Mental Health Law Officer

South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust; Springfield Village; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust seeks a Mental Health Law Officer to administer the Mental Health Act 1983 and related guidance. You will work within the Mental Health Law team to ensure detained patients are treated legally and decisions reviewed through tribunals and hospital manager hearings.

You will need strong MHA/MCA knowledge, meticulous attention to detail, and excellent communication. Travel to Tolworth and other SW London sites is expected.

Qualifications

• Experience of Mental Health Act administration and associated processes.
• Proven administrative and secretarial capabilities in a deadline-driven environment.
• Strong front-line customer service experience with diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to set up and maintain administrative systems.
• Lived experience of mental health issues (as applicable).
• Experience taking formal minutes and electronic diary management.
• Experience with clinical information systems or NHS databases.
• Experience working in an NHS/hospital setting.
• Experience with potentially challenging client groups.
• Supervisory experience in administration and event coordination.
• Para-legal experience is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and oversee legal hearings for detained and community patients.
• Scrutinise MHA section papers and consent to treatment certificates.
• Ensure eligible patients are legally detained and medicated.
• Liaise with professionals and external agencies to coordinate hearings.
• Maintain high attention to detail and effective communication.

Skills

Mental Health Act Administration

Administrative work

Secretarial skills

Customer service

Minute taking

Diary management

Information systems

NHS/hospital experience

Event/Conference planning

Para-legal experience

Education

Degree or equivalent in relevant subject

Knowledge of admin procedures

Mental Health Act 1983 knowledge

Microsoft Office skills

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

PowerPoint

Outlook

Access

Job description

South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust

Mental Health Law Officer

The closing date is 16 November 2026

To be responsible for administering all aspects of the Mental Health Act 1983 and associated guidance and codes, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards

To ensure the Trust's compliance with the law and good practice, and to provide a caring and effective service to patients, relatives and staff.

Work as part of the Mental Health Law team, and provide assistance and support to other members of the team

Main duties of the job

South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust is looking to recruit for the post of Mental Health Law Officer. The MHL Office ensures that the Trust detains and medicates patients in full compliance with mental health legislation. The successful candidate will work within an administrative team led by a senior mental health law officer.

This position involves administering the day-to-day requirements of the Mental Health Act 1983 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The post holder will liaise with professionals within the Trust and outside agencies to coordinate tribunals and associate hospital managers' hearings for detained patients and will demonstrate commitment and enthusiasm for the role.

About us

Unless expressly stated in the job advert this role is not subject to sponsorship, please be advised that all offers of employment are subject to evidence of right to work in the UK.

We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.

We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' - we aspire to be 'outstanding'.

This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services as we invest a further £120m to upgrade and modernise our estate by 2027.

We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.

We offer flexible working, career development and a varietybenefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.

Come and join our inclusive teams and help our patients on their recovery journey.

Job responsibilities

You will coordinate and oversee legal hearings for detained and community patients, you will scrutinise the MHA section papers and consent to treatment certificates, ensuring all eligible patients are legally detained and medicated.

You will need a good working knowledge of MHA and MCA, experience in the administration of mental health law, great attention to detail and excellent communication skills. A successful applicant will have excellent organisational skills, a flexible approach to work and a keen interest in legal administration.

In addition to work base at Springfield Hospital, you should be prepared to travel to Tolworth hospital and other sites in South West London to cover your colleagues as needed.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in job applications

If you have used AI to support the preparation of your application, please briefly indicate how it was used within your supporting statement or application form.

Please remember, your application is your opportunity to tell us about your skills, experience and motivation for the role. We encourage applicants to complete their application and supporting statement in their own words wherever possible. We recognise that AI tools can be helpful in supporting accessibility, and for improving spelling, grammar and structure.

Applications that rely heavily on AI-generated content can become generic and fail to accurately reflect an applicant's individual experience. Applications that clearly demonstrate your own voice, reflections and experiences are often the most effective and help us better understand your suitability for the role.

Please be aware that information provided in your application and supporting statement may be explored further during the selection process. It is important that all applications accurately represent your own knowledge, skills and experience.

Person Specification

Experience

• Experience of working within Mental Health Act Administration
• Demonstrable and strong experience of administrative & secretarial work, managing a busy and deadline demanding workload
• Experience of providing effective front line customer service
• Experience of setting up, maintaining and developing administrative systems
• Lived experience of mental health issues
• Experience of taking formal minutes
• Experience of electronic diary management
• Experience of using a clinical management information system, database or similar
• Experience of working in an NHS/hospital setting
• Experience of working with potentially challenging client groups
• Supervisory experience in an administrative/clerical environment
• Experience of organising events and conferences
• Para-legal experience

Training & Qualifications

• Educated to degree level in relevant subject or equivalent level of experience of working at a similar level in specialist area
• Knowledge of administrative procedures, project management or information analysis
• Sound working knowledge of the Mental Health Act 1983
• Intermediate computer skills with Microsoft packages for example Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook Express and Access
• Basic knowledge of project principles
• Previously worked in similar position within the public sector

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.

Employer name

South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust

£38,488 to £46,852 a yearpro rata per annum inclusive of Inner London HCAs