Deputy Head of Allied Health Professions

NHS; Gillingham; On-site; GBP 53,000 - 61,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider is seeking a Deputy Head of AHP to deliver effective clinical leadership across the North Kent Directorate. This part-time role involves supervising Occupational Therapy staff, contributing to strategic planning, and fostering a culture of continued professional development for AHPs within the team.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in clinical practice and supervision.
• Able to work flexibly and as part of a team.
• Current UK professional registration required.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical/professional supervision to AHP staff.
• Lead and facilitate CPD opportunities for OT staff.
• Support the directorate head in effective professional management.

Skills

Decision making

Professional leadership

Organizational skills

Education

Recognized Occupational Therapy professional qualification

Registration with the Health Care Professions Council

Evidence of significant personal development through formal postgraduate courses or experience (e.g., MSc)

Job description

Job summary

We have a rare opportunity to advertise the Role of a Deputy Head of AHP in the North Kent Directorate. As a Deputy Head of AHP you will support teams across the directorate including MHT/+, MAS, EIP/ARMS, LPS, HTT/RR, Rehab - inpatient and community.

You will provide clinical/professional supervision to a range of Occupational Therapy staff; you will develop relationships with locality service managers, operational team managers and lead clinicians; you will provide clinical leadership across the North Kent Directorate. You will be a key member of both the North Kent Senior Leadership Team and the Trust Wide AHP Leadership Team and as such will receive support from both teams to fulfil your role. You will work closely with the Head of AHP for North Kent to provide senior clinical leadership to the directorate.

The role is up to 0.60/22.5 hrs per week with some flexibility around working hours and base within North Kent.

At KMPT, we are serious about diversity and inclusion, and we are working hard to build this into our DNA. We warmly welcome applications for any of our roles from people from diverse backgrounds, and we are proactively encouraging applications from under-represented communities for our more senior roles, like this one.

Main duties of the job

• Provision of clinical/professional supervision to OT staff
• Providing clinical leadership and support to teams across all North Kent Directorate Services
• Attendance of and contributing to a range of North Kent, Trust Wide and AHP Leadership Meetings
• Leading/facilitating CPD opportunities for OT staff including forums, Action Learning Sets and training.

About us

Come and work with us in the Garden of England where we combine exceptional professional development opportunities with a tremendous quality of life.

We are Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT), providing mental health, learning disability and specialist services, serving 1.8 million people in Kent and Medway, as well as specialist services for adults in Sussex and Surrey. We are rated Good overall by the CQC.

Each year we care for over 2,000 people in our hospitals and 54,000 people in the community.

We are proud to employ over 3,800 people from 66 nationalities, and to serve an increasingly diverse range of communities across rural and urban areas.

You will be joining friendly, passionate colleagues, rich in their diversity, who are committed to providing excellent care to our service users and their loved ones.

The nature of our work attracts kindness and compassion as standard and everyone from our cleaners and porters to the chief executive and chairman are recognised as playing a vital role in providing an exemplary service.

Our strategy

Our mission is what we set out to do every day We deliver brilliant care through brilliant people

Our vision is where we want to be in the future To provide outstanding care and to work in partnership to deliver this in the right place, for every service user, every time.

Check out our recruitment videos Recruitment - YouTube

Details Date posted

02 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£53,755 to £60,504 a year per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

380-NK214

Job locations

Britton House, Gillingham

High Street

Gillingham

ME71AL

Job description Job responsibilities

• To support the directorate head of AHPs in delivery of effective and efficient professional management and clinical leadership of all AHP Staff within the Directorate.
• Promoting and demonstrating best, evidence-based practice through supervision and appraisal.
• Influence and develop local professional policies, best practice standards and clinical guidelines within the Directorate and specialist practice settings.
• Identify and influence practice/service development/improvement through clinical leadership and clinical effectiveness networks across integrated care systems.
• Promote and facilitate service user and carer involvement in the planning and delivery of practice and service development/improvement.
• Provide clinical/professional leadership and influence for strategic planning and service delivery across professional and organisational boundaries in conjunction with Directorate head of AHPs.
• Develop and facilitate a quality improvement, audit and research culture, which supports others to engage in evaluation activities and service improvement.
• Promote and develop a culture of learning and continued professional development of AHP staff and students within the Directorate and across service boundaries using a collaborative approach.
• Provide training and education in own specialist area of practice to meet the needs of the organisation and allied health professions.

Please see job description for full details.

Job description Job responsibilities

• To support the directorate head of AHPs in delivery of effective and efficient professional management and clinical leadership of all AHP Staff within the Directorate.
• Promoting and demonstrating best, evidence-based practice through supervision and appraisal.
• Influence and develop local professional policies, best practice standards and clinical guidelines within the Directorate and specialist practice settings.
• Identify and influence practice/service development/improvement through clinical leadership and clinical effectiveness networks across integrated care systems.
• Promote and facilitate service user and carer involvement in the planning and delivery of practice and service development/improvement.
• Provide clinical/professional leadership and influence for strategic planning and service delivery across professional and organisational boundaries in conjunction with Directorate head of AHPs.
• Develop and facilitate a quality improvement, audit and research culture, which supports others to engage in evaluation activities and service improvement.
• Promote and develop a culture of learning and continued professional development of AHP staff and students within the Directorate and across service boundaries using a collaborative approach.
• Provide training and education in own specialist area of practice to meet the needs of the organisation and allied health professions.

Please see job description for full details.

Person Specification knowledge and skills Essential

• Ability to maintain a high level of professionalism at all times, especially in complex/challenging situations.
• Able to make decisions autonomously and co-operatively as part of an inter-professional team

Desirable

• Ability to deal with large volumes of information and to draw out key issues/themes for the AHP workforce
• Ability to prioritise own work effectively and to be able to guide others

Personal Attributes Essential

• Good organisational skills
• Able to work flexibly and cooperatively as part of a team

Desirable

• Hold a current full driving licence and owns a vehicle suitable for work

Training qualifications and registration Essential

• A recognised Occupational Therapy professional qualification
• Registration with the Health Care Professions Council
• Evidence of significant personal development through formal postgraduate courses or experience eg MSc or equivalent
• Approved Practice Educator

Desirable

• Registered member of RCOT and/or special interest group
• Formal management qualification

Experience Essential

• Extensive experience in clinical practice, holding a range of experience within a variety of settings
• Experience of delivering and coordinating clinical/professional supervision

Desirable

• Experience of recruitment and selection of staff
• Previous experience within a clinical leadership/professional management role

Person Specification knowledge and skills Essential

• Ability to maintain a high level of professionalism at all times, especially in complex/challenging situations.
• Able to make decisions autonomously and co-operatively as part of an inter-professional team

Desirable

• Ability to deal with large volumes of information and to draw out key issues/themes for the AHP workforce
• Ability to prioritise own work effectively and to be able to guide others

Personal Attributes Essential

• Good organisational skills
• Able to work flexibly and cooperatively as part of a team

Desirable

• Hold a current full driving licence and owns a vehicle suitable for work

Training qualifications and registration Essential

• A recognised Occupational Therapy professional qualification
• Registration with the Health Care Professions Council
• Evidence of significant personal development through formal postgraduate courses or experience eg MSc or equivalent
• Approved Practice Educator

Desirable

• Registered member of RCOT and/or special interest group
• Formal management qualification

Experience Essential

• Extensive experience in clinical practice, holding a range of experience within a variety of settings
• Experience of delivering and coordinating clinical/professional supervision

Desirable

• Experience of recruitment and selection of staff
• Previous experience within a clinical leadership/professional management role

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information 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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details Employer name

Kent & Medway NHS & Social Care Partnership Trust

Address

Britton House, Gillingham

High Street

Gillingham

ME71AL

Employer's website

https://www.kmpt.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details Employer name

Kent & Medway NHS & Social Care Partnership Trust

Address

Britton House, Gillingham

High Street

Gillingham

ME71AL

Employer's website

https://www.kmpt.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)