Clinical Lead Nurse

Job overview
Please note, at this stage, the role is open only to internal staff (including NHSP and Agency staff currently on placement within our organisation) and staff substantively employed within Kent and Medway NHS Trusts and the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB). Any individual who is at risk of redundancy will be given priority, provided they meet the essential criteria.
Are you a passionate mental health professional seeking a dynamic and rewarding career?
We are seeking an energetic and motivated individual to join our established Maidstone Mental Health Together plus Team
This new and exciting post is for experienced mental health nurses wanting to make a difference in clinical care, achieved by providing specialist mental health advice and education to staff within the team, alongside setting, monitoring, and maintaining quality standards of care.
The post holder must hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car/vehicle to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).
We offer:
Annual leave allowance starting at 27 days per year (when working full time) + Bank Holidays.
Access to the fantastic NHS pension scheme.
Eligibility for the Blue Light Card (discount service for the NHS, providing members with thousands of amazing discounts online and on the high street.

Main duties of the job

• Lead by example: Provide clinical guidance and support to nurses within clinic and wider MHT+ Team, fostering a culture of excellence and collaboration.
• Champion quality care: Work alongside Matrons and the Head of Nursing to ensure high-quality clinical practices are implemented across MHT and Together Plus.
• Advocate for your team: Be a voice for nurses, addressing concerns and ensuring they have the resources needed to succeed.
• Share your expertise: Stay up-to-date on best practices in mental health and mentor colleagues through training and knowledge sharing.
• Ensure seamless service: Collaborate with the wider team to assess client needs and ensure placement in the most appropriate program (MHT or Together Plus).
• Optimise service flow: Identify areas for improvement and work collaboratively to streamline the client journey through both programs.
• Provide direct care: Maintain a small caseload of clients with complex needs, offering them personalised clinical support.

We are looking for a candidate with:
Strong clinical expertise in mental health nursing (registration required).
Exceptional leadership and communication skills.
A collaborative and relationship-building approach.
Proactive problem-solving and solution-oriented mindset.
Commitment to evidence-based practice.
If you are passionate about making a positive impact on mental health services, we encourage you to apply!

Working for our organisation
We are the Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. We care for the mental health and wellbeing of people across Kent and Medway. Our teams support adults with a wide range of mental health needs. Because we cover the whole county and both hospital and community settings, we can make care more joined up and easier to access for the 1.8 million people of Kent and Medway. Rated 'Good' by the CQC, we care for over 2,000 people in our hospitals and 54,000 in the community each year.
Our vision is simple: We are here to help communities not just live with mental illness, but live well. It's why we're passionate about working with communities to make mental health care better for everyone. And everything we do is guided by our values caring, inclusive, curious and confident.
Join us - if you share our passion for better mental health care and want to be part of a team that's doing well together.
Here are some clips of our Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust staff, speaking about their role and why they enjoy working for us.
Take a look at our Community Nursing Video

Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the attached job description for full details of the main duties and responsibilities of the role.
At KMMH Service, we are serious about diversity and inclusion, and we are working hard to build this into our DNA. We warmly welcome applications for any of our roles from people from diverse backgrounds, and we are proactively encouraging applications from under-represented communities for our more senior roles, like this one.

Person specification

Skills

Essential criteria

• Ability to prioritise key tasks and target intervention
• Excellent verbal and written communication Negotiating and motivational skills, Good IT/keyboard Skills
• Crisis resolution and management skills
• Problem solving/solution focussed

Desirable criteria

• Previous depot experience and working in depot clinic and/or depot administration/clozapine
• Previous leadership/management experience

Experience

Essential criteria

• Registered Mental health nurse
• Minimum of 5 years relevant experience and 3 years in Community setting
• Previous experience of working in a community team with complex conditions, in crisis resolution

Desirable criteria

• Previous experience working at Band 7
• Experience of working with complex needs
• Experience of Forensic cases

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Knowledge of CMHF and SMI conditions
• Working knowledge of mental health act and Knowledge of care act/Safeguarding

Desirable criteria

• Clinical governance priorities

Important Information:
In cases where we receive a high volume of applications for a post, it may be necessary to bring the closing date forward. Please submit your completed application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
Due to the high volume of applications received, it is not possible to respond individually to your application. Should you not hear from us within six weeks of the vacancy closing, please assume that your application has not been successful.

Probation Period. New employees external to the trust are subject to a six-month probationary period.
To deliver an effective service it is essential in some of our roles that you are able to travel between work bases in a timely manner.
Production of false or forged documents/qualifications in order to obtain employment is a criminal offence and will be reported to the Police.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check.
Certain roles are subject to criminal record checks called Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. Therefore, you will be required to submit a completed Disclosure form to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust are signed up to NHS England's Sexual Safety in Health Care Organisational Charter
The trust takes a systematic zero-tolerance approach to tackle any unwanted, inappropriate and/or harmful sexual behaviours within the workplace and in our care