Older Adult Clinical Lead

The Westminster Older Adults and Health Ageing Community Mental Health Team is a dynamic and integrated multidisciplinary service providing mental health and social care support to older adults in Westminster with functional disorders and dementia. It is co‑located with the Westminster City Council mental health team, offering a holistic approach to care. The team is also involved in the CNWL Open Dialogue project, which promotes person‑centred recovery‑oriented care.

The team operates using a case management and recovery‑focused model, offering multidisciplinary assessments and interventions for service users with complex needs, as well as their families and carers. Regular multidisciplinary meetings facilitate case discussions, initial assessments, and reflective practice. A key feature of the service is the integrated older adults home treatment team, which delivers intensive support, crisis management, admission prevention, and helps ensure timely hospital discharges. The CMHT and HTT teams collaborate closely, offering a responsive and flexible service to meet the needs of service users. Coordination with older adults inpatient services allows smooth transitions of care.

The postholder will provide older adults clinical leadership as part of the management team. Additionally, the role will focus on developing a transformation agenda, integration and primary care pathways. It will provide an exciting development opportunity for staff to interface across primary and secondary care, delivering more holistic and joined up care for older adults with multiple complex comorbidities including frailty, functional mental health needs and/or dementia. It also involves providing specialist advice, assessment and formulation and delivery of brief interventions for older adults with complex mental health conditions and dementia, who may be new or known previously to secondary care mental health services. Developing clinical pathways across the mental health older adults, including clinical practice and standards, as well as supporting with organisational development and quality improvement strategies. Furthermore, the role will support workforce development, particularly community mental health nursing and allied mental health professionals, ensuring that staff develop the skills and strategies required for their roles.

Responsibilities

• Provide the clinical lead for staff within the service.
• Assist the team manager in developing a model of working with service users with complex needs, ensuring that services are provided to the highest possible standard.
• Deputise for the team manager as needed.
• Participate in and lead meetings as appropriate.
• Show demonstrable experience of working with older adults or those with complex physical and mental health needs, including functional and organic illness.
• Work flexibly and collaboratively across local environments and possess strong interpersonal skills.
• Have well‑developed clinical skills to practise at a high standard and supervise staff at all levels.
• Manage a caseload as needed, providing psychosocial interventions for individuals, carrying out robust risk assessments and care planning.
• Provide expert advice and consultation in professional matters relating to the postholder’s discipline and ensure advice is available for other disciplines in the team.
• Work within relevant legislative frameworks (Mental Health Act 1983, Mental Capacity Act 2005, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, Care Act 2014, etc.).
• Ensure the team works within safeguarding frameworks for vulnerable adults.
• Ensure services within the multidisciplinary team are well coordinated, responsive and attuned to the needs of service users, carers and families.
• Demonstrate a high level of clinical competence in supervising staff and in direct face‑to‑face contact with service users.
• Ensure the service works in coordination with other Community and Acute In‑Patient services.
• Ensure effective liaison with other relevant agencies.
• Maintain and develop administrative procedures for recording case records.
• Ensure service users are involved in developing the team and local services.

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience working with older adults or those with complex physical and mental health needs, including functional and organic illness.
• Ability to work flexibly and collaboratively across local environments.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Well‑developed clinical skills enabling high‑standard practice and supervision of staff.
• Experience with risk assessment and care planning.
• Knowledge of relevant legislative frameworks (Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, Care Act).
• Experience in workforce development and quality improvement strategies is desirable.

Benefits

• Flexible shift working opportunities for a healthier work‑life balance.
• Coaching and in‑house development sessions such as leadership programmes, non‑medical prescribing, CBT‑P training and more.
• Free access to the Staff and Wellbeing service.
• Commitment to career mapping and continuous professional development, including opportunities within the Trust.
• Shadowing opportunities in HTT, Psych Liaison and more.
• Local Reflective Practice forums run by senior leads.
• Opportunity to work with a friendly, dynamic, passionate and diverse team committed to looking after each other and their patients.
• Childcare vouchers, health and wellbeing services, season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, blue light card.
• Discounts at Nando's and Superdrug.
• Mobile phone contracts and more.
• Award‑winning Staff Networks.
• Hidden Gem & annual award ceremonies.