central in driving the changes, in close partnership with our primary and third sector colleagues.

We recognise that working in mental health can be stressful so we prioritise staff welfare, providing regular supervision, reflective practice, mentoring, and any other support that our clinicians need to ensure their wellbeing.

What you will receive from us

• Regular Line Management Clinical and Professional supervision.
• Access to a wide range of Training and CPD opportunities.
• Varied leadership development opportunities.

Flexible working

We encourage flexible working. We know that a positive work/life balance brings about huge health‑related benefits, which has a positive impact on the care we provide. Please speak to us about flexible working, for example, home‑working, part‑time hours, flexible start/finish times or anything else. If it works for you and works for the role, we’ll do our best to make it happen.

Details

Date posted
08 December 2025

Pay scheme
Agenda for change

Band
Band 7

Salary
£47,810 to £54,710 a year Per annum pro rata

Contract
Permanent

Working pattern
Full‑time

Reference number
354‑AN‑20899‑A

Job locations
218 Ifield Drive
Crawley
RH11 0EP

Job responsibilities

Effective communication and leadership skills, a sound clinical knowledge base, and a commitment to caring for patients in the community must be demonstrated. You must be enthusiastic, self‑motivated, flexible and able to work as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Requirements

In order to be a successful Band 7 Clinical Lead in our team you will be:

• A qualified and registered Social Worker, Occupational Therapist or Mental Health Nurse.
• Comfortable working in a fast‑paced and varied role.
• Experienced working within a mental health setting.
• Organised and able to stick to deadlines.

Person Specification – Qualifications Essential

• Educated to minimum diploma level with a relevant qualification or equivalent experience.
• Evidence of CPD.

Knowledge/Experience Essential

• Significant experience of and demonstrable achievement in relevant clinical practice.
• Experience of providing professional support/supervision and motivation of staff.
• Understanding of Health and Social Care Governance.
• Experience of managing staff.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see the NHS Careers website.

Employer details

Employer name
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Address
218 Ifield Drive
Crawley
RH11 0EP

Employer's website
https://www.sussexpartnership.nhs.uk/