Mhst Team Lead - Mid Essex

Nelft Nhs Foundation Trust; Chelmsford; On-site; GBP 49,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting an experienced Team Lead (Band 7) for the Mental Health Support Team in Mid Essex. The role combines operational and clinical leadership to a multi-professional group across schools and communities.

You will deliver evidence-based interventions, support staff development, and ensure timely access to effective mental health support for children and young people. Travel across locality is expected.

Qualifications

• Post-graduate psychological practitioner or graduate health professional.
• Fully registered with HCPC, NMC or equivalent regulatory body.
• Experience leading MHST or school-based mental health services.

Responsibilities

• Lead and supervise MHST staff to deliver safe and effective care.
• Oversee day-to-day management and governance of the service.
• Deliver assessments, consultation, and interventions for children and young people.

Skills

Team leadership

Clinical supervision

Operational management

MHST experience

Education

Post-graduate psychology

Registered healthcare professional

Job description

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and motivated mental health professional to join our Mental Health Support Team (MHST) service as a Team Lead (Band 7). We are looking for a passionate and innovative clinician who is committed to improving the emotional wellbeing and mental health of children and young people. As MHST Team Lead, you will provide both operational and clinical leadership to a multi-professional team, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based interventions within schools and educational settings. The successful candidate will be a post-graduate qualified psychological practitioner (e.g. psychologist, family therapist, child and adolescent psychotherapist) or graduate qualified health care professional (e.g. nurse, social worker, occupational therapist), fully registered with the appropriate professional or regulatory body (e.g. HCPC, NMC). Working closely with the MHST Operational Manager and key partners across health, education, and local wellbeing services, you will play a pivotal role in shaping service delivery, supporting staff development, promoting clinical excellence, and ensuring children and young people have timely access to effective mental health support. This is an exciting opportunity for a skilled clinician and leader who enjoys working collaboratively, driving service improvement, and supporting teams to achieve positive outcomes for children, young people, families, and schools.

Main duties of the job

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading, supervising, and supporting MHST staff to deliver safe and effective care.
• Overseeing the day-to-day management, performance, and governance of the service.
• Delivering specialist assessments, consultation, and therapeutic interventions for children, young people, and families.
• Supporting the delivery of MHST interventions, including guided self-help, group programmes, workshops, and Whole School Approach activities.
• Monitoring quality, safety, outcomes, and compliance with Trust, CQC, and NICE standards.
• Building effective partnerships with schools, CAMHS, social care, and other community services.
• Contributing to service development, quality improvement, audit, and workforce development initiatives.
• Promoting a positive team culture and acting as a role model for the Trust's values and behaviours.

About us

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health and community services for over 4.9 million people living in the London Boroughs of Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham, Havering, and across Essex. We work to ensure our patients, their friends and family, feel confident that their health needs are well met. With an excellent reputation for research and development, our skilled health professionals are at the cutting edge of evidence-based innovation, opening up the possibilities for better ways of working and delivery of care.

Details

• Date posted: 17 September 2026
• Pay scheme: Agenda for change
• Band: Band 7
• Salary: £49,397 to £56,515 a year
• Contract: Permanent
• Working pattern: Full-time
• Reference number: NDD-002055
• Job locations: Stapleford House, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 0QX, United Kingdom

Job description

Job responsibilities

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced clinician and leader to make a meaningful difference to the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people across Mid Essex.

Mid Essex covers a wide geographical area, and this role involves working across a range of locations, including schools, community settings, and partner organisations. The ability to travel independently and efficiently throughout the locality is therefore essential. Applicants should consider the travel requirements of the role, as public transport options may not always align with service needs across the locality.

For an informal enquiries, please contact:

Name: Melanie Kemp

Job title: Operational Manager Mid Essex MHST

Email: [e-mail]

Starting with NELFT

NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop-in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Goodmayes Hospital, Essex.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).

Working for Us

Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London and Essex. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas. The Trust has award-winning equality and diversity initiatives, along with staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest significantly in your development because when you feel valued and supported, we can deliver the highest quality care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been recognised in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and hold a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Through our staff networks and training opportunities we strive to foster a just and compassionate culture at NELFT.

Our Values 2025 - 2030

• We are kind.
• We are respectful.
• We work together with our communities.

These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.

Use of AI

We value applications that genuinely reflect each candidate’s own skills, experience and motivations. We therefore strongly discourage the use of AI-generated content in applications.

Applications should be written in your own words and accurately represent your knowledge, skills and experience.

We reserve the right to reject an application where we reasonably believe AI has been used to generate or materially contribute to its content.

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 details

Employer name: NELFT North East London Foundation Trust

Address: Stapleford House, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 0QX, United Kingdom

Employer's website: https://www.nelft.nhs.uk/

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Manager

Melanie Kemp

[e-mail]

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