Mental Health Act Team Manager | South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

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.

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.

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provide the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK as well as substance misuse services for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. We work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London and are part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. There are very few organisations in the world that have such wide-ranging capabilities working with mental illness. Our scope is unique because it is built on three major foundations: care and treatment, science and research, and training.

SLaM employ around 5000 staff and serve a local population of 1.1 million people. We have more than 230 services including inpatient wards, outpatient and community services. Currently, provide inpatient care for approximately 5,300 people each year and treat more than 45,000 patients in the community in Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark; as well as substance misuse services for residents of Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich.

The job description and person specification attached under documentation describes the role in detail.

This advert closes on Monday 15 Jun 2026