Clinical Manager - Mental Health Hospital

Keystone Care; Wetherby; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Keystone Care in the United Kingdom seeks a Clinical Manager to lead a specialist mental health hospital, delivering safe, person-centred care under robust governance and regulatory standards. You will work with the Hospital Manager to drive service quality and continuous improvement across wards.

You will oversee emergency admissions and brain-injury care, provide clinical guidance, and foster a learning-focused culture with strong staff development and governance.

Qualifications

• RMN or RNLD registration is essential.
• Post-registration leadership experience in mental health is required.
• Experience with governance, audits and quality improvement is essential.
• Strong communication and multidisciplinary collaboration skills.
• Ability to manage conflict and make decisions under pressure.
• Postgraduate leadership qualification desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the clinical team, providing day-to-day direction and support to ensure safe, high-quality care.
• Oversee clinical operations for emergency admissions and brain injuries, with planning and risk management.
• Implement and monitor clinical governance frameworks, audits, and quality improvement initiatives.
• Ensure regulatory compliance and safeguarding across the service.
• Review and analyse clinical data, incident reports, and feedback to identify trends and improvements.
• Work with the Hospital Manager on service planning, resource allocation and workforce management.
• Provide expert clinical guidance and decision-making support in high-risk situations.
• Foster a collaborative, learning-focused culture with reflective practice and staff development.

Skills

Clinical leadership

Governance

Audit

Communication

Staff development

Crisis management

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Education

RMN or RNLD registration

Postgraduate leadership qualification (desirable)

Job description

Step into a pivotal leadership role where your clinical expertise directly shapes patient outcomes in a specialist mental health hospital. This is an opportunity to lead and develop a multidisciplinary team, drive high standards of care, and influence service quality for patients with complex needs, including emergency admissions and acute brain injuries. Working closely with an established Hospital Manager, you’ll have the support and structure to focus on clinical excellence and continuous improvement.

About the Role:

As Clinical Manager in this mental health hospital, you will oversee the delivery of safe, effective, and person-centred care across the service. You will provide visible clinical leadership, ensuring robust governance, regulatory compliance, and high-quality standards are consistently met. Partnering with the Hospital Manager, you will contribute to strategic service development while maintaining a strong presence on the wards.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage the clinical team, providing day-to-day direction, supervision, and support to ensure safe, high-quality care.
• Oversee clinical operations for emergency admissions and patients with acute brain injuries, ensuring timely assessments, care planning, and risk management.
• Implement and monitor clinical governance frameworks, audits, and quality improvement initiatives to enhance patient outcomes and service performance.
• Ensure full compliance with regulatory and professional standards, including CQC requirements, internal policies, and safeguarding procedures.
• Review and analyse clinical data, incident reports, and feedback to identify trends and drive targeted improvements.
• Work closely with the Hospital Manager on service planning, resource allocation, and workforce management to maintain safe staffing and skill mix.
• Provide expert clinical guidance and decision-making support in complex or high-risk situations, including crisis management.
• Foster a collaborative, learning-focused culture, promoting reflective practice, staff development, and effective multidisciplinary working.

Key Requirements:

• Current NMC registration as an RMN (Registered Mental Health Nurse) or RNLD (Registered Nurse in Learning Disabilities).
• Proven post-registration experience in a mental health hospital or similar inpatient setting.
• Demonstrable experience in a clinical leadership or management role with responsibility for teams and service delivery.
• Strong understanding of mental health presentations, emergency admissions, and complex/acute clinical needs, including brain injury.
• Clear track record of ensuring regulatory compliance and working within CQC-regulated environments.
• Evidence of leading quality improvement, clinical governance, and audit processes.
• Advanced communication skills with the ability to influence, negotiate, and build effective relationships across multidisciplinary teams.
• Proven ability to manage conflict, handle challenging situations, and make sound clinical decisions under pressure.

Desirable Skills:

• Experience within a specialist brain injury, neurorehabilitation, or complex mental health service.
• Previous involvement in service development, change management, or implementing new clinical pathways.
• Experience in coaching, mentoring, or formal supervision of nursing staff.
• Familiarity with data-driven performance monitoring and using metrics to inform service improvements.
• Experience working with families, carers, and external agencies in complex case management.

Qualifications:

• Registered Nurse qualification (RMN or RNLD) – essential.
• Evidence of ongoing professional development in leadership, management, or advanced clinical practice – essential.
• Postgraduate qualification in mental health, leadership/management, or related clinical field – desirable.
• Additional training in quality improvement, clinical governance, or risk management – desirable.

If you are an experienced Clinical Manager or senior nurse leader ready to take ownership of clinical standards in a specialist mental health hospital we’d like to hear from you.