Children’s Therapy Lead

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust; Plymouth; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare institution in the UK is seeking a Band 8a Children's Therapy Lead to oversee a team of therapists focusing on children with neurological and neurodevelopmental difficulties. The ideal candidate will lead the team in assessments, manage waiting lists, and ensure cost-effective service delivery. Candidates must hold a professional qualification in a relevant field and have extensive experience in paediatric therapy. This role offers opportunities for career development in a supportive environment.

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience of leading a therapy team.
• Extensive demonstrable experience as a paediatric therapist.
• Proven evidence of establishing multi-agency working relationships.

Responsibilities

• Lead service provision of specialist therapy assessments.
• Manage referrals and waiting lists in accordance with Trust policy.
• Ensure cost-effective expenditure in line with budget provisions.

Skills

Leading a therapy team

Paediatric therapy

Waiting list management

Clinical governance

Communication skills

Education

Professional qualification in Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy or Speech and Language Therapy

Further postgraduate training in a specialist area

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity for a Band 8a Children's Therapy Lead to join our Children's Community Therapy team. The postholder will be responsible for leading a team of Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist and Speech & Language Therapist delivering a service to Children and Young People with Neurological and Neurodevelopmental difficulties.

Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as 'Priority' and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.

Main duties of the job

To act as the therapy team lead, coordinating management of referrals, waiting lists

To manage complaints/PALs/concerns relating to the Children's Therapy Service

To manage Children's Therapy Budget in line with Trust Financial Governance processes.

To act as immediate line manager for the B7 therapists.

To work alongside other Team Leads within the service in delivering a holistic Community Paediatric Service.

To carry a caseload within the post holders' own discipline and area of clinical specialism. 30% of this post will be allocated to a clinical role which will be based at the Child Development Centre.

About us

We are a people business - where every member of staff matters and can make a difference. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Joining University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust means becoming part of a team of dedicated staff, who are committed to leading the way through innovation, clinical excellence and great customer care. The Trust has great opportunities for career development in a highly progressive working environment. We offer all of this in a vibrant, modern city with a historic reputation for adventure. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY. If you have any issues with applying online and need additional support including reasonable adjustments with the application process please contact the recruitment manager for this post who will put you in touch with the recruitment team. We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants around less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. Please contact the recruiting manager to discuss this prior to your application submission. We commit to giving this full consideration in each case. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for our roles, as diversity strengthens our teams. It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.

Job responsibilities

PRIMARY DUTIES & AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

To lead the service in the provision of specialist therapy assessment and intervention for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities across clinical and locality areas

To carry a clinical caseload and undertake clinical input in accordance with own professional background and specialist experience.

To implement criteria, policies and procedures in accordance with professional guidelines and maintain standards of practice in accordance with available resources

To coordinate management of referrals to the team and ensure the provision of a timely service, managing waiting lists in line with Trust policy

To provide the service line management team and wider departments in the Trust with a range of data and to work with them to develop therapy services, ensuring appropriate data collection across the therapy team.

To collaborate with the Service Line Team Leads/Service Line management team in delivering and developing services for children and young people (CYP).

To collaborate with system wide services for children with SEND to provide efficient and effective service provision

To act as the therapy budget holder ensuring cost‑effective expenditure in line with available budget and Trust Financial Governance policies.

Develop ways of enhancing service user involvement with regard to therapy interventions and future service delivery

To manage therapy recruitment in line with Trust policies and procedures

For further details please see attached JD and PS

Person Specification

KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE

• Previous demonstrable experience of leading a therapy team
• Extensive demonstrable experience as a paediatric therapist
• Demonstrable experience of waiting list management
• Proven knowledge of services for children with SEND needs
• Proven knowledge of paediatric conditions requiring therapy input
• Proven knowledge of clinical governance and risk
• Proven evidence of implementing previous service improvement
• Proven evidence of establishing multi‑agency working relationships
• Further qualification in a research or clinical area
• Demonstrable experience of change management processes

QUALIFICATIONS

• Professional qualification and HPCP registration in either Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy or Speech and Language Therapy
• Proven evidence of further post graduate training in a specialist area

APTITUDE & ABILITIES

• Ability to undertake audit and use research to influence departmental practice
• Able to present verbal and written information in a concise format and produce service reports as required
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage effectively in dialogue with individuals at all levels
• Able to negotiate and to influence others
• Demonstrable experience in managing Finance/Budgets
• Demonstrable experience in Business Planning
• Personal credibility with the ability to quickly gain the confidence of others
• Excellent organisational skills

DISPOSITION / ATTITUDE / MOTIVATION

• Able to work with staff at all levels to develop a shared vision of services for patients
• Ability to innovate and inspire others

OTHER FACTORS

• Ability to travel to a variety of locations essential

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.