Mental Health Act Professional Lead

NHS; Exeter; On-site; GBP 53,000 - 61,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading Trust in mental health services is seeking a Mental Health Act Manager to oversee systems of MHA administration and ensure patient rights are upheld. The role involves governance, compliance auditing, and leadership within a collaborative team dedicated to patient-centered care.

Qualifications

• Clinician experience in mental health setting required.
• Management and supervision of staff experience is essential.
• Experience leading audits and delivering legal frameworks training.

Responsibilities

• Support implementation and administration of the MHA and MCA.
• Provide leadership on new requirements of the Care Act, MHA, and MCA.
• Deliver mental health law training for staff to meet legal requirements.

Skills

Data analysis

IT skills

Interpret complex information

Education

Registered professional (RMN, social worker, psychologist, OT)

Qualified AMHP, BIA

Job description

Job summary

The Mental Health Act Managers' role is to oversee effective systems of MHA administration Trust-wide, ensuring that patients' detentions are legally valid and their rights of appeal are upheld.

The role involves working closely with MHA administrators, providing leadership to the team, and collaborating with directorates to focus on compliance with the MHA, prioritizing patient-centered care.

Governance of the MHA is central to this role. The MHA team conducts compliance audits and reports findings to the Operational and Scrutiny Committees, aiming to ensure all directorates are committed to quality assurance and continuous improvement in MHA compliance.

This is an exciting time to build a career as an MHA manager, as new legislation is anticipated to modernize the MHA and enhance patient autonomy and choice in treatment and care.

The role also includes senior leadership responsibilities for MARAC, MAPPA, and Prevent agendas.

Main duties of the job

As MHA/MCA Professional Lead, you will be a senior leader with opportunities to enhance clinical practice in the operational delivery of the MHA, MCA, MAPPA, MARAC, and Prevent initiatives.

Supported by and leading a team of MHA Administrators and an MCA professional lead, you will work closely with the Legal Professional Lead and the Deputy Director of Safeguarding and Public Protection. There will be opportunities to influence policy and collaborate across agencies to uphold patients' human rights.

About us

About Devon Partnership Trust

We provide mental health, learning disability, neurodiversity services, and specialized secure services regionally and nationally. We are dedicated to promoting mental well-being and leveraging our resources and partnerships to deliver high-quality, recovery-focused services.

We foster a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families, and carers in all aspects of our work.

Our values

We recruit based on qualifications and experience, but also seek individuals who demonstrate our core values: commitment to quality care, respect, dignity, compassion, and openness to new ideas. We are committed to inclusivity and encourage applications from all community sections, including those with lived experience of mental health conditions or neurodiversity. We are a Disability Confident Leader.

Details

Date posted: 06 June 2025

Pay scheme: Agenda for change

Band: Band 8a

Salary: £53,755 to £60,504 per year

Contract: Permanent

Working pattern: Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number: C9369-25-0434

Job locations: Wonford House, Dryden Road, Exeter, Devon, EX2 5AF

Job description

Job responsibilities

The full job description is attached to the advert.

The successful applicant will seek:

• To support the Deputy Director, Safeguarding & Public Protection, in implementing and administering the MHA and MCA, including DOLS, the Human Rights Act, and related legislation across all care groups and services.
• To provide leadership on the new requirements of the Care Act, MHA, MCA, and associated Codes of Practice related to safeguarding.
• To be responsible for developing, reviewing, and implementing all Trust policies related to the MHA, MCA, DOLS, and other relevant legislation.
• To ensure lawful practice through communication and negotiation with professional groups and directorates.
• To plan and deliver mental health law training for staff groups, including medical, nursing, and Hospital Managers, to meet legal requirements.
• To advise staff on the application of the MHA, MCA, and related legislation to prevent unlawful detention and treatment, protect the Trust from litigation, and support patient rights.
• To serve as the Single Point of Contact for MAPPA, MARAC, and Prevent, ensuring clinicians access appropriate training.
• To develop and lead operational strategies and reports for MHA, MCA, Prevent, MARAC, and MAPPA.
• To advise on strategic issues related to these agendas, working with senior managers, service managers, practitioners, local authorities, and voluntary sectors.
• To represent the Trust in multi-agency forums concerning MARAC, MAPPA, and Prevent, ensuring proactive engagement.

Person Specification

Knowledge and Skills (Essential):

• Ability to interpret complex information
• Good IT skills
• Data analysis skills

Qualifications (Essential):

• Registered professional (e.g., RMN, social worker, psychologist, OT) with HCPC registration
• Qualified AMHP, BIA, or extensive relevant experience with an LLM in MH Law

Desirable qualifications include:

• LLM in Mental Health Law
• Experience delivering training on MHA and MCA

Experience (Essential):

• Clinician experience in mental health setting
• Management and supervision of staff
• Leading audits and governance
• Delivering legal frameworks training

Desirable experience:

• Management qualification
• Training delivery qualification

Other requirements

This post requires a DBS check and current UK professional registration. Further details are available on the NHS Careers website.