Lead Nurse Mental Health

Integrated Care System; London; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 98,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent NHS trust is seeking a Lead Nurse Mental Health to provide strategic and operational leadership, ensuring high-quality patient care for mental health needs. This role will oversee governance and operational frameworks, develop clinical teams, and foster partnerships across various organizations. The ideal candidate will have significant leadership experience and a registered mental health nursing qualification. The position offers a competitive annual salary of £85,431 to £97,148.

Qualifications

• Significant experience of operational management in a nursing leadership role.
• Experience of leading transformational change within a complex organisation.
• Ability to collaborate and work with a diverse range of stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic direction of mental health services across UCLH.
• Ensure robust governance systems are in place for mental health.
• Provide professional leadership for RMNs.

Skills

Operational management

Leadership

Clinical skills

Communication

Education

Masters / MBA qualification

Registered Mental Health Nurse

Job description

Go back University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Lead Nurse Mental Health

The closing date is 21 August 2025

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Chief Nurse team as the Lead Nurse Mental Health for UCLH. This post provides trust wide strategic and operational leadership at UCLH to ensure the care provided to patients with mental health needs is safe, effective, of a high quality and improves patient experience.

You will provide forward-thinking clinical and professional leadership to support delivery of the trust's mental health strategy and quality priorities.

Working closely with colleagues across the Trust, you will have a particular focus on five keys areas: strategic, operational, professional, programme management and partnership working. You will also contribute to the ongoing implementation of the wider trust strategy and nursing and midwifery priorities.

You will have collaborative leadership skills, a passion for high-quality patient care and a drive to enhance patient outcomes and improve staff experience.

This is an excellent opportunity for professional development and growth.

Interviews are scheduled to take place on Thursday, 4th September 2025

Main duties of the job

The role has five main delivery themes:

Strategic: lead the long-term strategic direction of mental health services across UCLH, supporting the UCLH mental health strategy group and quality group to deliver our strategy. Lead the design and delivery of future strategic plans and objectives for mental health across the organisation.

Operational: ensure robust governance systems are in place relating to mental health across the organisation, review performance and monitor impact, create an operational framework and provide professional leadership to the RMNs in the ETOC Team.

Programme management: supported by a project manager, lead a rigorous, responsive and robust programme of work including planning, reporting, managing risk and complexity, with a strong focus on benefits realisation across the organisation.

People management: provide professional leadership and supervision for RMNs, lead the development of clinical teams in relation to mental health knowledge, skills and confidence.

Partnership working: effective relationship management and engagement with senior clinical and non-clinical stakeholders; developing strong and credible relationships with partner organisations across the ICS and wider region.

About us

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is one of the most complex NHS trusts in the UK, serving a large and diverse population. We provide academically led acute and specialist services, to people from the local area, from throughout the UK and overseas. Our vision is to deliver top-quality patient care, excellent education, and world-class research.

We provide first-class acute and specialist services across 8 sites:

University College Hospital (incorporating the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing)

National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery

Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals

University College Hospital Grafton Way Building

Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine

University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre

The Hospital for Tropical Diseases

University College Hospital at Westmoreland Street

We are dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of many complex illnesses. UCLH specialises in women's health and the treatment of cancer, infection, neurological, gastrointestinal and oral disease. It has world class support services including critical care, imaging, nuclear medicine and pathology.

We are committed to sustainability and have pledged to become a carbon net zero health service, embedding sustainable practice throughout UCLH. We have set an ambitious target of net zero for our direct emissions by 2031 and indirect emissions by 2040.

Job responsibilities

For the full Person Specification and more information regarding the main responsibilities of this role, please refer to the attached Job Description.

Come and be a part of the best NHS trust in England to work for, according to our staff*

* UCLH top trust to work at in England - In the most recent NHS staff survey UCLH had the highest percentage of staff who said they would recommend us as a place to work, out of all general acute or acute/community NHS trusts in England for the third year in a row.

UCLH recognises the benefits of flexible working for staff To find out more, visit: Flexible working.

To discover more about what makes UCLH a great place to work, visit: Why Choose UCLH?

Person Specification

Knowledge and Qualifications

• Registered Mental Health Nurse
• Educated to Masters / MBA qualification or equivalent experience
• Substantial evidence of continuing professional development

Experience

• Significant experience of operational management in a nursing leadership role at a senior level (matron or equivalent) in a large mental health organisation with a complex range of services.
• Experience of leading and implementing effective, transformational change.
• Experience of delivering projects to time in a complex organisation.
• Experience of teaching, training and development and implementing evidence-based practice /nursing research in practice.
• Experience of negotiating and presenting cohesive arguments.
• Experience of managing competing priorities effectively within constrained timescales, using limited resources.
• Experience of managing and leading a workforce and associated budgets.
• Experience in analysing and resolving complex complaints and incidents.
• Knowledge of public sector / NHS work structures.
• Understanding of the principles and practice of governance, risk management, investigation and mitigation in the context of the NHS.
• Experience of business case preparation, report writing and the development and monitoring of outcome and output measures.
• delivering Trust wide professional nursing objectives.

Skills and Abilities

• Ability to manage complexity and risk whilst maintaining high standards of clinical and operational care.
• Is a team player, but able to work independently.
• Strong organisational ability and well-developed resource and staff management skills; able to forecast, plan, develop and manage unity capability in line with business plan and organisational vision
• Proven ability to foster an organisational culture that is positive about change and committed to delivery of the strategic vision.
• Ability to collaborate and work with a diverse range of stakeholders and effectively engage and influence, creating the conditions for successful partnership working.
• Ability to demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills to motivate and develop staff.

Communication

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills including the ability to influence colleagues at a range of levels internally and externally.

Personal and People Development

• Demonstrate a commitment to openness, honesty and integrity.
• Demonstrate credible, visible leadership and role-model excellence in nursing practice.
• High level of work organisation, self-motivation, drive for performance and improvement and flexibility in approach and attitude.

Responsibilities towards promoting Equality Diversity and Inclusion

• Responsibilities towards promoting Equality Diversity and Inclusion
• Knowledge of the NHS obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duties

Ensure the risk of infection to self, colleagues, patients, relatives and visitors is minimised by:

• Familiar with, and adhering to Trust policies and guidance on infection prevention and control.
• Completing all required training and education (both via e-learning and face to face) on infection prevention and control.
• Including infection prevention and control as an integral part of your continuous personal/professional development and included in your annual appraisal
• Taking personal responsibility so far as is reasonably practicable, in helping ensure that effective prevention and control of health care associated infections is embedded into everyday practice and applied consistently.

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.

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

£85,431 to £97,148 a yearPer annum inclusive of HCAS