Victoria Hancock
Wolstanton
Summary
A highly motivated and dynamic professional with hands-on and strategic experience in substance misuse, mental health, learning disabilities, autism, and forensic services. A talent for navigating challenges through bringing strong problem-solving skills and proactive approach to new tasks. Known for adaptability, creativity, and results-oriented mindset, whilst keeping patients at the centre. Committed to making meaningful contributions and advancing organisational goals. Experience across both statutory and voluntary sector services.
Adept at multi-tasking, with an ability to handle high volumes of work with speed and accuracy. An accomplished academic at Birmingham University, and a Fellow of The Colt Foundation for Occupational Health Research. Highly skilled at gathering evidence, writing and publishing research, specialising in Secondary Traumatic Stress and it's impact upon healthcare professionals. An experienced and reliable leader who builds sustainable and collaborative relationships across a wide network.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
Work History
Head of Specialised Mental Health, LD & Autism
NHS England
10.2024 - Current
- Direct management of the mental health, learning disability and autism children and young people’s team, including case managers and administrative function
- Responsible for the delivery of commissioning and contractual arrangements with West Midlands stakeholders, including ICSs and Lead Provider Collaboratives
- Creating, supporting and enabling alignment of commissioning and contracting strategy across the organisation and service portfolio
- Developing and communicating the vision and work with others or enable the operational detail
- Engaging with key strategic regional and national policy makers to inform development of strategies and policies Working with local commissioners, providers and clinical experts in an effective manner to deliver strategies and processes to meet developing needs
- Providing subject matter expertise towards the development of best practice methodologies, policies and strategies
- Managing the team’s business support function, including developing and managing the team’s annual business plan, progress and dashboard reporting and risk and issue management.
- Manage all necessary business returns, including planning and workforce returns.
- Develop and implement systems to ensure information is properly managed and best practice is shared across the team, and the wider NHS organisations as appropriate.
- Leading the coordination of training and development and recruitment activity across the function.
- Oversight and management of all aspects of delegated budgets totaling approximately £400 million per annum
Senior Health & Justice Commissioning Manager
NHS England
11.2016 - Current
- Commissioning of custodial and non-custodial healthcare services to men, women, and young people across the West Midlands
- Contract and performance management of NHS, Independent Sector, and VCS Providers ensuring that services delivered are consistently of high quality
- Strategic development of healthcare services for men, women and young people in custody
- Partnership working across a complex landscape with range of senior stakeholders, including prison governors/directors, police, courts, health and social care directors
- Matrix-working with medical directors and nursing directors to support patient safety
- Management and development of a team of commissioning support managers
- Development and implementation of NHS England H&J Commissioning priorities, action plans and business cases.
- Project management and oversight of change and innovation programmes
- Reporting to NHS England governance boards
- Key achievements: planning and management of a budget of £83 million pounds per annum. Consistent delivery of equitable care to those in custody, and successful roll out of liaison and diversion services. Responsible for strategic development and mobilisation of an award winning (HSJ) specialist dementia and palliative care service for patients at HMP Stafford – the only service nationally to exist.
Targeted & Specialist Services Commissioning Lead
Staffordshire County Council
04.2012 - 11.2016
- Review, specify and redesign a number of specialist and targeted services across Staffordshire
- Design service specifications for competitive tenders
- Design performance templates and lead performance meetings with Providers
- Produce outcome reports for accountable strategic boards and elected members
- Review and investigate identified problems with services/service pathways
- Market development
- Plan and manage a budget of approximately £15 million per annum
- Engage with stakeholders and ensure views of service users are represented in commissioning decisions
- Lead on system change and transformation programmes across the children’s mental health pathway
- Key achievements: writing and publication of the 2015 Children and Young Peoples Emotional Wellbeing Strategy for Staffordshire. Establishment and roll out of a framework of Providers to offer emotional wellbeing support to children and young people who historically did not meet the CAMHS threshold for intervention.
Services Manager – Young Persons Substance Misuse Service & Arrest Referral (Staffordshire)
Crime Reduction Initiatives (now Change Grow Live)
10.2009 - 04.2012
- Management of services and supervision of a multi-disciplinary team including clinicians
- Write tender bids and present at competitive tender panels
- Responsible officer for health and safety and safeguarding
- Lead on risk identification and management with young people, families and working practice
- Review and investigate service delivery/performance problems and implement solutions
- Implement and proactively manage a range of partnership agreements and to write Service Level Agreements
- Carry a small caseload of children and young people with complex substance misuse needs
- Plan and manage a budget of £1.5 million
- Key Achievements: County-wide roll out of CYP Arrest Referral Services, and Hidden Harm project.
Team Leader – Young Persons Substance Misuse Service (Staffordshire)
Crime Reduction Initiatives (now Change Grow Live)
12.2006 - 10.2009
- Direct therapeutic work with young people and their families affected by drug and alcohol use
- Representation at local operational and strategic meetings
- Establishing good relationships with partner agencies
- Identification and management of safeguarding concerns
- Accurate and timely record keeping
- Casework supervision of staff
Probation Project Worker
Alcohol and Drug Services in Staffordshire
04.2006 - 12.2006
- Direct therapeutic work (one to one/group) with adults who have committed alcohol related offences
- Representation and presentation of psychological reports in a court setting
- Development of electronic systems to record information
- Development of successful partnerships with probation teams across Staffordshire
Trainee Forensic Psychologist
Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMP Stafford)
07.2004 - 04.2006
- Assessment and treatment of adult male offenders detained with drug related offending behaviour
- Delivery of group work treatment programmes (PASRO, Enhanced Thinking Skills, and Sex Offender Treatment)
- Duty responder to incidents of self-harm and bullying
Education
BSC (Hons) - Psychology
University of Nottingham
MSc - Forensic Psychology
NVQ Level 4 - Health and Social Care Management
Post Graduate Diploma - Commissioning and Contracting Health and Social Care Services
Skills
- Autonomous and team working
- Working to deadlines
- Ability to prioritise
- Confident Leadership
- Adapting communication style
- Writing comprehensive reports
- Working with large, complex budgets
- Adaptability and resilience
- Managing Conflict and Difficult Conversations
- Coaching and Motivational Interviewing
- Friendly, positive attitude
- Attention to detail
- Calm under pressure
- Active listening
References
Available upon request.
Timeline
Head of Specialised Mental Health, LD & Autism
NHS England
10.2024 - Current
Senior Health & Justice Commissioning Manager
NHS England
11.2016 - Current
Targeted & Specialist Services Commissioning Lead
Staffordshire County Council
04.2012 - 11.2016
Services Manager – Young Persons Substance Misuse Service & Arrest Referral (Staffordshire)
Crime Reduction Initiatives (now Change Grow Live)
10.2009 - 04.2012
Team Leader – Young Persons Substance Misuse Service (Staffordshire)
Crime Reduction Initiatives (now Change Grow Live)
12.2006 - 10.2009
Probation Project Worker
Alcohol and Drug Services in Staffordshire
04.2006 - 12.2006
Trainee Forensic Psychologist
Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMP Stafford)
07.2004 - 04.2006
NVQ Level 4 - Health and Social Care Management
BSC (Hons) - Psychology
University of Nottingham
MSc - Forensic Psychology
Post Graduate Diploma - Commissioning and Contracting Health and Social Care Services
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