Clinical Lead

Kent Therapeutic Alliance

Salary: £70,000

Based at Salus Head Office near Ashford

Are you a highly experienced leader and clinician with a passion for improving the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people? Do you have the insight, and vision to lead a pioneering, multi-disciplinary service while ensuring the highest standards of clinical practice, governance, and safety?

If the answer is ‘yes!’, then this is an exciting opportunity for you.

Salus, commissioned by NHS Kent and Medway, is seeking a Clinical Lead to provide expert leadership across the Kent Children and Young People’s Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Therapeutic Alliance (KTA). In this role, you will be responsible for ensuring that services are safe, effective, and trauma-informed, while embedding clinical excellence, safeguarding, and best practice in line with national guidance. You will work closely with multi-disciplinary teams, commissioners, schools, and community partners to drive innovation, integration, and service improvement across Kent.

As Clinical Lead, you will champion co-produced, needs-led approaches, supporting staff through supervision, reflective practice, and training, while promoting continuous quality improvement. You will oversee clinical governance systems, monitor outcomes, analyse complex data, and ensure that risk is managed effectively, using your expertise to provide advice and consultation on complex cases. Your leadership will inspire a culture of excellence, resilience, and learning across the Alliance, ensuring that children, young people, and their families receive the highest quality care.

This is a rare opportunity to influence the future of children and young people’s mental health services, combining strategic oversight, operational leadership, and hands-on clinical expertise in a forward-thinking, values-led organisation.

Any appointment will be made subject to a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Job purpose

The Clinical Lead will provide expert clinical leadership, governance, and oversight across the Alliance. They will ensure safe, high-quality, and effective care, embedding clinical excellence, safeguarding, and best practice in line with national guidance and local priorities. The postholder will also contribute to strategic development, supporting integration across the system and championing a trauma-informed, needs-led, and co-produced approach.

Contact

For more information, please contact Sally Williamson on 07725 595722 or Peter Heckel on 07725 595719.

Closing date: 9am on 5th November 2025

Interview date: TBC

Job Description/Principal Accountabilities

Principal Accountabilities

Leadership & Strategy

• Provide visible, inspirational leadership across the Alliance, ensuring the highest standards of clinical practice.
• Lead the shaping and development of the service through an effective operational multidisciplinary and partnership management model.
• Lead the development and implementation of clinical governance systems, policies, and procedures.
• Ensure that effective operational procedures are in place to allow the delivery of a responsive service that fully meets the relevant needs of the children, young people and their families
• Be accountable for clinical risk management and the delivery of safe and effective services
• Act as the primary clinical advisor within strategic discussions, planning, and service design.
• Promote adherence to NICE guidance, national standards, and the i-THRIVE framework.
• Build strong, collaborative relationships with NHS partners, schools, commissioners, voluntary organisations, and community groups.
• Contribute to strategic planning, quality improvement, and service development across the Alliance.

Clinical Practice & Co-Production

• Promote a culture of continuous quality improvement
• Be aware of the up-to-date research and evidence relating to the clinical and non-clinical care and treatment of children and young people
• Ensure services are trauma-informed, inclusive, safe, and culturally competent.
• Work closely with the Lived Experience and Participation Lead to embed co-production across all clinical pathways.
• Promote opportunities for children, young people, and families to inform clinical practice and service development.
• Provide expert consultation and advice to practitioners, supporting complex case management and risk decisions.

Workforce Development & Capacity Building

• Provide clinical supervision, reflective practice, and professional support to Alliance staff.
• Identify and initiate new ways of working to enhance productive and timely delivery of high quality care for children, young people and their families. 
• Develop and deliver training programmes to enhance workforce knowledge and skills in evidence-based interventions and safeguarding.
• Support staff wellbeing and resilience through effective leadership and professional guidance.
• Promote a culture of learning, development, and continuous improvement across the Alliance.

Monitoring & Evaluation

• Lead on quality assurance, outcome measurement, and audit processes.
• Ensure that safeguarding, clinical risk management, and data collection systems are robust and effective.
• Monitor quality and performance of the service through tracking key measures over time, supporting the use of transparent and visual management systems
• Analyse and interpret complex data, identifying trends and opportunities for improvements.
• Regularly report on clinical quality, safety, and effectiveness to the KTA Steering Group, CEOs and commissioners.
• Share learning and best practice across the Alliance and wider children’s mental health system.

Professional Responsibilities

• Maintain professional registration with an appropriate regulatory body (e.g., HCPC, GMC, NMC).
• Drive the maintenance of standards of practice according to employer policies and professional codes.
• Ensure that confidentiality is always protected.
• Participate in individual performance review and continuing professional development.
• Keep all records up to date in relation to CPD and ensure personal development plans maintain up-to-date specialist knowledge of latest theoretical and service delivery models.
• Attend relevant conferences, training, and networks in line with agreed objectives.
• Ensure compliance with data protection, confidentiality, and safeguarding policies.
• Ensure that official position is not abused for personal gain or private interests

This Job Description does not provide an exhaustive list of duties and may be reviewed in conjunction with the post holder considering service development.

Any appointment will be made subject to a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check

Types: Full Time
Pay: £70,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Cycle to work scheme
• Company pension
• Sick pay

Schedule:

37 hours (full-time)

Previous applicants need not apply