Job summary
- Main area
- Mental Health
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 7
- Contract
- Secondment: 12 months (Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Flexibility to work a shift pattern of 8am - 8pm across a 7-day service). To be based at a community site in Lewisham in SE13 or SE8 initially with an intended move to Heather Close – Lewisham SE12 in May 2026)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (8am - 8pm across a 7-day service)
- Job ref
- 334-NUR-7909289-FR
- Employer
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- lewisham
- Town
- Lewisham
- Salary
- £58,133 - £65,261 per annum inclusive of HCAS
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 23/06/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Community Mental Health Team Leader
NHS AfC: Band 7
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.
We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’.
We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone’s potential as change makers.
The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.
Our Values
We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I’m going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you’ll be part of something special.
As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join us as the Team Leader for the Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) – Neighbourhood 2. We are looking for an experienced mental health practitioner — nurse, social worker, or occupational therapist.
The team is made up of a diverse MDT, and we offer regular teaching sessions, dedicated space for reflective practice, and opportunities to become a champion in your chosen areas of interest.
You will be leading the Community Mental Health Team to deliver timely assessments, care planning, and evidence‑based health and psychosocial interventions to adults in Lewisham with mental health needs. The successful applicant will also oversee key interfaces with partner agencies including Primary Care, Secondary Care, and MIND, ensuring effective service delivery and coordinated discharge planning.
This post forms part of an exciting new pilot providing 24/7 community mental health support, operating 7 days a week from 8am–8pm, designed to deliver higher‑quality care, improved accessibility, and better outcomes for our patients.
Main duties of the job
- To lead and co-ordinate the work of an integrated neighbourhood Community Mental Mental Health Team ensuring the provision of safe, effective, high-quality community services in line with statutory requirements and local policies.
- You will directly supervise a muti-disciplinary, multi-agency team of health, social care and voluntary sector professionals operating from a community-based site.
- You will ensure the efficient and allocation of referrals.
- You will maintain an overview of the safe and effective work of the team ensuring the continuous flow of service-users through the system.
- You will ensure and enhance liaison with GP practices to maximise on new and growing links and collaborative working.
- You will oversee safe working practices and effective agile working directives for the team as a whole.
Working for our organisation
The Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) delivers a broad range of medical, psychological, and psychosocial interventions in line with NICE‑recommended, evidence‑based practice. The team is committed to providing culturally sensitive and trauma‑informed care, tailored to the diverse communities it serves.
The CMHT acts as the central point of access for adults requiring long‑term mental health support, typically for individuals whose needs extend beyond six months or more. The team reviews and triages referrals to work streams tailored to patients' needs foscusing on Dialog and patient needs led service, undertaking comprehensive assessments to identify the most appropriate pathway for each individual. The service also provides extensive advice, consultation, and signposting to primary care colleagues and partner agencies.
As part of the stepped‑care approach, the CMHT facilitates access to a range of specialist psychological therapies and community‑based interventions where indicated, ensuring individuals can move seamlessly through the pathway and receive the right level of care at the right time.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To have overall management responsibility for the delivery of care within Lewisham Community Services in accordance with Trust policies and procedures. To lead a team of professionals and support staff in the delivery of high-quality evidence-based practice, ensuring that regular supervision and appraisals take place. To manage administrative and operational resources in a cost-effective manner, evaluating the standard of service delivered. To co-ordinate multidisciplinary working, maintaining excellent communication and working relationships with all team members, and other services within the Trust and external to the Trust, to ensure effective interface and continuity of care between disciplines and services. The post holder will carry out clinical and managerial procedures to a standard that ensures safe and effective care and complies with the relevant Code of Professional Conduct.
There is an expectation that the post holder will place the needs of service users at the centre of care delivery.
Person specification
Education and Qualification
Essential criteria
- Hold a professional qualification
- Membership of a Professional Body
- Evidence of recent continued professional development.
- Mentorship or equivalent.
Desirable criteria
- A commitment to completing quality improvement training.
Experience
Essential criteria
- • Significant experience of managing clinical practice in a mental health service (A)
- • Experience of implementing and monitoring standards of care. (A) Mentorship Course (or other relevant teaching/assessment course) (A)
- • Evidence of continuing professional development. (A)
- • Experience of providing clinical and managerial supervision (A)
- • Experience of working in a multicultural environment and knowledge of methods to develop culturally sensitive practice (A)
- Experience of risk management and safeguarding
Desirable criteria
- • Experience of managing non-clinical staff and other professionals (A)
- • Experience of staff performance management (A)
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- • Specialist clinical knowledge relevant to the service, including evidence based practice. (A/I)
- • Working knowledge of all relevant legislation associated with acute mental health care, including MHA, CPA procedures, Human Rights Act, NSF, Child Protection and NHS Plan. (A/I)
- Knowledge of key legislation and guidelines in relation to statutory mental health responsibilities, including Safeguarding Adults, Young people and children.
- Ability to provide quality care that is responsive to service user needs, without close supervision.
Desirable criteria
- Theoretical knowledge of psychopathology and the evidence base for the relevant treatment.
- Knowledge of the theory of psychological models, such as CBT, DBT, or MBT.
Skills and Abilities
Essential criteria
- Highly developed verbal and written communication skills including communicating complex, highly technical and sensitive information to clients, their families and colleagues.
- Ability to identify and employ mechanisms of clinical governance as appropriate and to support and maintain clinical practice in the face of regular exposure to highly emotive and/or challenging behaviour.
- Effective IT skills.
- Good organisational skills.
- Skills in emotional resilience: able to cope in difficult interpersonal situations.
- Self-aware, self-confident and intrinsically motivated to do a good job and to motivate others.
Desirable criteria
- Accredited practitioner skills in at least one model of psychological therapy.
- Accredited nurse prescriber
- Ability to contribute to, monitor and implement changes and improvements to services.
- Specialised clinical skills, e.g. group work, anxiety/anger management, family work skills
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Sarah Moodie
- Job title
- General Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07596892583
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