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Mental Health Service Manager

NHS

Trowbridge

On-site

GBP 64,000 - 69,000

Full time

Today

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Job summary

A progressive local authority in Trowbridge seeks a Service Manager for the Mental Health Service. In this critical role, you will oversee the delivery of high-quality adult care services, manage operations and budgets, and ensure compliance with statutory standards. The ideal candidate will possess a Social Work or Occupational Therapy qualification, demonstrate significant leadership experience, and excel in partnership building. This position not only offers competitive remuneration but also the opportunity to truly impact the community's wellbeing.

Benefits

Professional development opportunities

Innovative work environment

Collaboration with health and social care partners

Qualifications

Social Work or Occupational Therapy qualification and current registration.
Proven experience managing operational adult care services in a large organisation.
Strong leadership skills and experience in safeguarding.

Responsibilities

Lead and manage specialist teams including Mental Health and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.
Ensure compliance with statutory requirements and deliver robust quality assurance.
Manage a staffing budget of approximately £3m.

Skills

Leadership

Safeguarding expertise

Partnership working

Conflict resolution

Education

Social Work or Occupational Therapy qualification

Job Summary

Wholelife Pathways Supporting Independence, Protecting Wellbeing.

We are looking for a passionate and experienced leader to join our Adult Social Care directorate as Service Manager for the Mental Health Service in Wholelife Pathways. This is a vital role where you will make a real difference to people's lives by ensuring services are delivered to the highest standards and in line with our values of choice, independence, and safeguarding.

You will lead key services, including Mental Health operations, the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (soon to be Liberty Protection Safeguards), Approved Mental Health Practitioners Hub, and the Emergency Duty Service. Working closely with the Head of Service and Director, you will drive continual improvement and embed a strengths‑based approach that empowers individuals.

We are looking for someone with a recognised Social Work or Occupational Therapy qualification and professional registration, who brings proven experience of managing adult care services in a complex organisation. You will be confident working in a political environment, building strong partnerships across health, social care, and the voluntary sector, and ensuring compliance with statutory duties, including the Mental Health Act.

If you are committed to delivering high‑quality, person‑centred care and want to lead services that truly make a difference, we would love to hear from you.

About the Role

As Service Manager, you will:

Lead and manage specialist teams including Mental Health, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (soon Liberty Protection Safeguards), Best Interest Assessor function, Approved Mental Health Practitioner (AMHP) team, and Emergency Duty Service (EDS).
Drive continuous improvement and embed a strengths‑based approach to practice.
Ensure compliance with statutory requirements, CQC standards, and deliver robust quality assurance.
Manage a staffing budget of approximately £3m and contribute to the wider Adult Care budget of £144m.
Work collaboratively with health partners, voluntary sector organisations, and other stakeholders to deliver integrated care pathways.

About You

We are looking for someone with:

A Social Work or Occupational Therapy qualification and current registration (Social Work England/HCPC).
Proven experience managing operational adult care services in a large, complex organisation.
Strong leadership skills with the ability to manage teams and drive transformational change.
Expertise in safeguarding, partnership working, and handling complex situations.
Excellent understanding of local government and health systems.

Why Join Us?

Be part of a forward‑thinking council committed to innovation and continuous improvement.
Work in a collaborative environment where your expertise will shape services for thousands of residents.
Access to professional development and opportunities to influence strategic priorities.

About Us

Wiltshire Council is the unitary local authority for the county of Wiltshire, England, established in 2009 to provide both county‑level and district‑level services. The council's vision is to foster strong communities where residents can achieve their potential through empowerment and inclusion. The council focuses on long‑term challenges, community engagement, and delivering services that support independent living, reduce inequalities, and promote overall well‑being.

Key Responsibilities and Services

Community Services: The council provides a range of essential services to residents, including waste management, public planning, and support for vulnerable populations, such as older adults and people with disabilities.
Governance: The council consists of elected councillors who form a cabinet to set the council's direction and priorities. A system of overview and scrutiny ensures accountability for the cabinet's decisions.
Strategic Planning: The council engages in long‑term planning, such as its household waste management strategy, focusing on new approaches and opportunities to manage waste over the next decade and beyond.
Infrastructure: The council uses Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funds to support local infrastructure projects, including roads, schools, and recreational facilities, to manage the impact of development.

Job Context

Adult care is a high‑profile public service provided by the Council in partnership with the local NHS through contractual and partnership agreements, the Voluntary & Community sector, and user‑led organisations.

The service delivers high quality and effective contact, assessment, care management and Social Work and Occupational Therapy services to all people who approach adult social care and those that go on to require an assessment by teams.

Adult Social Care delivers services to people who need a rapid response to a crisis, need help to maintain their independence where they have complex needs, and promotes preventative services which help people remain well and independent.

The service ensures that individualised care and safeguarding of vulnerability and risk is provided in conjunction with other health and social care services and that the Council performs its statutory duty in relation to the provision of Adult Social Care services including statutory responsibilities of the Mental Health Act.

Job Purpose

This post is the Service Manager & line manager for: Mental Health teams, the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (soon to be Liberty Protection Safeguarding LPS), the Best Interest Assessor function, Approved Mental Health Practitioner (AMHP) team and Emergency Duty Service (EDS). Support the Head of Service and Director to ensure a process of continual improvement and embedding a strengths‑based approach to practice that delivers choice and control for individuals.

As part of the extended senior management team of the Adult Care directorate the post holder will provide support to ensure that services are delivered to the highest standards, providing robust quality assurance, compliance with all legal and statutory requirements and within an effective and efficient budgetary framework.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

Service expert with responsibility for leading the identification, development and delivery of effective strategies for improving service delivery in adult social care.
Service Lead on the continuous development of performance management systems to improve quality and delivery in the service.
Service Lead for the recruitment and retention within the service working closely with HR & OD to develop strategies and initiatives to support and build service capacity.
Supporting the Head of Service to ensure that services are CQC inspection ready, working with the inspection leads to understand, prepare for and develop action plans related to inspections.
Provide support to the Head of Service in the line management and supervision of the team managers in response to increasing work volumes and other changes which have impacted on the capacity within adult social care.
Work closely with the Senior Management team across the directorate including the to ensure that there is alignment across the services in terms of a focus on prevention and early intervention and high quality social care practice.
Oversee and coordinate the processes for regulating, warranting and re‑warranting of Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs) across daytime and out‑of‑hours teams (EDS), ensuring compliance with statutory requirements.
Support the Head of Service with activities within joint programmes with the ICS and other partner agencies, towards integrated approaches to continuing health care (CHC), Section 117 and joint funded pathways, ensuring effective partnership working to provide delivery of health and social care.
Supporting SMT and Service Managers in terms of providing cover across the directorate during periods of absence.

Examples of specific tasks to be undertaken (not exhaustive):

Developing strategies to realise savings and service improvements within the service using performance information to identify efficiencies in the service.
Responsibility for the recruitment within the service area and ensure learning is shared across the directorate.
Develop recruitment and retention strategies, working closely with the HR & OD leads to implement these alongside initiatives to recruit and retain staff in critical posts. This includes working closely with Principal Social Worker and Principal Occupational Therapist and other development programmes aimed at improving recruitment and retention within the service.
Provide technical support and expertise to deliver the service priorities identified in the corporate business plan and people strategy. Where applicable lead on projects to deliver actions required.

Person Specification – Qualifications (Essential)

Social Work or Occupational Therapy professional qualification, with HCPC/Social Work England registration.
Experience of managing operational adult care services in a large and diverse organisation.
Experience of working in a political and sensitive political environment with councillors and supporting the Head of Service managing challenges and queries that come into the service.
Experience of leading effective partnership working across health, social care and the voluntary sector.
Experience of managing and resolving conflict, effectively handling challenging and complex situations.
Knowledge and understanding of safeguarding in operational teams and managing safeguarding issues.
Evidence of continued professional development.

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

Wiltshire Council

County Hall
Bythesea Rd
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14 8JN

Employer's website: http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Job Details

Date posted: 17 December 2025

Pay scheme: Other

Salary: £64,844 to £68,987 a year

Contract: Permanent

Working pattern: Full‑time