Mental Health Act Team Manager: Sponsorship Available

Job summary

This is an existing post for an experienced and charismatic leader with sound knowledge of the Mental Health Act who will be take on the overall management of a very busy Mental Health Act office and formidable staff. As a team manager you should have an in-depth understanding of the mental health law and its implementation as you are sometime the first post of call for advice from mental health professionals, nearest relatives. Due to challenges faced and the different roles and duties undertaken by the MHAO staff, the role requires someone who is disciplined, well organised and has the ability to engage in difficult conversations.

The team has recently adopted a new way of working following the centralisation of the four local offices into one location at the Maudsley hospital. The team comprises one Band 7, two Band 6s, four Band 5s and eight Band 4s covering the newly created functional workstreams responsible for receiving scrutinise patients detentions and consent, co-ordinating mental health tribunal and Associate Managers hearings. You will directly line-manage team leaders, who in turn manage Band 5/4 coordinators and you will be working alongside the Trust MCA lead and a B7 Service Level Agreement (SLA) support manager.

Main duties of the job

This role demands excellent verbal and written communication skills, as you will regularly engage with service users, carers, professionals, and external agencies, including solicitors and tribunal members. You will also contribute to the day-to-day supervision and appraisal of staff, as well as lead on the investigation of complaints and incidents.

You will need strong leadership abilities to effectively manage and support a team of experienced Mental Health Act Coordinators. As this is a high-performing team, you will be expected to maintain a positive, well-organised environment that supports both staff and the individuals who use our services, along with their carers and nearest relatives.

A solid understanding of clinical information systems is essential. You should be confident using databases, diaries, MHA deadline-tracking systems, spreadsheets, and Microsoft Office applications. The ability to interpret data and reports is a key requirement, as you will be responsible for providing each directorate with accurate updates on their compliance with the Mental Health Act.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Current NMC First Level Nurse registration or degree level qualification in law or a health related or social sciences discipline
• Evidence of post graduate specialist training relevant to the role.

Desirable

• Post graduate qualification in a mental health law related course

Experience

Essential

• Significant clinical or management experience
• Providing professional supervision to experienced staff and resolving departmental and cross organisational disputes
• Project management skills
• Analysing complex set of data and accurately reporting findings
• Administrating and co-ordinating the application and documentation of the MHA

Desirable

• Experience of participating in and managing change and overseeing on going service development.

Knowledge

Essential

• Mental Health legislation
• QI methodology, root cause analysis, process mapping & redesign techniques
• Requirements of NHS trusts, NHSE/I, CQC in mental health act compliance
• Knowledge of current reforms proposed in the MHA and implications for MH service providers
• Ability to use Trust information systems and IT packages

Desirable

• Facilitate involvement of service users, carers and other professionals in audits

Closing Date: 2 November 2026