We are seeking an exceptional and experienced SeniorClinical Lead to provide strategic, operational, and clinical leadership across our Mental Health Crisis Pathway, encompassing:
HomeTreatment Team (HTT)
FirstResponse Service (FRS)
This is a key senior role within the organisation, responsible for delivering safe, high-quality, responsive crisis services aligned with national NHS priorities, including urgent and emergency mental health care transformation.
The post holder will lead on the development of integrated, person-centred, recovery-focused services, ensuring timely access, reducing hospital admissions, and improving patient outcomes across acute and community interfaces.
Main duties of the job
Ensure 24/7 crisis response, reducing unnecessary admissions and supporting early discharge.
The role requires innovation, flexibility and commitment, working as part of the senior clinical team to deliver the best patient and family experience and outcomes. Clinical time will be flexible to team needs, with participation in the mental health on-call rota.
The post holder will manage the team manager and practice leads, maintain system-wide relationships, and support patient flow to ensure least restrictive practice for the Plymouth population.
They will also support the senior management team and acute care pathway in delivering the organisation’s strategic and operational priorities.
Build strong partnerships with acute hospitals, ambulance services, primary care and community mental health teams.
Demand and capacity management
Provide visible, values-based leadership across all elements of the crisis pathway.
This role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route; please refer to the Direct Gov website for more information with regards to eligibility.
Please note that Livewell may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline if a high number of applications are submitted. Therefore, we recommend you submit your application at the earliest opportunity.
All Livewell staff are expected to be able and willing to work across a 7 day service.
About us
Livewell Southwest is an independent, award‑winning social‑enterprise delivering integrated health and social care services across Plymouth, South Hams, and West Devon, with specialist services in parts of Devon and Cornwall. Our teams work in community hospitals, GP practices, sports centres, and health hubs.
As an organisation with a strong social conscience we are guided by our values, kindness, respect, inclusivity, ambition, responsibility, and collaboration.
We involve the people we care for, along with their families and carers, in shaping the care they receive, striving to deliver the right care at the right time and place. Centering our work on individual needs helps people lead healthy, independent lives.
We prioritise employees’ development, offering protected CPD time, training pathways, leadership programmes, and funding for qualifications like the Care Certificate and Nurse Training Scholarships. Our induction and preceptorship programmes ensure a smooth transition into our organisation.
Livewell Southwest values diversity and encourages applications from all sections of the community, including those with armed forces experience, lived experience of mental health, neuro‑diverse conditions and learning disabilities. If you need assistance or reasonable adjustments during the application process, contact the Recruiting Manager listed in the job advert.
Job responsibilities
The Senior Clinical Lead provides professional and clinical leadership to the Crisis Pathway and has influence across all services aligned to the acute care pathway. The post holder line‑manages and supports Practice Leads and the Team Manager.
Responsibilities for Patient Care: The post holder is jointly accountable for delivering a person‑centred, responsive and adaptable Crisis Pathway in line with patient need and available resources. They will role‑model clinical leadership, ensuring communication is clear, relevant and accessible to service users and carers, in line with organisational standards and values.
They will ensure a duty of care, taking into account service users’ wishes, feelings, beliefs and those close to them. Professional competence must be maintained through clinical supervision. The post holder will demonstrate specialist knowledge of mental health care and the roles of other professionals.
They are accountable for KPIs including HTT gate‑keeping and 48‑hour follow‑up.
- PLS KPI: A&E 1‑hour response and 24‑hour ward response
- FRS KPI: Net call Cat B/C/D, face‑to‑face assessments within 24‑47 hours
They will ensure skilled clinicians are available for crisis assessments, and will lead on these where required. Responsibilities include risk identification and management, clinical decision‑making, and maintaining safety in challenging situations. Decisions must be communicated effectively to relevant agencies, including senior management where required.
The post holder ensures after‑care planning, appropriate referrals, multidisciplinary working, and effective medication monitoring. They will ensure timely response to referrals, risk‑management competence, and accessible patient information. Feedback processes must be managed to improve services, alongside patient satisfaction surveys and safeguarding compliance.
They are responsible for maintaining their own professional development and mandatory training.
Communication and Key Working Relationships: Key relationships include senior leadership, clinical teams, NHS partners, police, commissioners and other stakeholders. The post holder will demonstrate professionalism, challenge inappropriate behaviour, and share sensitive information appropriately.
They will manage complex and sensitive issues, maintain effective communication channels, lead meetings, deliver presentations, and ensure accurate, accessible communication across services. Strong stakeholder engagement is essential.
Service Delivery: The post holder will understand population needs, national policy and local contracts. They will support service development, promote recovery‑focused care, maintain high clinical standards, and undertake non‑medical prescribing where appropriate.
They will plan and develop services to meet demand, deliver value for money, and introduce new ways of working. Performance and quality standards will be monitored and escalated where required.
They will ensure compliance with legislation, governance, CQC, NICE guidance, and health and safety requirements. Risk management processes, complaints handling, and service improvements must be maintained. They will also lead practice‑development projects and contribute to management decision‑making.
Financial and Physical Resources: Responsible for budget management, cost control, forecasting, and efficiency savings. They must ensure activity targets are met and financial policies followed. Equipment management and maintenance must also be ensured.
Human Resources: The post holder will provide effective leadership, promote high standards, support supervision and CPD, and deputise for the Team Manager where required. They will ensure strong communication, identify training needs, promote team working, manage staff in line with HR policies, and oversee appraisals and development plans.
Information Resources: They will use performance data to drive service improvement, ensure IT systems are fully utilised, and maintain accurate, secure records in line with policies and legislation. IT issues and information security breaches must be reported and addressed promptly.
Research and Development: Responsible for audit, service evaluation, CQC compliance evidence, and supporting service development, policies and protocols in line with national guidance.
Physical, Mental and Emotional Effort: The role requires travel, prolonged computer use, and strong IT skills. The post holder must interpret data, manage complex tasks within deadlines, produce accurate reports, and lead meetings.
They must remain resilient under pressure, manage competing priorities, and handle sensitive or challenging situations effectively.
Working Conditions and Freedom to Act: The post is office‑based with travel across sites. The post holder is accountable for their practice, service delivery, and development of the Crisis Pathway, working with senior leadership. They will deputise for the Directorate Manager as required.
Person Specification
Qualifications
- Registered health / social care professional with current registration
- Clinical/postgraduate management/leadership qualification or equivalent level of experience and proven ability to perform at this level.
- Core Clinical/Professional background
- Evidence of recent professional development in an up‑to‑date portfolio.
- Masters Level study or equivalent transferable experience
- Level 7 Management or leadership qualification
- Learning and Assessing in Practice Qualification or equivalent practice assessors training
- Non‑Medical Prescriber Additional courses relevant to Crisis work and
- Home treatment speciality
Knowledge
- Knowledge of key drivers eg national policy and guidance relevant to the crisis pathway and the acute care pathway.
- An understanding of effective systems for integrated governance and the management of clinical and nonclinical risk
- Management of resources and good track record of change management, efficiency savings and financial recovery plans
- Knowledge of evaluating and measuring the performance of services
- Expert Knowledge of working within a Crisis pathway, and/or other relevant experience that is transferable to a Home Treatment Team Model, first response service and Psychiatric liaison team.
- Knowledge of the impact of crisis on mental health difficulties
- Good knowledge of current NHS and Social Care Policy
- Evidence of CPD – Evidence based practice, Mental Health Act 1983,
- Understand the Principles of Governance, particularly in relation to their Service area
- The development of Adult crisis Mental Health Services
Specific Skills
- Well‑developed leadership skills
Experience
- Management experience linked to health or social care provision including working with senior colleagues/clinicians.
- Experience of working in an acute mental health service or similar service level minimum with significant equivalent position in terms of responsibility
- Recent previous experience within a comparable role with proven skills in staff management, building effective relationships and networking.
- Experience of modernising services without additional resources
- Experience of managing a diverse team and developing local services within an MDT
- Measurable track record in involving and motivating staff to improve performance.
- Proven success at managing organisational change while maintaining service quality.
- Experience of developing and maintaining effective partnerships with various stakeholders in the redesign of services
- Experience of managing projects and efficient planning
- Budget management experience including reducing cost, monitoring and determining corrective actions.
- Ability to meet targets and provide information on a regular basis to enable the organisation to perform as expected.
- Evidence of transferable clinical, risk management and managerial skills at a senior level
- Extensive Clinical experience in Mental Health care, crisis management and positive risk taking.
- Experience of working with care pathways
- Experience of conducting audits
- Experience of using Microsoft Excel, Access, PowerPoint and electronic mail. Able to analyse data and produce reports using Microsoft Excel and Word
- Experience of Microsoft Teams, setting up meetings, setting agendas and following up actions.
- Experience of implementing change within a team
- Experience of investigatory processes eg. SIRI, complaints (PSIRF)
- Experience of quality improvement, change management and project work.
- Life experience in wide range of settings
Skills
- Ability to provide and receive complex and emotive information with staff, service users, carers and other stakeholders.
- Accomplished Chairperson for meetings
- Delivery of training sessions to a wide group of staff
- Good project management skills and the ability to see through tasks to their successful conclusion within timescales and budgets.
- Good performance management skills combining clarity around expectations, direction and holding others to account.
- Excellent organisational skills with the ability and flexibility to deal with more than one task at a time and move between tasks in order to respond to changing priorities and demands.
- Developed interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate at a variety of levels.
- Ability to present information clearly to a variety of audiences, verbally and in written reports.
- Ability to analyse and interpret performance and financial information
- Resilient and self-motivated with drive and vision that is able to work on own and manage a range of priorities often with completing agendas
- Can use constructive criticism and openly seeks to review and reflect on own style and presentation.
- Ability to match patient need with available skills and resources.
- Emergency judgements and clinical decision making as team lead.
- Supervision, advice, guidance to others about complex individuals/situations.
- To receive information and balance risk to patient and organisation, formulating plans accordingly and communication to the wider health community.
- Investigating complaints and reviewing untoward incidents and serious incidents, producing chronology of events, timelines, gaining witness statements, producing report, recommendations and action plans for improvements.
- Prince 2 or equivalent project management
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Full-time, Part‑time, Job share, Flexible working
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