Leading and Managing Mental Health Services in England

Course Overview

The Institute of Public Care (IPC) at Oxford Brookes University has launched a new programme for first-line managers of mental health services in England. We want to make sure that managers have the right skills and knowledge, in addition to their clinical skills, to nurture a culture of excellent and effective delivery within their teams and support individual and team resilience.

Underpinned by the principles of compassionate leadership and grounded in the lived experience of those who draw on mental health services, the programme focusses on effectively managing teams and working with key system partners. It’s about the things that matter to people and what’s needed to make change happen.

Delivery combines presentations, guest speakers, facilitated group work, individual reflection and action planning (over 12 months). It includes:

  • An online introductory day
  • Three, two-day face-to-face sessions
  • Online action learning sets

Booking and Cost

The cost covers all programme sessions and course materials: £2,400 per person. The additional fee for accreditation is £1,400. Booking Form

Face-to-face taught dates (Birmingham): 10 March 2026, 24-25 March 2026, 23 and 24 September 2026, 13 January 2027 and 4 February 2027.

If the course is full and you would like to register your interest, please complete this form.

Please note our Cancellation and Non-Attendance Policy applies to all bookings.

Course Content and Format

Who is the programme for?

It is designed specifically for first-line managers working in a community setting (probably at Band 7 if employed by the NHS, but we welcome aspirant leaders at Band 6 as well), to facilitate their development as leaders of mental health services. The learning is relevant and applicable across both adults’ and children’s services.

What does it cover?

  • A focus on leadership, resilience and delivering change in mental health services.
  • The leadership styles needed to promote and embed evidence-informed practice.
  • A detailed look at key policy priorities in mental health services.
  • How to co-produce quality improvement.
  • An exploration of how to enhance team and individual performance.

 

Accreditation

For those seeking formal recognition, the programme offers the option of achieving a Postgraduate Certificate from Oxford Brookes University. To achieve this, participants must attend additional online support sessions and complete three work-based assessments. Accreditation contributes significantly to continuing professional development (CPD) and enhances career prospects in the sector.

Sasha Carter,
Programme Administrator

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Publication Signup

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This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

To receive our newsletter & gain access to our publications, please add your details below and select areas of interest. If you've done this before, you will see this prompt if you've deleted or don't collect browser cookies, or it's been more than a year since you've visited this page.

We will always store your personal details securely. We will never sell your contact details to another organisation and never share your data with other organisations for marketing purposes. You can opt-out at any time.

Subject Areas of Interest
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Please select all the ways you would like to hear from Institute of Public Care:

By submitting this form, you agree to be contacted in relation to News, Resources, and Updates. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. For information about our privacy practices, please view our Privacy Policy.

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