Occupational Therapy Lead

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board; Whitstable; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting a Clinical Lead for School Years Occupational Therapy in East Kent. You will coordinate a neurodiversity specialism, lead on service policy and clinical care pathways, and supervise team staff while collaborating with local partners to deliver integrated care.

The role focuses on achieving best outcomes for children 0-19, with regular supervision and professional development supported within a flexible, patient-centered nursing environment.

Qualifications

• HCPC registration is essential.
• Health-related degree with relevant postgraduate development.
• Postgraduate qualifications in Neurodiversity preferred.
• Experience in leading and managing teams.
• Evidence of policy and service development work.

Responsibilities

• Manage a complex/specialist caseload within the School Years OT team.
• Lead on neurodiversity across Kent and develop clinical care pathways.
• Provide line management and supervision to team staff; ensure supervision and CPD access.

Skills

HCPC registration

Postgraduate development

Leadership experience

Policy development

Change management

Team supervision

IT literacy

Education

Health-related degree

Postgraduate specialist qualifications (Neurodiversity)

Tools

Microsoft Office

E-Pay / E-roster / AT-P / CIS

Job description

The Children's Therapies Team is an integrated therapies team providing Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Speechand Language Therapy, Specialist Nurse Advisors and Care Co-ordinators to children 0 - 19 years within KCHFT. This vacancy is within the East Kent Team based covering the Canterbury and Thanet areas. The successful applicant will join other Clinical Leads and Team Leads in East Kent and will join the network of Clinical Leads working in the Children'sTherapies Service across Kent. We work closely with colleagues from other health, education and social care teams to provide an integrated team around the child approach.The post will cover is primarily a School Years caseload for 30 hours a week., To co-ordinate and lead the neurodiversity specialism across Kent To lead on service policy and clinical care pathways across the service in this specialist clinical area To report to and advise on development requirements in this specialist area to Professional Leads, Team Leads, Locality Clinical Manager and/or Head of Service To be responsible for delegated line management and supervision of staff within the team To ensure staff have regular access to effective supervision, training and support to enhance their CPD in this area To advise on development requirements in this specialist area to Professional Leads, Team Leads, Locality Clinical Manager and/or Head of Service On a day to day basis you will manage a complex /specialist clinical caseload within the School Years Occupational Therapy team in order to support children with a range of needs to participate in occupations of childhood, We know life outside work matters.As a flexible working-friendly organisation, we welcome conversations about arrangements that help you thrive while supporting excellent care for our patients., As a community Trust, many of our roles require individuals to be able to drive to perform their duties. Where driving is a requirement of the role, you will be asked to confirm that you hold a full UK driving licence or a full driving licence issued by an EU country (not exchanged from a non-EU country) to proceed with your application. We are committed to supporting candidates with disabilities into employment. If you are unable to drive due to a disability, please contact the Recruitment Team [e-mail], quoting the vacancy reference number, so we can support you further.

• Registered health care professional (HCPC registration);
• Health related degree and evidence of relevant post graduate development at Level 6;
• Evidence of Post Graduate Specialist qualifications relevant to specialist area of practice (Neurodiversity);
• Management or supervisory qualification / programme of study, Demonstratable experience in area of practice;
• Experience of leading and managing teams;
• Experience of developing policy and service development plans with practical experience of change management;
• Supporting others (mentor / educator / supervisor ) experience
• Practical experience in managing health related projects/complex caseloads, Experience with the use of Microsoft Office and a variety of IT packages (E-Pay / E-roster/ AT-P/ CIS), Understanding of National Service Frameworks and NICE guidance to relevant to care setting and its application across health care services;
• Evidence of continued relevant professional development and implementation in practice within the last 12 months;
• Proven ability to develop effective partnerships to achieve practical outcomes across organisational boundaries including statutory organisations, external agencies, community and voluntary organisations, Ability to manage time effectively, priorities and work under pressure to meet deadlines;
• Ability to work effectively with a variety of people at all organisational levels across different sectors including areas of social deprivation;
• Ability to communicate complex, sensitive information to individuals and groups;
• Strong influencing and negotiating skills;
• Highly developed facilitation skills, Ability to motivate and organise others to ensure best practice;
• Ability to manage and lead change
• Ability to manage,
• Able to support the implementation of local and national agenda's for health under the guidance of the senior Practitioner;
• Ability to prioritise care delivery in a professional manner, taking into account Trust policies and procedures;
• Ability to manage own time effectively.

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust is due to integrate with Medway Community Healthcare on 1 October 2026. Following integration and to align our community services to the new Neighbourhood Model of care delivery, there will be a period of consultation which may result in changes affecting some services, teams or roles. Depending on the area you are applying to work in, this could include potential changes to your role, work base, reporting arrangements, or terms and conditions of employment. Any changes would be subject to consultation and managed sensitively and in line with relevant employment processes. Please do contact the recruiting manager if you have any concerns about this so they can answer any questions you might have.

Rated 'Outstanding' by CQC, we deliver high-quality care that improves the health of our communities. We are looking for people who share our values:Compassionate, Aspirational, Responsive and Excellent.