Job summary
- Main area
- Women's Secure Blended Service
- Grade
- Band 8a
- Contract
- 24 months (Fixed Term/Secondment)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 436-7179734
- Employer
- Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Ardenleigh Hospital
- Town
- Birmingham
- Salary
- £53,755 - £60,504 per annum, pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 08/07/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 24/07/2025
Employer heading

Band 8a Discharge Pathway Lead - Ardenleigh
Band 8a
Please note that this post may close earlier than the indicated closing date if a sufficient number of applications are received.
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated, compassionate Registered Mental Health Nurse or Qualified Occupational Therapist to lead on the delivery of this discharge pathway pilot.
You will work with a team of professionals to develop a community forensic step-down accommodation for women being discharged from secure care.
The Pilot aims to extend the inpatient treatment model (the SCALE model for the Women’s Secure Blended Service (WSBS) into a community residential setting to promote recovery beyond discharge, reducing the need for future admission.
Main duties of the job
- To provide senior clinical leadership throughout the discharge pathway project.
- To oversee the delivery of the pilot including working with the project management team, recruitment and the management of staff, including third sector partners.
- To lead on the development of appropriate local guidelines to support the operational delivery of the discharge pathway and specifically the step down accommodation.
- To coordinate referrals to the discharge pathway including assessing patients both at Ardenleigh and in other secure services in Birmingham and out of area.
- Deliver care to service users in the right place at the right time, by providing gender sensitive, trauma informed care in the least restrictive environment.
- Empower and support service users to manage their needs, acquire skills and confidence in independent living and move towards a sustainable discharge from inpatient care through providing enhanced opportunities for rehabilitation and community integration.
Working for our organisation
Welcome to Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. Our 4000 clinical and support staff help us to improve mental health wellbeing and meet the needs of the 70,000 people we serve each year. We provide a range of mental healthcare services across Birmingham and Solihull, as well as specialised services nationally. We also offer medical, nursing and psychology training and are proud of our international reputation for both research and innovation.
Our population is culturally diverse, characterised in places by high levels of deprivation which create an increasing demand for our services and a necessity for us to make sure everyone can access the help they need. We are a team of compassionate, inclusive and committed people working together to provide excellent care to support our community. If you are looking for a place to belong, where you can make a real difference to people’s lives, join our team where our warm welcome is waiting for you.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For detailed job description and main responsibilities please refer to attached job description and personal specification.
We highly recommend you submit your application as soon as possible, this post may close earlier than the indicated closing date if a sufficient number of applications are received.
Person specification
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Registered Mental Health Nurse, with active NMC registration OR Qualified Occupational Therapist with active HCPC registration.
- Master’s degree or demonstrable significant experience in a senior operational management role within a health or social care organisation
- Evidence of Continuous Professional development
Desirable criteria
- Leadership qualification.
Skills
Essential criteria
- Experience in project development and management.
- Extensive experience in a senior operational role with significant experience of managing budgets within allocated financial envelope and with human resource responsibilities.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working in a range of mental health services.
Experience
Essential criteria
- Demonstrable evidence of having developed strong team performance and high levels of collaboration across professional groups
Personal Qualities
Essential criteria
- Excellent interpersonal skills to build and maintain relationships across diverse populations and cross sector agencies.
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Samantha Bailey
- Job title
- Clinical Services Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0121 301 4620
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