Inpatient Practice Lead

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

Job summary

A dedicated mental health service provider in Exeter is looking for a Band 7 Practice Lead to oversee quality and safety in service delivery. This role involves promoting a recovery model and ensuring compliance with standards in inpatient mental health. The ideal candidate will have significant post-qualifying experience and strong leadership skills, along with a professional mental health qualification. This position offers a full-time, fixed-term contract for 12 months, with opportunities for professional development.

Qualifications

• Significant post-qualifying work in inpatient mental health.
• Experience in a band 6 role with clinical supervision.
• Ability to support junior staff and promote personal growth.

Responsibilities

• Promote recovery model empowering service users.
• Champion equality, diversity, choice, and respect.
• Ensure compliance with quality and safety standards.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Leadership skills

Risk Assessment and Management

Ability to produce well-written reports

Education

Professional mental health qualification (degree or equivalent)

Leadership or quality improvement qualification

Job description

Overview

We have an exciting opportunity for a band 7 Practice Lead based at the Cedars in Exeter supporting 2 acute adult mental health wards. This will be a 12 month fixed term/ secondment post from January/ February 2026.

The Clinical Practice Lead is responsible for ensuring compliance with quality & safety standards within their assigned clinical pathways / teams. They will ensure that all individuals receiving care and treatment from DPT services do so in line with Trust strategic objectives (safe, timely, personalised, and sustainable and recovery focused) and are safeguarded from any harm.

Responsibilities

• Promote a recovery model that empowers users of services to be at the forefront of decision making and ownership of their care and treatment.
• Champion dignity, equality, diversity, choice and respect
• Prioritise demand and allocate/delegate accordingly
• Work flexibly
• Lone working at times
• Quality improvements and audits
• Compliance with CQC standards
• Managing complaints and compliments
• Learning from experience
• Practice education
• Advanced clinical delivery and leading others in their clinical practice through training, supervision, coaching and mentoring
• Applying quality improvement methodology to solve service delivery problems with qualified solutions

About Devon Partnership Trust

We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.

Our values

We not only recruit employees based on their qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess and demonstrate the behaviours which underpin the core values of our organisation. These values include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health & learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader Employer.

Details

Date posted: 21 October 2025

Pay scheme: Agenda for change

Band: Band 7

Salary: £47,809 to £54,710 a year

Contract: Fixed term

Duration: 12 months

Working pattern: Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number: C9369-25-0811

Job locations: The Cedars, Exeter, Devon, EX2 5SN

Job description

Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification which will provide further information on this role.

Qualifications

Essential

• A professional mental health qualification to degree level or equivalent Post Graduate qualification relevant to specialism- RMN
• Leadership or quality improvement qualification

Experience

Essential

• Significant years post qualifying work in inpatient mental health, including significant experience working in a band 6 role
• Clinical supervision and mentoring experience

Knowledge and skills

• Excellent communication skills including the ability to engage with large groups who may be antagonistic and/or distressed. This will apply to persons who use the service and their carers/relatives and professional staff group.
• Excellent leadership skills with the ability to lead change and motivate staff.
• Ability to support junior staff: professionally and academically, promoting their personal growth and developing their competencies.
• Ability to interpret research and apply to practice.
• Risk Assessment and Management.
• Able to produce well written reports.

Disclosures

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.

UK Registration: Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name: Devon Partnership NHS Trust

Address: The Cedars, Exeter, Devon, EX2 5SN

Employer's website: https://www.dpt.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)