About this role
Job summary
The East of England Provider Collaborative (the Collaborative) brings together six specialist mental health and learning disability providers across the region. By working collectively, we aim to deliver seamless, high quality care that is closer to home and better meets the needs of our communities. The Collaborative also partners with independent sector organisations to enhance service quality and drive improvements in how care is delivered.
As the regional mechanism for integrating pathways of specialist care, the Collaborative plays a key role in supporting the ambitions of the NHS Long Term Plan and shaping the future of mental health services across the East of England. We work closely with strategic partners, service users, and carers to develop and implement new models of care and innovative treatment pathways.
Most recently, the Collaborative has approved funding to establish a regional Adult Eating Disorder Complex Needs Panel, bringing together diverse expertise and lived experience to support consistent, transparent decision making on treatment pathways for patients with complex needs.
We are seeking an experienced, respectful individual to become the Independent Chair for the Adult Eating Disorders Complex Needs panel.The panel is expected to meet every two months but with the flexibility to hold exceptional meetings if required. All panel meetings will be held virtually, via Microsoft Teams.
You will not have employee status
Main duties of the job
The Independent Chair will lead and facilitate a panel of clinicians and lay members who meet bi monthly to review, discuss, and advise on the treatment pathways for adult eating disorder patients with complex needs. The Chair ensures that the panel functions with integrity, impartiality, and a strong focus on patient outcomes, safety, and equity.
The role provides independent oversight, promotes high quality decision making, and ensures that recommendations are informed by evidence, multidisciplinary perspectives, and the lived experiences of patients and carers.
To maintain the independence of the chair:o You must not be an eating disorder clinician.o You must not be employed by, or working under contract for, the provider involved in the case being reviewed. If the appointed chair is from one of the organisations within the Provider Collaborative and a case from their own organisation is brought to the panel, a deputy will be nominated to act as chair for that meeting. Salary - A competitive rate of up to £500 per hour is offered, recognising the senior leadership, system working and specialist expertise required to chair a multi-agency panel.
About us
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health and social care organisation dedicated to providing high quality care with compassion to improve the health and wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting and empowering them to lead fulfilling lives.
Our clinical teams deliver a wide range of NHS services across inpatient, primary care and community settings, including children's, adult and older people's mental health, forensic and specialist mental health, learning disabilities, primary care and liaison psychiatry, substance misuse, social care, and research and development.
To achieve our goals, we recruit high calibre candidates who share our vision and values. As an equal opportunities' employer, we welcome applications from all sections of the community, particularly under represented groups including people with long term conditions and members of our ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ communities.
All appointments are subject to the successful completion of a probationary period.
Please note we reserve the right to close adverts early should we receive sufficient applications.
Regrettably, we cannot offer sponsorship for all roles. If you apply for a post that does not attract sponsorship, your application will be withdrawn from the process.
For further information on CPFT, please visit our website at https://www.cpft.nhs.uk
Job description Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities.
Provide independent and effective leadership to the panel, ensuring strong governance, fairness, and transparency. Chair and facilitate bi-monthly meetings, keeping discussions structured, inclusive, and focused on clear outcomes. Ensure recommendations prioritise patient safety, clinical quality, equity, and ethical practice. Maintain impartiality, declaring and managing any conflicts of interest appropriately. Work with support teams to ensure timely reporting, clear communication of recommendations, and ongoing review of panel effectiveness.
Person Specification
Experience Essential
Significant experience chairing multidisciplinary or multi-professional groups, boards, or panels. A strong understanding of health, care, or clinical governance systems (e.g. NHS governance, safeguarding, risk management, ethical frameworks).
Desirable
Experience working with complex presentations, vulnerable populations, or individuals with multifaceted health and social care needs. Experience in working with public and patient involvement or lay representation.
SKills & Competencies Essential
Excellent facilitation and chairing skills, with the ability to manage challenging discussions respectfully and effectively. Ability to facilitate discussion and guide consensus without dominating professional perspectives. Ability to maintain impartiality and uphold the highest standards of integrity. Be a good active listener and disciplined speaker, with the ability to express views in a coherent, concise and logical fashion Strong understanding of the health and social care sector, with a demonstrable commitment to applying the common law duty of confidentiality and all relevant data protection legislation when handling health and social care information.
Desirable
Knowledge of commissioning pathways or complex care frameworks.
Behaviours & Attributes Essential
Demonstrates fairness, transparency, and independence Committed to patient-centred care and improving outcomes for people with complex needs.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Employer details Employer name Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
Address Elizabeth House
Fulbourn Hospital
Cambridge
CB21 5EF
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.cpft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)