Deputy Designated Clinical Officer

NHS Kent & Medway; Maidstone; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS Kent & Medway ICB seeks a Designated Clinical Officer-level professional to support statutory SEND responsibilities for children and young people aged 0–25. The post provides clinical leadership and coordinates across health, education and local authorities to ensure high-quality health input to EHCPs and multi-agency assessments.

You will lead workstreams, advise on complex cases, support quality assurance and contribute to commissioning decisions, with a focus on service improvement and

Qualifications

• Clinical leadership and coordination across health, education and local authorities.
• Analytical skills to inform SEND service improvement and policy.
• Strong communication with diverse partners and families.
• Experience in multi-agency governance and audits.

Responsibilities

• Support delivery of statutory SEND responsibilities for 0–25s.
• Provide clinical expertise and guidance on complex SEND cases and EHCPs.
• Lead SEND workstreams, projects and multi-agency assessments.
• Ensure high-quality health input to EHCPs and service improvement.
• Represent the ICB at SEND tribunals and multi-agency meetings.
• Develop policies and training to improve SEND practice across organisations.
• Support risk management, records and statutory documentation.

Skills

Clinical leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Analytical skills

Project coordination

Communication skills

Education

Healthcare/Clinical qualification

Job description

This role supports the Designated Clinical Officer and ICB SEND Team to ensure NHS Kent & Medway ICB meets its statutory responsibilities for children and young people aged 0–25 with special educational needs and disabilities.

The post holder provides clinical expertise, leadership and coordination across health, education and local authority partners, with a focus on high-quality health input to Education, Health and Care Plans, multi-agency assessments and SEND service improvement. Key duties include overseeing workstreams and projects, advising on complex cases, supporting quality assurance, audits and tribunals, developing policy and training, managing risks and records, and contributing to effective commissioning and use of resources.

The role requires strong analytical, organisational and communication skills, sound clinical judgement and the ability to influence change across a complex partnership system.

• Support delivery of statutory SEND responsibilities for children and young people aged 0–25.
• Provide clinical expertise and guidance on complex SEND cases and EHCP requirements.
• Lead and coordinate SEND workstreams, projects and multi-agency assessments.
• Ensure health advice within Education, Health and Care Plans is accurate, timely and high quality.
• Work collaboratively with health services, local authorities, education settings, families and voluntary organisations.
• Support quality assurance, audits, service evaluation and continuous improvement.
• Develop policies, procedures and training to improve SEND practice across organisations.
• Represent the ICB at SEND tribunals and other complex multi-agency meetings.
• Manage risks, performance information, case records and statutory documentation.
• Contribute to service planning, commissioning decisions and effective use of resources.
• Provide oversight and support the team members and deputise for the Designated Clinical Officer when required.

We are committed to a culture that supports all staff at NHS Kent and Medway to be the best version of themselves.

Our ability to improve outcomes for our population depends on how effectively clinical, operational, financial and strategic professionals work together to make informed commissioning decisions. That’s why our workforce works a minimum of two days-a-week on-site, with the expectation that all one-to-ones are held face-to-face and that colleagues will regularly visit the services we are commissioning to understand more about them.

We believe regular on-site working supports stronger collaboration, faster problem-solving, peer learning, visible leadership and the integration of colleagues into our organisation. We also know that culture is built through shared experiences and day-to-day interactions.

We are a flexible working friendly organisation; we aim to support you to work flexibly in a way that will suit you and us.

We work with staff to agree objectives through regular supervision, annual appraisal and access to training opportunities.

We are committed to equal opportunities and diversity. In order to reflect the diversity of our population, we positively encourage applications from all areas of the community regardless of gender, race, faith, disability, age or sexual orientation.

For further details / informal visits contact: Name: Zoe Delderfield Job title: Designated Clinical Officer Email address: [e-mail]