Head Occupational Therapist
Job summary
This role involves working with the Lead Occupational Therapist and other Heads OT's in managing and developing the Occupational Therapy Service within their service area and across the Trust. They provide professional leadership to their services, work alongside MDT members and develop effective working relationships across Senior Leadership Teams to ensure effective service provision.
The post holder will also be required to maintain equity across the service area, attend the relevant service meetings, provide highly specialised clinical supervision and support, manage audits, support financial sustainability through effective management of allocated budgets, implement strategic plans and ensuring ongoing service development.
Main duties of the job
To lead on all elements of the Occupational Therapy Service, being responsible for the planning and delivery of Occupational Therapy in the designated area, including supervision, recruitment, appraisals, CPD and disciplinary procedures. To be responsible for the management of resources allocated to Occupational Therapy within the designated area.
To utilise clinical, financial and workforce data to inform strategic decision-making, resource allocation and service development in response to identified service needs. To ensure HR processes including sickness and absence are managed effectively and in accordance with the Trust policy.
To foster effective working relationships with senior leadership colleagues to ensure service developments are co-ordinated and managed in an appropriate manner, ensuring high quality clinical services that meets service users needs. To maintain, action and update strategic plans in line with trust strategies and local or national guidance.
To identity training needs, participate in and develop training for Occupational Therapists and other professionals.
About us
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
Job responsibilities
To manage all elements of the Occupational Therapy Service. To be accountable for equitable service delivery across the services. To foster effective working relationships with Team Manager colleagues. To liaise with professional colleagues in health and social care as appropriate.
To lead or take part in the various re-provision projects and service developments within the locality, contributing to the professional and multi-disciplinary design of the new working environments and new models of service delivery. To represent the Occupational Therapy Service at appropriate forums. To maintain effective supervision. To manage staff performance as required in line with Trust policy.
To support the establishment of focused treatment programmes by Occupational Therapy staff in all relevant teams within the locality according to the agreed models and specific local needs. To facilitate multi-disciplinary working across the service, liaising with Line Managers and Senior Manager colleagues.
To provide clinical intervention for a small number of clients, undertaking assessment, treatment planning and negotiation, and communicating clinical reasoning to clients and carers, as appropriate. To ensure risk management systems are in place in the service area. To apply highly developed communication skills to all situations and staff, including negotiation, persuasion and sensitivity.
To ensure good communication is maintained with all team members by the provision of verbal and written reports as appropriate. To develop departmental policies. To analyse information systems data within the service area with respect to Clinical, Financial and Staffing issues in order to meet the service need. To develop and lead on areas of good practice within the designated areas and ensure their dissemination across the Trust.
To ensure that treatment offered is based on the best available evidence. To work with other staff in identifying clinical service needs and initiating changes and projects to meet these needs. To implement service changes as agreed with Service Lead and to manage staff during the process of change. To identify training needs for the development of individuals in line with service area needs.
To facilitate the continuing professional development of all staff through effective use of appraisal, course attendance, in-service training, undertaking research, etc. To be responsible for Clinical Governance within the designated area, producing and updating standards accordingly, ensuring these are implemented. To be responsible for the management of resources allocated to Occupational Therapy within the designated area.
To hold regular meetings with relevant Management Accountant, to ensure accurate monitoring and control of expenditure.
Person Specification
Education/ Qualification/
Training · Essential
Degree/Diploma in O.T. HPC Registration Full valid driving license and access to a car for business use.
Experience · Essential
Minimum 4 years' experience as Senior Clinician in Mental Health and or Learning disability Management/Leadership experience. Recruitment process. Experience at senior clinical level of working with people with severe and enduring Mental Health problems, learning disability. Service/practice innovation. Facilitation of training events.
Knowledge and Skills · Essential
Advanced knowledge of bio-psychosocial science. Up to date knowledge of development in O.T., both clinical and strategic. Up to date knowledge of developments in Mental Health, both clinical and strategic. Models of supervision O.T. models and approaches.(Model of HumanOccupation) NSF for Mental Health.
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab) . From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab) .
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
