Senior Specialist Nurse Advisor - Mental Health
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£2.1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 14,000 staff based across 5 main sites in South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local hospital services across its different sites, and specialist services from King’s College Hospital (KCH) sites at Denmark Hill in Camberwell and at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) site in the London Borough of Bromley.
We encourage all our staff to have a healthy work/life balance. In doing so, you can apply for flexible working from the beginning of your employment. We offer a range of options which are designed to suit different circumstances and priorities in line with service requirements.
Job overview
The post holder is a key team member in the delivery of occupational health services to Kings College Hospital NHS Trust and associated external contracts. The post holder will ensure that a proactive, comprehensive Occupational Health Service is provided and delivered to the highest standard of evidence-based best practice.
The post holder will work with the wider service multidisciplinary team:
OH medical consultants, OH psychiatrist, OH Staff Psychology, OH Allied Healthcare Practitioners, OH Advisers and the business support team.
The postholder will be required to travel across our sites as required and should, ideally, have access to a car and a full driving licence.
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The post holder will be a registered and practicing clinician with significant knowledge and specialist experience in Mental Health Nursing and ideally, in an occupational health nursing.
This post is needed to support the prevalence of staff cases impacted by mental health as a leading condition(s), alongside other comorbidities. As an organisation, we are genuinely committed to helping our staff be enabled in their employment journey.
The post holder will provide professional nursing leadership and take responsibility for the personal and professional development of nursing staff that they manage.
The post holder will help implement and monitor policies, standards and guidelines within the King's College Hospital NHS Trust Occupational Health, Wellbeing and Staff Psychology department, sharing and learning from best practice across the multi-disciplinary team
Working for our organisation
The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. In June 2026, we launched our new strategy for 2026-31. Our vision is to transform healthcare, and we have agreed six strategic ambitions to help us improve care for patients, and the working lives of our staff.
Our six strategic ambitions are delivering high-quality patient care; creating a great place to work; leading pioneering research, innovation and education; building strong and successful partnerships; providing timely and efficient care; and ensuring long-term financial sustainability.
We have also agreed four new organisational values – Caring, Collaborative, Inclusive, Innovative – and these underpin everything we do, and how our teams interact with the patients under our care.
We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.
King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- To deputise for the Deputy Head of Nursing as required.
- Provide professional mentorship to the Occupational Health nursing staff.
- Act as a team leader, maintaining clinical responsibility for overseeing the Band 6 special nurse advisors, Band 5 practice nurses, administrators and bank/agency staff work on a day-to-day basis, ensuring clinical activity is delivered.
- Carry out supervision, support, and appraisal and lead on any project work as directed by the HoN/GM and Deputy Head of Nursing.
- To monitor the work of all Occupational Health Nurses in training and practice nurses to ensure high clinical standards are maintained.
- To lead in the development of policies, procedures, SOPs and clinical operating guidelines which are in line with evidence-based best practice.
- To ensure agreed standards are met by participating in clinical audit.
- To monitor Occupational Health activity and produce activity reports as directed by the HoN/GM.
- To attend Infection Control, Risk Management and Health & Safety forums for the Trust, and undertake advisory work on behalf of these as directed by the HoN/GM and Deputy Head of Nursing.
To ensure active and effective delivery of Occupational Health services to the Trust and external clients.
- Work with the HoN/GM to be responsible for rolling out National initiatives and standards produced by the Department of health and other Government bodies.
- Promote equity and valuing diversity.
- To work closely with the Occupational Health Physicians and OH therapists to case manage referrals and implement care within prescribed parameters.
- Contract management and assistance with SLA development as directed by the Service Manager.
- To delegate work streams to junior staff as appropriate.
Person Specification
Education and Qualification
Essential
- Registered Mental Health Nurse/Registered Nurse with SCPHN(OH) and extensive complex mental health case experience
- Occupational Health Certificate/Diploma/BSc.
Desirable
- Management qualification
- Evidence of OH post qualification study at BSc/MSc level
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Drafting policies and procedures or service guidelines using evidence-based practice
- Supervising, teaching and mentorship skills
- Health and Safety legislation
- Safeguarding in complex mental health and general health cases
Skills and Competencies
Essential
- Leadership and influencing skills
- Experience in writing reports and collating statistics
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- The ability to act dynamically and respond to work challenges with high levels of personal resilience and the maintenance of professional standards.
IMPORTANT
- Check your email account regularly as this is how we will communicate with you
- If you delete the job from any of your accounts, you may be prevented from accessing further communications
- To enquire about your application or inform us of any changes in your circumstances, please contact the named person on this advert
- Please provide email addresses for referees where possible
- Click here to see the range of benefits we offer
- Please review the documentation on our recruitment microsite, particularly the Trust’s criminal records checking policy
- All staff have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and for ensuring they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.
- Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. On occasion, we might close a vacancy early due to a high number of applications being received. You are advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
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King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Annual Reports and Other Corporate Publications
King's Health Partners Academic Health Science Centre Website
King's College Hospital is part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC), a pioneering collaboration between King's College London, and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts.