Job overview

We are seeking to appoint a new Head of Mental Health & Learning Disabilities Nursing & Clinical Quality. This is an exciting role that will have a significant impact on the development of Mental Health and Learning Disability Nursing in our Trust. The successful applicant will be responsible for leading professional practice for Mental Health and Learning Disability Nursing.

They will help the Trust to develop the expanded role of the nurse and support work to develop the talent pipeline from unregistered staff and new registrants through to Nurse Consultant Responsible Clinician roles. They will act as a supportive source of expert nursing knowledge and will be highly visible and accessible to our Trust’s nurses.

Main duties of the job

This post is an important senior position within the Nursing, Therapies and Quality (NTQ) Directorate.

The Head of Mental Health Learning Disabilities Nursing & Clinical Quality will report to the Deputy Director of Nursing, Therapies and Quality and will work closely with senior NTQ colleagues to deliver high standards of nursing leadership, professional standards and quality outcomes. 

The post holder will provide Mental Health and Learning Disability nursing leadership to colleagues and partners through a collaborative, creative, motivational and problem-solving approach. The post holder will provide expert nursing, professional and clinical advice as required.

The post holder will support the development and of a nursing strategic framework that is in line with the Trust strategy and the NHSE Long Term Plan to support the Trusts commitment to excellent standards of nursing care  

Working for our organisation

We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people’s homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.

Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us.  In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views.  It was great to hear that:

• 72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.
• 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.
• 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust’s priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.

This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement.  However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.