Darren Bowd

Operational Leadership and Management

• Service Management: Direct specialist adult clinical mental health services in ambulatory acute, non-acute, and acute inpatient settings for individuals severely affected by mental illness.
• Personnel and Budget Oversight: Manage approximately 100FTE clinical and administrative personnel and a budget of $10 million.

Governance and Strategic Partnerships

• Governance Focus: Emphasise clinical and operational governance, align with Excellence Framework, Quality Framework, and Service Models of Care to drive performance.
• Partnership Development: Foster strategic partnerships with related health and emergency services.

Team Leadership and Performance Management

• Team Development: Hire, train, and supervise senior service staff to meet business goals; maintain team productivity and service quality with clear benchmarks.
• Performance Monitoring: Regular analysis of service reports for improvement areas, adhering to SLAs.
• Feedback and Evaluation: Evaluate employee performance, provide constructive feedback and establish team priorities.

Customer Relations and Complaint Resolution

• Consumer Relations: Address consumer complaints professionally and promptly, develop and maintain positive relationships to build rapport and trust.

Personal Competencies and Professional Development

• Collaborative Skills: Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team, with a focus on supporting and guiding team members.
• Adaptability and Learning: Proven quick learning ability, adaptability to new situations, and commitment to continual improvement.
• Communication and Problem-Solving: Exhibit excellent verbal and written communication skills, use critical thinking for problem-solving, and develop effective working relationships.

Time Management and Work Ethic

• Efficiency and Organisation: Manage time efficiently to meet deadlines, organised, detail-oriented, maintain a strong work ethic.

• Strategic Leadership: Assumed a senior executive mental health management role within the LHD, leading vital initiatives and chairing the Calvary Mater Hospital ED and PECC Leadership Forum.
• Emergency Response Coordination: Played a pivotal role in coordinating clinical teams for the Southern NSW bushfire emergency response.
• Operational Management: Addressed critical industrial and safety issues at PECC, formulated policies to streamline operations, and provided guidance on management principles and service standards.
• Team Development and Training: Mentored and trained team members to enhance productivity and performance, ensuring operational excellence.
• Risk Mitigation and Problem Solving: Actively engaged in risk mitigation by assessing staff performance and resolving operational issues.
• Customer and Partner Relations: Focused on building customer connections, nurturing relationships, and handling challenging partnerships to uphold exceptional service standards.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Collaborated with diverse teams to develop innovative solutions, enhancing service delivery and organisational procedures

• Leadership and Management: Provided frontline clinical and operational leadership to the Acute Care and Liaison Psychiatry Teams. Acted as the primary liaison between senior management and frontline staff, leading and exemplifying professional clinical service delivery.
• Expertise and Mentoring: Offered expertise, advice, and mentoring to team members, focusing on performance management, conflict resolution, and resource management.
• Strategic Contribution: Played a key role in organisational change and operational planning, implementing strategies to achieve service goals.
• Role Establishment and Partnerships: Initiated the establishment of this new position, developing key partnerships, including with the TMH Emergency Department.
• Model of Care Transition: Successfully negotiated and transitioned both teams to new models of care, engaging the Acute Care Team through a complex industrial process.
• Operational Improvements: Enhanced triage response times and provided a broader, more flexible range of responses to emergency department mental health presentations, improving patient experience.
• Conflict Resolution and Team Relations: Effectively redirected conflicts into a workplace harmony framework, significantly improving relationships between service management and clinical teams.

Nurse Manager (NM3), Mental Health Intensive Care Unit, NSCCAHS (Nov 2009 – Dec 2011)

• Led a 12-bed intensive care unit with 40 clinical and administrative staff during its early operational development phase.
• Oversaw recruitment, payroll, rostering, leave management, facility management, OHS, and incident management.
• Implemented improvements in nursing handover, ward round, and clinical governance, enhancing staff accountability and patient care.
• Actively engaged in conflict resolution and facility management, liaising with executive management and external contractors.

After Hours Nurse Manager (NM2), Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Mental Health Services, NSCCAHS (Jul 2008 – Nov 2009)

• Held overall operational responsibility after-hours for inpatient and ambulatory mental health units.
• Managed clinical management, staffing, bed management, and patient flow, along with incident and complaint management.
• Developed new operational resources and manuals, establishing effective working relationships with various stakeholders.

Acting Nurse Manager Level 3, HBTT & GP Shared Care Teams, CCMHS, NSCCAHS (Jul 2007 – Nov 2007)

• Managed over 30 clinical staff across three ambulatory mental health services, focusing on HR, OH&S, cost centre management, and incident management.
• Reorganised the GP Shared Care Team for more effective clinical reviews and workload management.
• Served as Team Leader for Gosford HBTT, providing clinical leadership and managing operational aspects like rostering, service quality, and team representation.

Acting Manager Community Development & Partnerships, CCMHS, NSCCAHS (Mar 2007 – July 2007)

• Managed portfolios including Consumer Consultants, Aboriginal Mental Health Workers, and Family Sensitive Practice.
• Oversaw Housing and Supported Accommodation Initiatives and operational partnerships, enhancing service agreements and interagency collaboration.

Clinical Nursing Roles in Mental Health Services

Registered Nurse, Hunter Valley Mental Health Service HNELHD (June 2012 – October 2014)

• Provided ambulatory clinical care and service coordination for individuals recovering from severe mental illness.
• Developed and delivered a group-based smoking cessation program with successful outcomes.
• Co-presented at Psychiatry Grand Rounds on caring for a dying client with a recovery focus.
• Actively involved in quality initiatives via the Clinical Quality and Patient Care Committee.

Registered Nurse, Various Mental Health Services, HNELHD, NSCCAHS, CSAHS ans SA Mental Health Services (1994 – 2014)

• Delivered acute and community-based care in settings including Intensive Community Care, Integrated Psychiatric Emergency Services, and Home Based Treatment Teams.
• Focused on assessment, crisis intervention, care plan development, and safety management in mental health emergencies.
• Supported the Aboriginal Mental Health Unit at CSAHS, providing care and education to improve services for Aboriginal clients.
• Practiced in diverse environments, from Ryde Acute Mental Health Service's on-call community service to the clubhouse model at Wicks Cottage Ryde Community Mental Health Rehabilitation Service.
• Gained expertise in a wide spectrum of interventions, from triage and acute care to longer-term case management and rehabilitation.

• Complaints Management and Advocacy. Actively managed patient complaints and advocated for their concerns, reporting directly to the Executive team.
• Quality Improvement Initiatives. Contributed to quality and safety enhancements by addressing patient and family issues effectively.
• Communication and Liaison. Drafted ministerials and briefings, and liaised with the Health Care Complaints Commission, ensuring effective communication channels.
• Stakeholder Relations. Developed and maintained strong relationships with managers across various service divisions, crucial for resolving complaints and improving service quality.

Senior Project Officer Roles in Mental Health Services, Department of Human Services (DHS), SA (1997 – 2004)

Senior Project Officer, Mental Health Unit (Jan 2001 – April 2004)

• Led policy and service planning for children and young people, primary care, suicide prevention, and specialist mental health services.
• Conducted extensive research and stakeholder consultation, ranging from individual level to Ministers and the Premier.
• Drafted briefings, ministerials, speeches, and managed complaints.
• Developed specific policy and service frameworks, contributing strategically to broader health and human services initiatives.
• Explored and applied concepts such as customer service, marketing, business process redesign, lean thinking, balanced scorecard, and triple bottom line reporting to advance mental health care.

Senior Project Officer Aboriginal Services Division (Sep 1997 – Jan 2001)

• Focused on mental health, drug and alcohol, domestic violence, and community and service development for Aboriginal people in South Australia.
• Authored successful funding submissions, enabling programs and the employment of two Ngankaris (traditional healers) for mental health work in central Australia.
• Played a pivotal role in the "Forging Links" project, enhancing access to mainstream mental health services for Aboriginal peoples.
• Published an extensive report summary, marking a significant contribution to the project.