Contract Mental Health Jobs

The Operations Manager is responsible for Dose of Nature’s day-to-day operational management, providing a welcoming and efficient front face and ensuring organisational effectiveness to support the delivery of Dose of Nature’s strategic objectives. This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic team player to join our warm and friendly charity team on a full-time basis for a period of one year, with the possibility of a part-time position thereafter. Dose of Nature is in an exciting phase as we continue to receive greater funding to expand our reach. The nature of the job responsibilities may require occasional flexible hours, including some evening and weekend hours up to 6 times per year, or adjusted beginning and ending times, for example to support with monthly evening training sessions. 

Dose of Nature is a mental health charity whose objective is to improve the mental health and wellbeing of individuals through increased engagement with the natural world. Our work is rooted in a wealth of scientific evidence that demonstrates the physiological and psychological benefits of spending time in nature. We deliver ‘nature prescriptions’ to people referred by their GP with a wide range of mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, trauma, and addiction. Our Dose of Nature Prescription Programme is overseen by psychologists and is a genuine alternative to both medication and more traditional psychological interventions. Through a combination of education, first-hand experience, and practical and motivational support, we aim to encourage a greater connection with nature, and inspire lifestyle changes that will have a significant and lasting impact on mental wellbeing. Dose of Nature is a fun, supportive and lively organisation that encourages creativity and independence, as well as a strong sense of working together as a team. 

The role is 37.5 hours per week and will involve working at Pensford Field, Kew, Monday to Wednesday from 9am-5:30pm and from home Thursday and Friday 9-5:30pm. 

The details listed below set out the main responsibilities and duties of the post, but are neither exhaustive nor exclusive and the postholder may be required to undertake such other duties and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected of an employee of this grade. 

Key responsibilities and duties 

• To oversee the smooth running of the studio and field, ensuring Dose of Nature’s operational systems, processes and policies are fit-for-purpose, compliant with current legal requirements and are maintained effectively and efficiently. 

• To be the initial point of contact for all enquiries, responding quickly and efficiently to requests for information and other enquiries from a wide range of stakeholders, including clients, volunteer guides and trustees, health professionals, supporters, media, and academic institutions. 

• To be the main point of contact for volunteer guides; leading all aspects of the recruitment and induction process with the support from our Senior Administrator; and providing guidance and support to existing guides – including management of the on-going training programme. 

• To manage the programme of regular group sessions – ensuring volunteer group leaders and participants have the support they need so the sessions run smoothly; ensuring volunteer group leaders and participants have the support they need so the sessions run smoothly; ensuring dedicated support is in place for each group and proactively managing the seasonal timetable. 

• To assist the team in monitoring performance, including preparing internal and external performance reports on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis. 

• To manage and oversee the booking system for all client appointments and to support psychologists as appropriate. 

• To manage communication and marketing materials, including maintenance of website, developing and updating printed materials including promotional leaflets, training booklets, and weekly timetable communication emails and bi-annual newsletters. Work with Senior Administrator to distribute regular communications and materials and to maintain a dynamic collection of digital copy including photos, videos and media footage. 

• To lead community relationship building for Dose of Nature, to include attending promotional and networking events from time to time. 

• To assist the Chief Executive in the implementation and continued development of the Growth Strategy, including providing regular updates to trustees. 

• To manage the internship and work experience programmes – overseeing recruitment, giving clear guidance on standards and day-to-day management support. 

• To ensure statutory compliance with Health and Safety legislation – conducting risk assessments, monitoring performance and reviewing procedures. 

• To plan and coordinate regular Dose of Nature community social events, including two half day events and monthly evening events and AGM. 

• To monitor monthly spend and budgets including payment of expenses and incoming donations. 

Person specification 

Education: Educated to degree level or equivalent 

Preferred experience (please see * below): 

• Experience of setting-up and managing operational systems and processes 

• Experiencing of collating, recording and presenting performance data 

• Experience of working with vulnerable people 

• Fluent English speaker (required) 

• Driving licence (essential). 

Skills: 

• Strong organisational and project management skills – efficient, well-organised, able to prioritise and find practical solutions to issues. 

• Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing – able to present complex information in a concise and accessible manner; write letters and emails; write promotional material; collate reports; proof read. 

• Demonstrated ability to provide excellent customer service and always be helpful. 

• Confident and polite telephone manner, capable of handling client and supplier interactions professionally. 

• Organised and methodical approach to planning and delivery, able to work under own initiative and manage competing priorities 

• Good level of IT literacy and competency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook and Word), CRMs, and mobile devices; experience of setting up new systems and processes; competent in data analysis; keen eye for detail. 

• High level relationship building and influencing skills – engaging and confident communication style. 

• Integrity and experience of dealing appropriately with confidential and sensitive information. 

Behaviour: 

• Enthusiastic and committed to Dose of Nature’s vision and values – passionate about making a difference to the lives of people who are vulnerable and with mental health issues, through spending time in nature. 

• Warm, open and sensitive – able to create rapport, build relationships and inspire confidence. 

• Adaptable, flexible and practical – willing to roll sleeves up and do what’s needed to get the job done. 

• Committed self-starter – with a can-do attitude towards all tasks, embracing challenges with enthusiasm and determination and able to work on own initiative with minimal supervision. 

• Open to learn, receive feedback – committed to own professional development. 

• Team player – able to work collaboratively; able to inspire and motivate others. 

* If you do not fit all the criteria but have relevant skills and experience that could make you a good fit for the role, then we would love to hear from you. You do not need to have done this exact role before. 

Benefits: 

• Kind and caring colleagues who work collaboratively as a team. 

• Flexibility to work from home for at least 40% of your time. 

• Generous holiday entitlement. 

• Pension scheme. 

To apply to join our team, please submit your CV and a cover letter outlining your experience and suitability for the role. 

The successful candidate will work with the Head of the Gambling Action Lab (GAL) and the Senior Research Officer to bring together a handful of representatives from financial services firms to explore ways to reduce gambling-related financial harms. They will build and maintain stakeholder relationships and play a key role in facilitating group discussions with financial services representatives. This exciting role will also involve driving and promoting the work and visibility of the GAL, and planning and delivering a programme of events to promote our work.

This is an exciting time to join the organisation. We are a growing team, and with momentum building to address gambling-related harms, our work has never been so vital. In this position, you will play an important role in helping us to further understand the links between money, mental health problems and gambling harms and work with firms and stakeholders to develop practical solutions that lead to real change.

The full-time equivalent salary is either £41,283 at the Senior Officer level or £32,915 at the Officer level.

This role can be offered as London-based or remote (with twice-monthly travel to the London office) and either full-time (37.5 hours over 5 days) or part-time (minimum 30 hours over 4 days a week).

The closing date is 9am Monday 20 May. 

We welcome candidates who have lived experiences of mental health problems, gambling harms or financial difficulty.

We are working hard to create an organisation where Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging are baked into our culture. We welcome applications from everyone, regardless of age, gender, identity, race, class, sexuality, disability or any other characteristic. What’s important isn’t your level of education or the opportunities you have had – it’s about you and how you seize the opportunities ahead of you.

Programme Manager – National Clinical Audit of Psychosis
£44,745 - £49,554 pa, plus excellent benefits
London (including flexible working)
Fixed-term maternity cover until 1 July 2025

This is a great opportunity to manage an exciting audit programme using new methodologies to support Early Intervention in Psychosis services. 

Within the College Centre for Quality Improvement, we run an exciting programme of NHS-funded national clinical audits, including the National Clinical Audit of Psychosis, which provides important data that is driving forward improvements in care for people with first episode psychosis. We are seeking a dynamic and proactive person for the Programme Manager (maternity cover) post. 

The successful candidate will have experience in project management and quality improvement in healthcare and/or clinical audit and will have a keen interest in data analytics. They will show attention to detail and have excellent organisational, report writing and communication skills. Responsibilities will include managing a complex programme of work, liaising with funders and expert advisors, supervising the project team, developing and delivering of project plans, and managing all aspects of the project, e.g. developing data collection tools and collecting and analysing data. 

The successful candidate will be required to undertake a DBS check. 

The College values a diverse workforce and welcomes applications from all sections of the community, reflecting the population it serves.

We are committed to building and maintaining an inclusive and supportive culture, a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed on merit.  We aim to promote a more inclusive environment, which attracts all candidates and signals our commitment to celebrate and promote diversity.

We will provide appropriate reasonable adjustments for candidates who may have a disability.

We only recruit the best and in return for your commitment, the College offers an attractive salary and benefits.

We operate a hybrid working model of on-site and working from home/remote, which helps to ensure a flexible work life balance.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the professional membership body for psychiatrists and promotes excellent care for people with mental illness. It has 19,000 members and engages with government and the media as the leading voice of the UK’s mental health services. The College is a values-based organisation and, in 2019, was named Charity of the Year in the European Diversity Awards.

Closing date: 10am, 3 May 2024.
Interviews: 17 May 2024.

About Hammersmith, Fulham, Ealing and Hounslow Mind

This is an exciting opportunity to join and support a fast growing and dedicated team supporting the wellbeing of communities across West London.

We’re here to make sure that everyone suffering with a mental health problem gets the help they need to recover. We listen, support recovery, fight stigma and work with partners to take action. We provide services for adults, children and young people, signposting for everyone and training and consultancy for employers.

Job Purpose

This role sits within our Adult Services, across Hammersmith, Fulham, Ealing, Hounslow. You will be responsible for the operational delivery and service development, of a portfolio of services. Namely (but subject to change):

• Safe Space Community
• Safe Space ED
• Hounslow Helpline
• Nova Roots (Forensic Community Hub)

One large service you will be responsible for is our crisis alternative service – Safe Space - which is a tri-borough out of hours service providing a safe and welcoming space for people who are feeling distressed and experiencing crisis. The service operates 365 days a year from 12:00(midday) – 11:30pm across all of our boroughs. You will be responsible for managing peripatetic teams: we currently have 3 in person Safe Spaces and based in 3 A&E.

Staff within the service will provide person-centred, practical and emotional support, face to face or via telephone on a one-to-one or group basis to individuals experiencing mental health crisis.

The objectives of the service include:

• To improve the mental wellbeing of people experiencing mental health crisis in HFEH.
• To provide support to clients accessing the service- for instance: signposting, de-escalation, planned wellbeing activities etc.
• To contribute to an improvement in individual mental wellbeing.
• To remain a source of independent support for all clients.
• To treat service users with respect, dignity and personalised support
• To raise awareness of mental health services available with the goal to improve long term mental health and reduce social isolation
• To increase self-management skills of those accessing the service
• To reduce the use of police, ambulance and statutory mental health services whilst experiencing crisis.
• To reduce the use of statutory crisis services by people experiencing mental ill health without positive outcomes for the individual.

The Role

The role of the Crisis Alternative Service Manager will provide operational management, mobilisation and service development of all Crisis Services within Adult Services. The ideal candidate will have experience of mobilising and developing high quality, large services. In addition to managing and supporting staff working within challenging environments and experience of working with challenging behaviour and complex needs. The Service Manager will hold all operational risk.

Excellent organisation and decision-making skills are essential for this role, as it requires being able to manage time effectively to meet tight deadlines and work unsupervised during evenings and weekends. You will also be required to be rostered into the on-call rota.

The Crisis Alternative Service Manager will be required to work collaboratively with the Director of Adult Services and will be proficient at communicating effectively with staff at all levels, a wide range of key stakeholders and service users. They will ensure the service is well resourced from a staffing perspective and embed high-quality operational plans and processes.

They will be responsible for the delivery, progression and continual improvement of the service. They will have responsibility for ensuring Crisis Services operate in line with organisational H&S processes and procedures, HFEH Mind policies and CQC requirements.

Key Responsibilities

For full list of responsibilites, see attached job description

• To oversee the management of the Crisis Alternative Services and other services, in line with organisational values and service quality expectations.
• To ensure all risks are recognised and mitigated in line with the serious incident and safeguarding policies.
• To ensure safe working and risk management
• To ensure feedback is provided on risk mitigation through serious incident reports.
• To continually drive enhancements to operational effectiveness and maximise outcomes against targets (key performance indicators)
• To complete audits and high quality reports for senior internal and external stakeholders
• To interpret performance and impact data for crisis services and be responsible for reporting against service targets
• To provide effective line management supervision to Team Managers and Support Workers
• To collaborate with the Director of Adult Services and the Head of HR to deal with performance management/disciplinary issues confidently and effectively in accordance with organisational policies and procedures.
• To mobilise the crisis services in line with agreed project plans and ensure they are promoted and marketed well.
• To pro-actively develop relationships with external stakeholders in order to improve and develop crisis provision for people with mental health needs.
• To develop robust referral routes and pathways into the service with both statutory and non-statutory bodies.
• To ensure excellence in the recruitment, training and ongoing support of staff and volunteers where applicable.
• To support the Team Managers to ensure adequate and appropriate staffing at all times within the service.

Person Specification

For full person specification, see attached job description

• A minimum of three years managing a crisis service or similar setting with high complexity and high incident rates
• Experience of managing and mitigating risks
• Experience of managing safeguarding risks and understanding legal requirements for safeguarding adults and children
• Understanding of how to report and mitigate risks
• Understanding of suicide prevention
• Understanding of trauma informed care
• Understanding of mental health and safety planning
• An understanding of CQC requirements for mental health
• Managing services for vulnerable people in a service delivery organisation.
• Excellent people and project management skills and significant experience of supporting and managing staff.
• Experience of working in the voluntary sector and/or statutory services
• Experience of motivating, developing and training staff
• Experience of creating and implementing safety and risk policies and procedures.
• Successful track record in planning and project management.
• Understanding of the principles of ensuring safe service provision for people at risk and how these are put into practice.
• Knowledge and understanding of the relevant statutory authorities including NHS and social care.
• Excellent communication skills and able to communicate effectively to a variety of audiences.
• Commitment to service user involvement and able to work with service user groups to develop this. 
• Strong organisational skills and able to take control of own workload and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work independently with minimum support.
• Confident in challenging poor performance assertively, constructively and successfully.
• High professional standards and the ability to communicate these clearly to others.
• IT literate to aid communication and analysis of data.

Desirable

• Mental health registration (nurse/doctor/therapist etc)
• Mental health qualification
• Has a full driving licence and use of own vehicle (desirable, not essential. Work related mileage will be paid)
• Experience of working with databases such as Views, IAPTUS, Rio and Python
• Project management qualification

We are an equal opportunities employer; and are proud to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons from all backgrounds.

Post is subject to an enhanced DBS check