Mental Health Law Administrator | Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust; Walton; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading health trust in the UK is seeking a Mental Health Law Administrator to join their team in Walton. The successful candidate will oversee various aspects of Mental Health law compliance, ensuring that multidisciplinary teams follow legal standards. This role demands excellent administration and communication skills, alongside a keen eye for detail. Responsibilities include providing expertise in Mental Health law, coordinating training, and liaising with healthcare professionals and external agencies. This role offers an opportunity to make a significant impact in mental health services.

Benefits

Flexible working requests considered

Commitment to staff support and development

Qualifications

• Experience in administration within healthcare settings.
• Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion.
• Capacity to prioritize tasks under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Support expertise on Mental Health law issues.
• Ensure compliance with legislation and best practices.
• Develop and deliver training to staff on Mental Health legislation.

Skills

Excellent administration skills

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Organizational skills

Education

Knowledge of Mental Health Act 1983

Understanding of Mental Capacity Act 2005

Legal knowledge related to Mental Health

Job description

Overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen within Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust. We are looking for an experienced Mental Health Law Administrator to join the Mental Health Care Division - Mental Health Law Administration Team based at Clock View.

The successful candidate will have excellent administration and communication skills as they will be required to liaise with various disciplines and agencies. They must be able to prioritise their work to meet strict deadlines. Attention to detail is essential as the role will involve the scrutiny of statutory documentation to ensure compliance with the MHA 1983 and current legislation.

It is mandatory to attend in house training on Mental Health Law and related topics.

Responsibilities

• To have responsibility for supporting and providing expertise on a range of Mental Health law related issues, particularly the Mental Health Act 1983.
• To support the M H Law Service Manager in updating all action plans and reports provided by the Care Quality Commission.
• To provide support to the Team Manager and M H Law Service Manager.
• To ensure that the multi‑disciplinary teams within the Trust operate in accordance with the requirements of the law and accepted good practice.
• To participate in the development and delivery of training to a wide range of multi‑disciplinary staff.
• To support the Trust’s planning for the implementation of changes to Mental Health law.
• The post holder will be required to provide and receive complex, sensitive information, coordinate a range of specialist systems and processes and should possess persuasive, motivational, negotiating skills. They will need to be confident in presenting information to a wide variety of audiences, including staff and members of the public.
• They will require a range of administrative and organisational skills and skills for researching a variety of issues and proposing solutions for dealing with complex enquiries.
• They must be able to plan and organise meetings and events, prioritise their work and work autonomously. The post involves contact with patients and relatives often when upset or unhappy with the circumstances of their care.
• To provide expert knowledge of the Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended by the Mental Health Act 2007), Mental Health Review Tribunal Rules, Consent to Treatment regulations, the MHA Code of Practice, ensuring delivery of the best possible care in a manner governed by legislation/good practice.
• To have knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA), Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and their respective Codes of Practice and be able to provide advice on this and its implications to a wide range of individuals, including patients, carers and multi‑disciplinary staff within the Trust and the relevant Acute Trusts in accordance with the proposed SLAs with those organisations.
• To take a central role in participating in the Trust’s planning for the implementation of changes in Mental Health law, recommendations from inquiries and changes to case law, which includes the development of multi‑disciplinary policies and procedures, introduction of new systems and implementing required training for all levels of staff.
• To raise awareness around assessments of capacity, best interests and deprivation of liberty for patients lacking capacity to consent to specific interventions.
• To ensure that all legal requirements are met to the highest of standards, dealing with possible conflict between staff, doctors, family members, legal representatives and other external agencies.
• To ensure the appropriate use of the MHA/MCA and the interface between the two.
• To be the first port of call in addressing issues of concern raised by the Hospital Managers, Mental Health Review Tribunal and Care Quality Commission, reporting back to the Mental Health Law Service Manager.
• To assist advocates with any concerns regarding MHA/MCA legislation.
• To obtain cost effective and timely legal advice, where appropriate, on MHA/MCA issues, in line with the relevant Trust procedures.
• To act as authorised signatory in respect of payments to Hospital Managers and associated expenses.
• To act as Trust contact with the CQC and ensure all issues raised by the Commission are addressed appropriately and on a timely basis.
• To participate in MHA/MCA‑related incident investigations, as required.
• To be formally authorised to act on behalf of the Hospital Managers in receiving and scrutinising section papers.
• To receive, analyse and relay information from, and to, a wide range of staff, patients, carers and external agencies on contentious or complex issues relating to the MHA/MCA.
• To attend relevant local committees and meetings, including the MH Law Forum.
• To support the Team Manager and M H Law Service Manager in devising/developing systems and procedures to ensure the effective administration of all Mental Health law related issues, including data collection and record keeping.
• To be responsible for maintaining a local Mental Health Law resource and ensuring all relevant wards/departments have access to the required statutory forms/paperwork, appeal forms, rights leaflets, policies and guidance (in appropriate formats) at all times.
• To ensure the Hospital Managers receive all the necessary information and support to enable them to carry out their statutory duties.
• To assist the Mental Health Law Admin Manager in the management and supervision of newly appointed Mental Health Act Administrator(s) and/or any junior staff employed to work in the office.
• To be flexible in the duties performed and is expected that similar duties not specifically listed above will be carried out as requested, and may be required to work across different sites within the Division.

About Mersey Care

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to ‘perfect care’ – care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We’re currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

Other information

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

This advert closes on Sunday 4 Jan 2026.