Service Manager

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust; Dartford; On-site; GBP 86,000 - 98,000; Full time

Job summary

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced health and social care manager to join the Directorate Management team. This Band 8c role focuses on Adult Inpatient Services within the Acute & Crisis Mental Health Directorate, covering the boroughs of Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich.

The post holder will lead operational delivery, drive service improvements with clinicians and multi-disciplinary teams, and ensure safety, governance and value for money across the portfolio, including on-call

Qualifications

• Substantial NHS management experience.
• Experience in mental health services in a management role with clinicians, multi-disciplinary teams, service users and carers.
• Track record of leading change projects and service improvements.

Responsibilities

• Agree objectives with the Associate Director and review regularly.
• Ensure patient safety and excellent service quality across the Directorate.
• Implement governance arrangements in line with Trust Policy.
• Work with Directorate to design and implement quality improvement initiatives.
• Deputise for the Associate Director when required.
• Understand the local health economy, priorities and external environment.
• Identify new business and service development opportunities to maximise income and manage costs."],
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• COMPANY NAME: Oxleas NHS Foundation TrustKEY POINTS: Band 8c management, Adult Inpatient Services, on-call responsibilities

Skills

Leadership

Change management

Stakeholder engagement

NHS management experience

Education

Relevant professional qualification (Nursing/Social Work/AHP/Psychology)

Post-qualification training

Job description

Main area Acute & Crisis Mental Health Grade Band 8c Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (with on-call responsibilities) Job ref 277-8297153-AAC

Site Pinewood House Town Bexley Salary £85,641 - £97,746 pa inc Salary period Yearly Closing 23/09/2026 23:59

Job overview

We're looking for a talented and experienced health or social care manager to join our Directorate Management team.

The Acute & Crisis Mental Health Directorate oversees the Patient Flow Pathway, Inpatient Units, and Crisis Care Pathways for adults over 18 years old across the boroughs of Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich.

This role is specific to the management of Adult Inpatient Services portfolio.

We seek candidates who are self-motivated, enthusiastic and thorough, who appreciate the value of team working with corporate, directorate and system colleagues.

You will have substantial management experience within the NHS, and demonstrable experience of working in mental health services in a management role with clinicians, multi-disciplinary teams, service users and carers to deliver service improvement and the knowledge and skills required to effectively manage the portfolio in collaboration colleagues.

You will have excellent leadership skills and a history of delivering change projects and expressing the impact and benefits to the trust, to staff and to service users alongside experience of effective engagement of other agencies and services where required .

The post holder has responsibility for the operational management of their portfolio within the Acute and Crisis Directorate. They will provide timely, efficient, and effective operational service management for all specialties, within their span of control, in the Directorate.

Main duties of the job

• Specific objectives for successful performance in this role will be agreed with the Associate Director and reviewed regularly
• As the primary priority, ensure patient safety and excellent service quality across the Directorate
• Ensure governance arrangements within teams are implemented in line with Trust Policy
• Work with Directorate colleagues to design and implement quality improvement initiatives in the span of control

Working for our organisation

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children’s centres, schools and people’s homes.

We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

• We Listen
• We Care

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Ensure the Directorates business plans and strategy are successfully
• Deliver agreed performance targets within span of control and develop appropriate strategies and operational plans and policies for service improvement.
• Support the Trusts strategy by developing and implementing changes to operational practices to ensure the Trusts strategic objectives are delivered within the Directorate.
• Work with Directorate and Corporate colleagues, to develop the management information requirements necessary for the effective management of the Directorate.
• Deputise for the Associate Director when required, including external meetings.
• Fully understand the local and wider health economy, organisational and political environment and priorities in which services operate.
• Identify and exploit new business and service development opportunities, with the aim of maximising income streams, and managing service area costs in relation to levels of available income.
• Work to the delegated level of autonomy for the seniority of the post and within Trust management policies, demonstrating sustained Directorate management capability and excellent levels of individual performance.
• Ensure processes and performance monitoring are in place for the delivery of timely high-quality investigation and learning in respect of incidents, complaints and compliments
• Understand the implications of clinical & organisational developments in the service, and of changes in the operational environment, and to lead the required changes and developments within a joint service framework.
• Maintain knowledge of best practice in health and social care services
• Use analytical skills and make sound judgements in complex situations

Person specification

Education

• Relevant professional qualification in Nursing/Social Work/AHP/Psychology
• Evidence of post qualification training/learning

Experience

• Evidence of delivering change projects or service wide improvement initiatives

Skills

• Excellent communication and relationship/interpersonal skills

Knowledge

• Knowledge and skills - delivering operational leadership in Mental Health services

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that welcomes and supports individuals of all abilities. Remember, if you meet the minimum criteria for this role and you have a disability, you can be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme - Please ensure you select this on your application form. We would encourage you to be open about your needs so we can work with you to design a comfortable and accessible interview experience. Any information you provide regarding a disability or a need for adjustments will be treated in confidence and will only be shared with colleagues who are supporting this request.

If you require any adjustments to participate fully in the interview process, please let us know by adding the relevant details when scheduling your preferred interview date and time. Please feel free to contact the appointing manager to discuss your needs.

We encourage applicants to contact the hiring manager before their interview, if they have any questions about the role or the process. This is a great way to get clarity and prepare effectively for the interview.

If you have declared you are part of the armed forces community, you may be asked to provide evidence during the recruitment process. If you misrepresent this information, your offer may be withdrawn. For Armed Forces specific support, see our webpage: https://oxleas.nhs.uk/armed-forces-community/

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

If you choose to use AI or other tools to assist in writing your application, it's essential to personalise this information, particularly your supporting information section. While AI can help streamline the writing process, these tools cannot fully grasp the context or requirements of the job you’re applying for. There is also a risk that it can generate false or misleading information. AI-generated job applications can often be generic, impersonal and may not accurately reflect your qualifications, knowledge, skills, and experiences. It is crucial that you personalise your supporting statement by articulating these in your unique voice. Relying solely on AI to write your application or supporting information section is not advocated by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and could negatively impact your chances of success in the application process.

We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully. You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct.Please note that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is prohibited during the interview process.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.