Deputy Service Manager, Berkshire Psychological Medicine Service

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; Reading; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in Reading is seeking a passionate Deputy Service Manager for its Psychological Medicines Service. The successful candidate will act as the clinical lead, ensuring high-quality patient care in a dynamic environment. Responsibilities include managing a multidisciplinary team, providing expert clinical support, and maintaining excellent service standards. Candidates should have a professional mental health qualification and significant experience in urgent care services. This role promises flexible working options and numerous benefits.

Benefits

Flexible working options

27 days annual leave

Generous NHS pension scheme

Excellent learning and career development opportunities

Cycle to Work scheme

Access to wellbeing tools

Discounts at popular retailers

Staff networks for support

Generous maternity and paternity leave

Free parking at Trust sites

Qualifications

• Must have a professional mental health qualification like RMN or Social Worker.
• Significant experience as a band 7 clinician is essential.
• Previous work in Mental Health Urgent Care Services is required.
• Experience managing complex caseloads needed.

Responsibilities

• Act as clinical lead for the Psychological Medicines Service.
• Ensure delivery of high standard, evidence‑based service.
• Manage service teams and provide leadership and clinical support.
• Plan and manage resource requirements for service.
• Provide specialist advice and support to Acute hospital staff.

Skills

Professional mental health qualification

Experience as a band 7 clinician

Experience in Mental Health Urgent Care Services

Experience with complex caseloads

Education

RMN, Social Worker or Occupational therapist qualification

Job description

Vacancy at Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

An exciting opportunity has arisen for the role of Deputy Service Manager for the Psychological Medicines Service, Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading.

The post-holder will be an enthusiastic and self‑motivated mental health clinician who will act as the clinical lead for this busy psychological medicine service.

This dynamic liaison psychiatry service assesses and supports people with mental health problems who have been referred by the Emergency Department and the Wards, and the age range includes adults over 18 years old and older adults over 65 years old.

The services are delivered by multi‑disciplinary teams which operate 24 hours per day.

Part of this role will be developing and maintaining relationships with key stakeholder colleagues.

You will work 37.5 hours per week, over five days and be based in Royal Berkshire Hospital.

Responsible for ensuring the delivery of high standard, evidence‑based service that puts safety, quality and the service user experience at the centre of the service.

Maintain staffing levels and the high quality of service delivered, in collaboration with the Service Manager.

To provide innovative professional leadership to ensure and consistently develop a high quality, safe and cost‑effective service for service users, working in partnership with key stakeholders internal and external to the Trust.

To line manage service teams and provide leadership and clinical support across the service, addressing staffing issues across the service where required.

To plan and manage resource requirements to meet the needs of the service.

To support team members to work independently to carry out skilled and comprehensive psychosocial assessments.

To ensure the team provides the Acute hospital staff with specialist advice, support and supervision.

To ensure provision of evidence based high quality, timely and comprehensive assessments and treatment to patients referred.

To develop our understanding of liaison psychiatry work in order to improve the clinical care patients receive within the emergency department and ward settings.

Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:

• Caring for and about you is our top priority
• Committed to providing good quality, safe services
• Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

Benefits

Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:

• Flexible working options to support work‑life balance
• 27 days’ annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
• Generous NHS pension scheme
• Excellent learning and career development opportunities
• ‘Cycle to Work’ and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
• Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
• Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
• Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
• Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
• Free parking across Trust sites

The “must haves” for this role:

• Professional mental health qualification such as RMN, Social Worker or Occupational therapist
• Built up substantial experience as a band 7 clinician
• Experience of working in Mental Health Urgent Care Services
• Experience of working with complex caseloads

For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.

We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point‑by‑point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.

We’re committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.

We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to call: Sue Barclay on 07890 606956 or email: [e-mail] who’ll be delighted to help.

Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.

This advert closes on Monday 22 Dec 2025.