Job summary
- Main area
- Managment
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8c
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 267-BM7197838
- Employer
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Whiteleaf Centre
- Town
- Aylesbury
- Salary
- £74,290 - £85,601 Per Annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 05/06/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Head of Urgent Care and In-Patient Services
NHS AfC: Band 8c
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust has been rated as Good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
We are a responsive and innovative Foundation Trust that places our values of Caring, Safe and Excellent at the heart of everything we do. We take great pride in our staff and believe that investing in you is key to us achieving our vision of outstanding care delivered by outstanding people.
We work with a wide range of partner organisations to deliver care and support to people in their own homes and from a number of hospitals and community bases. We focus on delivering care as close to home as possible for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset.
We actively support anti-racism, equality, diversity, and inclusion so, if you’re excited about this job opportunity and you meet our Trust values, but feel unsure about applying, then please get in touch and we will be happy to have a conversation with you.
We are also committed to increasing diversity in the workforce, that is why we actively encourage applications from those groups of people who are currently under-represented, which include amongst others: people with disabilities; men from all socio-economic backgrounds; people from diverse ethnic backgrounds; and people from the LGBTQIA+ community.
Good luck and we hope to hear from you.
Job overview
Are you ready to take the next step in your healthcare leadership career? Do you possess a strong background as a registered mental health nurse and aspire to lead at a senior level within the NHS?
We are seeking someone to join the Buckinghamshire senior management team as the Head of Urgent Care and In-Patient Services.
In this role, you will lead multi-discipline teams working across Buckinghamshire delivering support to those facing mental health challenges. You will work collaboratively with the wider NHS region, local council, voluntary, community and social enterprises. Additionally, you will also contribute to the wider strategy and annual planning of the Buckinghamshire Directorate.
To be successful, you should hold a mental health nursing qualification and currently be in a leadership role within a clinical setting.
This role will have some hybrid (work from home) capability which will change week to week depending on the service needs.
We also strongly encourage you to contact Donna Clarke (Service Director) for an informal chat about the role. Contact details can be found at the bottom of this page.
Main duties of the job
- Provide operational leadership and management for urgent care and inpatient units within the Buckinghamshire Mental Health Directorate
- Ensure high standards of nursing practice and patient safety across urgent care and inpatient services
- Oversee staff management, including recruitment, retention, and safe staffing levels
- Lead quality improvement initiatives to enhance clinical care and service delivery
- Collaborate with senior leaders and various departments to achieve strategic objectives and improve service outcomes
The ability to travel independently between sites within the Trust is essential for this role.
Working for our organisation
Oxford Health is a great place to work and to be able to showcase the best of yourself when making an application please read the “candidate guide to making an application” and ensure your supporting statement is tailored to the role you are applying for and addresses any essential criteria.
As a Trust we provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and Northeast Somerset. Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people’s homes, delivering care as close to home as possible. Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive: “Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team”
Our values are: “Caring, safe and excellent”
We offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:
• Excellent opportunities for career progression
• Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and development
• 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
• NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers
• Competitive pension scheme
• Lease car scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Mental Health First Aiders
• Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists apply)
• Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
We hope that the advert has given you a clear understanding of the skills we are seeking and the opportunity at hand. You will need to use the “supporting statement” element of your application form to demonstrate your suitability for this role and you should refer to the job description, person specification and the guidance notes attached to this role to help you tailor your application. The essential and desirable criteria will be used to shortlist for interview and you should ensure that you refer to these within your application to increase your chances of being selected for interview.
Please note if you are based outside of the UK you will need to be fully qualified, have already passed your OSCE and have an NMC pin number in order to be considered for this role.
Person specification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Substantial experience managing health and social care staff. To include a range of knowledge base and experience of how to maximise people’s skills.
Experience
Essential criteria
- Good level of knowledge of Business Intelligence and how & when it should be used in everyday service delivery - how it should be developed as part of transformation.
Experience
Essential criteria
- Good level of knowledge of commissioning
Experience
Essential criteria
- Recognises the value and need to work collaboratively across the local health and social care economy.
Experience
Essential criteria
- Good level of knowledge of Business Intelligence and how & when it should be used in everyday service delivery - how it should be developed as part of transformation.
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Educated to master’s degree level or equivalent professional experience.
Applicant requirements
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
- Donna Clarke
- Job title
- Service Director
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01865 901337
- Additional information
At Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust we want to employ people not just with experience, but with the aptitude and motivation to succeed and whose values resonate with our own.
Therefore, if you don’t meet all the requirements of the role and are unsure about applying but are excited about the opportunity, please do get in touch. We will be happy to discuss the requirements in more detail ahead of making a written application.
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