Head of Therapies – PMOA | South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust; City Of London; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health services provider in the UK is seeking an experienced Head of Therapies. This role involves strategic leadership for a diverse team of over 80 Allied Health Professionals. The ideal candidate will have strong clinical expertise, exceptional leadership skills, and a commitment to delivering high-quality care. Join us to contribute to cutting-edge mental health services and enjoy various professional development opportunities.

Benefits

Access to professional development

Opportunity to work with leading experts

Qualifications

• Extensive clinical and leadership experience in Occupational Therapy.
• Experience in managing teams and providing mentorship.
• Strong understanding of mental health issues and care pathways.

Responsibilities

• Direct the performance and development of occupational therapy staff.
• Provide professional leadership and oversight for clinical services.
• Develop and implement occupational therapy policies and practices.

Skills

Leadership

Clinical expertise in Occupational Therapy

Knowledge of Mental Health

Ability to support Allied Health Professionals

Education

Relevant degree in Occupational Therapy

Tools

Clinical governance frameworks

Job description

Are you an Occupational Therapist with extensive clinical and leadership experience looking to take the next step in their career? Are you passionate about supporting Allied Health Professionals to provide high quality care to service users and their families? Are you able to lead others with strength, kindness and compassion?

Overview

We are looking for maternity leave cover for the Head of Therapies post in the Psychological Medicine, Older Adults and Neurodevelopmental Services Directorate. This is a strategic and operational role responsible for directing the performance and development of the 80+ Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Speech and Language Therapists and Support Staff working across the following specialist areas: Mental Health of Older Adults and Dementia, Psychosis, Neurorehabilitation, Affective Disorders, Perinatal Mental Health, Eating Disorders, Neurodevelopmental Services – ADD, ADHD, Autism, Learning Disabilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Professionally responsible for all Occupational Therapists and associated support staff working across the Directorate
• Line Management of the Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist for Mental Health of Older Adults and Dementia Inpatient Services
• Line Management of Head of Speech and Language Therapy and oversight of Speech and Language Therapists working across the Directorate
• Line Management of Highly Specialist Physiotherapist for Mental Health of Older Adults and Dementia Inpatient Services and oversight of Physiotherapists working across the Directorate
• Occupational Therapy Apprenticeships
• Occupational Therapy Students
• Provision of professional and visible occupational therapy and AHP leadership
• Advice and support to occupational therapists and other allied health professionals working in the directorate, upholding professional standards
• Line management, rota planning, facilitating group and individual supervision
• Development of occupational therapy policy and practice that reflects the needs of service users and their support network, implementing evidence based practice, and contributing further to the knowledge base by evaluation of practice and implementation of innovation.
• Assist the Head of Nursing and Quality in supporting the quality agenda and improvement of the service user and their support networks’ experience
• Ensuring the implementation of quality improvement to develop practice and service delivery
• The provision of strategic professional advice to the Clinical Director and Service Director, attending and contributing to the Directorate Leadership Meetings and management of the service, as required
• Lead on the development of the occupational therapy and AHP recruitment and retention initiatives within the service, and contribution to Trust wide initiatives that improve the quality of the occupational therapy workforce
• Work with the management team to ensure access to relevant education and training initiatives for occupational therapy, AHPs and associated staff that support the delivery of care within the service
• Contribution to the development of the Trust wide OT/AHP strategy, and direction of local implementation, based on local service priorities, evaluating and feeding back to the Trust wide OT/AHP strategy group
• Contribution to the development of the reviewed CAG structure and being available to support the development of care pathways under the leadership of a Clinical Director
• The role will be divided between the following components: strategic and professional leadership, quality and governance, direct clinical care/service development. The number of sessions allocated to each role will be determined by the Service Director and the Trust Head of Allied Health Professions

Why SLaM

By coming to work at SLaM, you will gain experience of being part of an organisation with a rich history and international reputation in mental health care. You will have access to professional development and learning opportunities, and have the chance to work alongside people who are world leaders in their field. SLaM delivered more than 14,000 training experiences in 2014; providing an extensive range of learning opportunities for staff at all levels. In addition, our working relationship with King’s Health Partners allows those working at the Trust to get involved in academic research.

This advert closes on Monday 1 Dec 2025