Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.

The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for three consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.

Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video

Job overview

We have an exciting opportunity for a highly experienced psychological professional lead to join our service within Kent and Medway Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs). 

Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) are a government initiative to help increase children and young people’s access to support for emotional wellbeing and mental health. 

MHSTs are a resource in addition to the already existing support in any education setting. MHSTs have three main functions:

1. Targeted Interventions

2. Whole School Approach

3. Consultation and Liaison

Our local MHST services are called Emotional Wellbeing Teams (Kent) and Emotional Support Teams (Medway). To find out more about us please see our website: .

This role is an exciting opportunity to lead on the MHST programme across Kent and Medway with responsibility for clinical and strategic oversight of MHSTs in the context of the Kent and Medway ICB footprint. The service is committed to ensuring that the clinical offer is evidence based, innovative and co-produced. Please see the website for examples of our work. You can also contact Dr Virginia Lumsden (current clinical and strategic lead) to find out more.

Main duties of the job

 The post-holder will be expected to:

1.Set, implement and evaluate clear, achievable and measurable clinical objectives forthe Kent EWTs and Medway ESTs with the senior clinical and operational leadership team. 

2.To assist withthe effective management of operational services and resources withinthedesignated serviceareas, includingbudgets,and staffing.

3.To initiate and implement programmes to achieve strategic and clinical changes andimprovementto services and systems.

4.To deputise when required in the Assistant Director’s absence anddelegateappropriatelyto clinical andadministration staff.

5.TohaveorganisationalknowledgerelatingtoNELFTprotocolsandprocedures particularlysafeguarding.

6.Toensureeffective risk managementatteamlevelbyincidentreporting,assessingandcontrollingriskandensuringresidualrisksareaddedto the NELFT register.

7.To ensure that there is a research culture within Kent EWTs and Medway ESTs.To co-ordinatethe implementation of Research & Development activity within the service, ensuring that all R&D activity is monitored and reported in accordance with the NELFT R&Dgovernanceguidelines.Thismayincludesecuringexternallyfundedormulti-disciplinaryresearch.

8.ToprovidestrategicandclinicalleadershipandtoliaisewithcommissionersatCCG

9.To provide clinical quality control and to ensure adherence and competence to evidence- -basedapproaches.

Working for our organisation

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).

Starting with NELFT

NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop in sessions focussing in engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Applicants will need to meet the job description requirements and be able to demonstrate substantial experience of working as a senior psychological professional in children and young people's mental health services, a passion for prevention and early intervention of emotional wellbeing and mental health difficulties, and substantial leadership experience.

The applicant needs to have substantial experience of working in children and young people's mental health at Band 8b or equivalent and hold an appropriate psychological professional qualification, registration and training as laid out in the job description.

Interviews are planned for: Monday 3 February 2025. 

Please see attached Job Description and person Specification 

If you are an overseas qualified nurse and wanting to start your journey to becoming a UK based registered nurse with the NMC, you can check whether you are eligible to be supported through our Capital Nurse consortium. Please visit; . Whilst NELFT is happy to welcome overseas nurses we are unable to consider your application directly. You should submit your interest and apply through the Capital Nurse London group.

Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for some job roles, and this will be identified through filtering questions at the start of any job application on the Trac recruitment system.

Use of AI

Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

3 plus years 8b experience

Desirable criteria

Research and development experience

expereince

Essential criteria

Evidence of working with CYP MHG services

Expereince

Essential criteria

Demonstration of leadership within current or previous role

Experience

Essential criteria

Knowledge of Early intervention and preventative services

Benefits

We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:

A long-standing and award-winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term/chronic conditions and LGBT staff. A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our effortsto support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a ‘Top 10 Family Friendly Employer’ from the Working Families Charity. Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors. Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.