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Our Initial Response Service (IRS)
Our Initial Response Service (IRS) is a centralised, triage-led function designed to provide a single point of access for urgent mental health referrals, bringing together the elements of 111 Mental Health Option, Crisis and Home Treatment pathways. It is responsible for receiving, screening and clinically triaging referrals, ensuring service users are directed to the most appropriate service in a timely and safe manner. The model supports rapid decision making, prioritisation of risk, and coordination of responses, including escalation to face-to-face crisis assessment where indicated. The service aims to reduce duplication across services, and deliver consistent performance against response standard.
Role: Initial Response Service (IRS) Manager
As the Initial Response Service (IRS) Manager, you will lead both the operational delivery and strategic development of a high-impact, front-door mental health service, ensuring safe, responsive and effective care for those in urgent need. You will be accountable for delivering consistent performance against national standards while maintaining a relentless focus on quality, safety and patient experience across all aspects of the service.
Key Responsibilities
- Leadership and Culture: Provide visible leadership on quality and safety, embedding a culture of continuous improvement, learning and openness.
- Clinical Governance: Ensure robust clinical governance, oversee risk management, and drive improvements in safety outcomes, using data, audit and service user feedback to reduce variation and enhance care delivery.
- Operational Management: Lead demand and capacity planning, workforce optimisation and pathway redesign, ensuring the service is agile and able to respond to system pressures.
- Performance Improvement: Use performance and activity data to drive improvements in access, flow and outcomes, ensuring the IRS delivers a consistently high standard of care.
- System Leadership: Work as a senior system leader, building strong partnerships across health and social care, and influencing the development of integrated urgent care pathways. Act as an ambassador for the Trust, contributing to system-wide transformation and ensuring the IRS plays a central role in delivering the wider mental health agenda.
- Workforce Development: Inspire and develop a high-performing workforce, creating a culture where staff feel supported, empowered and accountable. Ensure robust governance, financial oversight and performance management are in place, delivering a service that is not only efficient and sustainable, but also consistently safe, high-quality and person-centred.
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About Us
Here at NSFT we pride ourselves on being a welcoming, talented, friendly and supportive team who like nothing better than sharing experiences and learning from each other. In addition to ongoing training and development opportunities, we are committed to providing an environment in which you can thrive.
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Why Work for Us?
- Ambitious Aspirations: We have ambitious aspirations, are pushing ahead with exciting transformation work and we need dedicated individuals to support us on our journey.
- Strong Networks: We have strong, established professional networks coupled with an exceptional leadership team who will ensure you are truly cared for and cared about.
Why Norfolk and Suffolk?
- Beautiful Location: The people here are warm and welcoming, you’ll never be far from the beautiful coastline or Broads National Park.
- Convenient Location: We’re an hour and a half away from London and have an international airport in Norwich too.
- Rich Culture: Our villages, towns and cities are packed full of history, independent cafes, shops and theatres.
- Excellent Amenities: We have excellent shopping, eating out, top ranking schooling and affordable house prices too.
Contact Information
For further details / informal visits contact:
- Name: Shona Little
- Job Title: Associate Director of Operations
- Email Address: Shona.Little@nsft.nhs.uk
- Telephone Number: 07393801900
For further queries, you can also contact Peter Henson, Director of Operations at Peter.Henson@nsft.nhs.uk.
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