Service Manager


Company:	NHS Jobs
Salary:	£66,582 - £77,368
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Colchester, CO1 1ST
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	15 Aug 2026
Closing date:	2 Sept 2026

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Summary

The Service Manager for Community Mental Health Services provides senior operational leadership across the Tendring & Colchester Community Mental Health Teams, Dementia Services, Early Intervention in Psychosis and At Risk Mental State Services in North East Essex. Acting as a senior liaison point between acute hospitals, community services, third-sector and primary care partners, the role drives effective collaboration and system-wide integration to improve patient flow, capacity management, and timely access to mental health support. This includes seamless coordination across multiple interfaces (emergency departments, discharge hubs, primary care, etc.) to ensure high-quality, person-centred, trauma-informed care is delivered. This pivotal role leads on service planning, performance management, and pathway optimisation as part of the senior leadership team, ensuring services meet national and local targets while being responsible for embedding continuous improvement and innovation. The post holder must be a highly motivated, collaborative leader with deep understanding of urgent and integrated care systems, able to influence across organisational boundaries to enhance system efficiency and patient outcomes. They will need to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive, or contentious information, using advanced communication and negotiation skills to secure cooperation and shared ownership among stakeholders. The role also demands strategic system leadership representing the Trust in multi-agency forums and shaping developments across the local Neighbourhood System as the area rapidly mobilises in alignment to Neighbourhoods as part of the NHS Long Term Plan. Importantly, the Service Manager will ensure that service developments align with national and local strategic priorities. This includes advancing the goals of the NHS Long Term Plan (integrating services and expanding community-based care) and implementing the principles of the Community Mental Health Framework for place-based, integrated mental health care. The role directly contributes to EPUTs Strategic Objectives 2023 2028 delivering safe, high-quality integrated care, working with partners to improve services, and supporting our communities to thrive thereby supporting the Trusts vision and the wider systems strategic aims.

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