Triage Lead-Senior Nurse Practitioner

Sussex Partnership Nhs Foundation Trust; Chichester; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health service provider in Chichester seeks a Triage Team Leader to oversee referrals and lead the Triage Team. The successful candidate will have substantial community mental health experience, excellent communication and leadership skills, and the capacity to manage staff effectively. This role involves ensuring patient flow and working within multidisciplinary teams to provide top-notch mental health services. Flexible working options and numerous benefits are available.

Benefits

Access to wellbeing and support programmes

Flexible working patterns

NHS Pension contributions

Generous holiday entitlement

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse qualification is necessary for the role.
• Experience in community mental health settings is a must.
• Leadership experience and the ability to manage staff are essential.

Responsibilities

• Ensure safe delivery of referrals into the Assessment and Treatment Service (ATS).
• Provide line management and supervision to junior colleagues.
• Lead the Triage Team ensuring timely management based on clinical need.

Skills

Leadership

Excellent communication

Teamwork

Flexibility

Risk management

Education

Registered Nurse with current registration

Degree/diploma supplemented by specialist qualification

Post-registration training in relevant service area

Job description

We're looking for people who share our values of compassion, accountability and optimism to help us provide high quality care for the patients, carers, families and communities we serve. We specialise in NHS mental health and learning disability services and we're proud to make a difference every day. At SPFT we put people first. We'll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. You'll have opportunities to learn, grow and gain new experiences to support your career, with access to lifelong learning and professional development. We actively promote flexible working and understand how important work‑life balance is, especially in healthcare. Whether it's part time hours, hybrid working or flexible start and finish times, we'll explore what works for you and the role. We recognise that AI is becoming part of daily life and you may choose to use it to help prepare your application. We welcome innovation but ask that anything you submit reflects your own abilities, experience and voice. AI can support how you describe your skills and experience, but it should never replace your own words as we want to get to know you. We're shaping a workplace where ideas are encouraged, technology supports you and everyone has a voice in how we improve.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Triage Team Leader to be part of our Chichester, Adur, Worthing and Arun Neighbourhood Mental Health Teams (NMHTs). You will be part of the clinical leadership team within the Assessment and Treatment Service (ATS) and take a lead with our Triage Team, ensuring the safe delivery and management of referrals into ATS.

The successful applicant will need to have substantial clinical experience within a community mental health setting, demonstrate leadership acumen, and be able to work collaboratively across a range of partners. You will have a strong sense of teamwork, be able to demonstrate how you have worked productively within a team and describe the values that matter to you. You will need to have a lot of initiative, creativity, flexibility, a good sense of humour, and to know how to engage with people to bring the best out of them.

The role entails ensuring referrals into the ATS are triaged and managed within the agreed time scales and appropriate to clinical need. You will need to possess excellent assessment skills, as well as having working knowledge of mental health services and 3rd sector organisations. As this post is at the front end of our delivery service, you will need to have excellent communication and interpersonal skills to enable you to build trusting relationships with families, carers, local partners and within the NMHT. The ability to work flexibly in multidisciplinary and multiprofessional teams and in a range of settings is essential. The post holder will, in conjunction with other leads in the team, provide strong clinical leadership and expertise to the multidisciplinary team and NMHT, ensuring that high standards are maintained. They will work closely with the medical team to ensure effective patient flow and discharge management is maintained.

Possess excellent risk management skills and be confident in supporting others to manage risk. Be able to demonstrate personal resilience and skills in supporting colleagues to manage challenging situations. Have confidence and drive to support colleagues in managing complex changes in order to meet service expectations and needs. Provide line management and supervision to junior colleagues. The post holder will provide specialist assessments and nursing interventions to patients within the care group. Participate in review of clinical policies and guidelines. Support and implement changes to practice; liaise with other organisations and professionals to promote communication and good practice. Be able to undertake audit activity and supervision to other staff in the service area.

We are looking for a practitioner who can function well independently, within a multidisciplinary team and build meaningful working relationships with our partners and aligned services within our NMHTs. The ability to build trusting relationships, work collaboratively with, and have a sound working knowledge of stakeholders, including service users, families and carers, private providers and local mental health care teams will be essential. You will be joining a committed and dynamic team and will be fully supported and empowered to creatively develop many new ways of working towards building safe and responsive quality mental health services fit for the future. High personal resilience and a can‑do attitude are essential. We would expect you to lead by example and be able to demonstrate our Trust values and behaviours.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Registered Nurse with current registration (mental health / Learning Disability / Adult) appropriate to the job role.
• Degree/diploma level supplemented by a specialist qualification, training, experience or courses to a master’s level equivalent relevant to the care group.
• Evidence of post‑registration training in the relevant service area.
• Completion of a Mentorship Course/ENB equivalent.
• Extensive post‑qualifying experience working in community mental health settings.
• Experience of providing professional support, supervision and motivation to staff.
• Experience of managing staff.
• Experience overseeing a caseload of patients with complex mental health needs.
• Comprehensive knowledge of interventions specific to the service area.
• Experience leading the management of care for patients with challenging and complex presentations.
• Experience supervising staff and students.
• Awareness of Trust policies and service specifications.
• Successful candidates are normally appointed to the bottom of the pay scale unless previous NHS experience in a similar role can be evidenced.
• You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

Benefits

• Access to numerous wellbeing and support programmes.
• Excellent supervision programmes, with ongoing opportunities for leadership training and development.
• Flexible working patterns.
• Reimbursed parking.
• Childcare vouchers.
• Access to a host of NHS discount schemes (including gyms, shopping, restaurants and cars).
• A position within a trust rated as ‘Outstanding’ for caring and ‘Good’ overall by the CQC.
• Generous holiday entitlement (dependent on length of NHS service) starting at 27 days + 8 bank holidays.
• NHS Pension contributions.

You will be expected to work across the Chichester, Adur, Worthing and Arun Neighbourhood Mental Health Teams (NMHTs). This post has two shift patterns: 8 am‑4 pm & 10:30 am‑6 pm, Monday to Friday.