Priory is seeking an experienced and passionate leader with PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service) or patient advocacy experience to shape and deliver a modern, accessible patient advice and support service.
In this strategic role, you will lead the development of person-centred services that help service users, carers, and families navigate care, access information, and raise concerns or provide feedback. You will embed coproduction with people with lived experience, ensuring that services are shaped directly by those who use them, while collaborating closely with clinical teams, operational leaders, and external partners to create coordinated, effective, and responsive support.
Your expertise in patient advocacy will be key to enhancing patient experience, equity, and accessibility across local health systems. This is an exciting opportunity to influence how patients and carers are supported across a major mental health provider and to make a real difference in care experience.
What you'll be doing
The Navigate Lead will provide national leadership and oversight for the Navigate service, ensuring consistent standards, clarity of purpose and effective implementation across all Priory services.
Service Model Development
- Lead the implementation of a coproduced patient advise, support and information service model across the organisation.
- Develop service standards, processes and governance arrangements to ensure a high-quality and responsive service.
- Use insight, patient feedback and data to inform service development and continuous improvement.
Coproduction and Engagement
- Embed coproduction approaches in the implementation and embedding of the service model
- Work with service users, carers and community organisations to ensure services reflect lived experience and diverse needs.
- Establish effective mechanisms for patient and carer input into service improvement and evaluation.
- Promote inclusive engagement, particularly with communities who may face barriers accessing mental health services.
Partnership and Delivery Management
- Work collaboratively with commissioned delivery partners providing advice, support or advocacy services.
- Build strong partnerships to ensure coordinated support for patients and carers.
- Monitor service performance and ensure delivery aligns with organisational priorities and quality standards.
Leadership and Collaboration
- Provide expert advice and guidance on patient advice, support and information services across Priory.
- Work closely with teams responsible for patient experience, complaints, communications, safeguarding and service improvement.
- Support programmes aimed at improving patient experience, engagement and transparency.
What you'll bring to the role
We are looking for someone with strong experience in service innovation / transformation, patient engagement and partnership working, who is committed to improving how patients and carers access support.
Essential Experience
- Experience developing or improving patient advice, support, advocacy or engagement services.
- Experience of patient experience frameworks and health inequalities and accessibility considerations
- Experience working in coproduction with people with lived experience.
- Experience collaborating across multiple teams and/or delivery partners including management of contracts, relationships and performance, and aligning partner delivery with quality and patient experience priorities
- Experience working within large or complex organisations, ideally within health, social care or the voluntary sector.
- Demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders and lead service improvement initiatives.
Skills and Knowledge
- Strong service design and improvement skills.
- Excellent stakeholder engagement and facilitation abilities.
- Ability to build effective partnerships with commissioned providers and community organisations.
- Strong communication and influencing skills.
- Understanding of patient experience, accessibility and health inequalities.
This position is a leadership role at Priory and during the interview process we will be assessing candidates against our leadership behaviours. These are a set of ten values driven behaviours that define great leadership at Priory. They are integral to driving a positive high performing culture where we strive to deliver the best care and outcomes for the people we support. You can find out more about our interview approach and our leadership behaviours here.
What we will give you in return
We want you to succeed at Priory and thrive in your role. You will be well supported with regular career conversations. We also offer full training and numerous pathways into leadership and qualified clinical positions to help you shape your career with us.
- 25 days Annual Leave + Bank Holidays + additional day’s leave for your Birthday!
- Annual leave entitlement increases based on length of service: 27 days after 5 years’ service and 30 days after 10 years’ service
- Length of service recognition awards – every 5 years
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Competitive Pension Scheme
- Initial Disclosure Check Cost covered, if applicable to role
- ‘My Possible Self’ App and health-related benefits
- Online discounts and cashback rewards – Priory Perks
- Smart Technology scheme (qualifying period)
- Cycle to work scheme (qualifying period)
- Smart Holidays (qualifying period)
- Gym Flex (qualifying period)
- Healthcare Cash Plan – Simply Health Scheme
- Eye Care Vouchers
- ‘Cash for Colleagues’ – Employee referral scheme
- Access to development opportunities
- Sponsorship of professional qualifications through our Individual Professional Development (IPD) panel
- Leadership & management development
- Parental Leave Gift
Please take the time to familiarise yourself with the full job description attached prior to making an application.
Shortlisting may begin upon receipt of applications, and the Recruiting Manager may close the vacancy early if enough suitable candidates are identified.