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Job summary

Main area
Occupational Therapy
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 8b
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
455-NLFT-0687-A
Employer
North London NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
St Ann's Hospital
Town
Haringey, London
Salary
£70,396 - £80,837 per annum inclusive of HCAS
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
08/04/2026 23:59

Employer heading

North London NHS Foundation Trust logo

Head of Allied Health Professions: Older Adult, Rehab & LD Care Group

NHS AfC: Band 8b

Thank you for your interest in the North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT). This is an exciting time to join us and be part of our journey to improve mental health care across North London and deliver excellent services to our local people. We will achieve this through the North London Way, as we: 

  • Collaborate at every level by living our values to create the right conditions for us all to work together.
  • Develop our new Trust culture, to help make our new Trust a great place to work and to receive great care.
  • Empower our teams to lead the planned improvements in our services, by skilling them and giving them the tools to make the changes.
  • Focus on delivering excellence at every level to improve our performance and ensure consistently high-quality care across all our services.
  • Ensure that research, quality improvement, and technology lead the way and are embedded in our services.
  • Take a trauma informed approach to everything we do

We proactively welcome diversity in our workforce and pride ourselves on being an inclusive employer.  We aim to recruit from our local communities and provide opportunities to all including apprenticeships, veterans, care leavers and more.

The North London Way to deliver: Better Mental Health, Better Lives, Better Communities.

Our trust website is:  https://www.northlondonmentalhealth.nhs.uk/ 

As a values‑driven Trust, we recruit through our values. Our selection processes focus on behaviours, attitudes, and examples that reflect our organisational values and commitment to compassionate, high‑quality care.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a set of technology that can perform various tasks that typically required human intelligence. Your application is your opportunity to demonstrate to us how you meet the requirements of the role.

We recognise that AI tools can support accessibility, equity and confidence for applicants. However, it’s important that examples and responses genuinely reflect your own experience and abilities, as these will be explored further during the selection process. AI must not be used to provide misleading or false information during any stage of the application journey.

Further guidance can be found in the NLPSS Applicant Toolkit  https://royalfree.pagetiger.com/cuuomnr/1.

North London NHS Foundation Trust is committed to fair and transparent recruitment and requires applicants to provide accurate information, as misleading details may affect their application or employment and may be verified in line with the Fraud Act 2006. For further information please visit https://royalfree.pagetiger.com/cuuomnr/1.

 

Job overview

We are looking for an experienced and enthusiastic Occupational Therapist to join our Senior Management Leadership team for the newly formed Older Adults , Rehabilitation and Learning Disabilities Care group in NLFT.  Working with the managing Director and our Associate Directors of nursing and psychology you will be responsible for both strategic leadership and operational management of our Allied health Professionals in these clinical areas, contributing to the modernisation and transformation of services.

You will be part of our dynamic and supportive AHP and Head Occupational Therapy leadership group, who strive to provide the best, evidence clinical care to our diverse population across  five boroughs. Evidence of significant post registration development,  professional and strategic leadership and management experience is essential.

This senior leadership role provides strategic, professional and clinical leadership for Occupational Therapy and wider Allied Health Professional (AHP) services across the Care Group.

The postholder is responsible for ensuring high‑quality, evidence‑based and outcome‑focused care through strong clinical governance, performance management and continuous service improvement.

 Working collaboratively with senior leaders and multidisciplinary teams, the role drives innovation, workforce development and sustainable service models, while promoting equality, diversity and inclusion.

 

Main duties of the job

The postholder provides professional strategic leadership for AHPs, provides professional accountability for staff and resources, ensures service users and Experts by Experience are actively involved in the design, delivery and evaluation of services.

 

To provide strategic, professional, and clinical leadership across the Care Group to Occupational Therapists and other AHP professions including Art Therapists, Music Therapists, Drama Therapists, Dieticians, Physiotherapists, Speech and Language Therapists.

 

To work as an integral member of the senior leadership team, contributing to quality, safety, and governance across the care group. Having a key role in the development of the governance agenda by ensuring AHP contribution to the provision of quality clinical care and performance standards.

To undertake recruitment, operational management of occupational therapy and other AHP staff across the Care Group; hold and manage a budget

 

      To assume responsibility for ensuring that all Therapies staff working in the Care Group provide effective assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of care that meets professional and organisational quality standards.

      

       To set and monitor standards and policies ensuring a high standard of care is delivered in accordance with agreed protocols and evidence-based practice.

Working for our organisation

North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.

Our Five-Year Strategy:  

  1.  We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.
  2. With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all
  3. We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.
  4.  We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology. 

Why NLFT?

  • We develop and retain our staff through leadership behaviours and managers programme and many more opportunities.
  • We promote flexible working and support staff with a range of health and wellbeing initiatives.
  • NHS Discounts, generous annual leave and NHS pension scheme
  • Excellent internal staff network

The post holder will be aligned with our values:

  • We Are Kind
  • We Are Respectful
  • We Work Together
  • We Keep Things Simple
  • We Empower
  • We Are Proudly Diverse

In order to meet the needs of the Trust you may be required from time to time to work at different locations to your normal place of work. This may mean that you are required to work at any location that fall under Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey or Islington. The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

·       Provide senior clinical, professional and strategic leadership for Occupational Therapy and Allied Health Professional (AHP) services across the Care Group, ensuring high‑quality, evidence‑based and outcome‑focused care.

·       Lead the development, delivery and continuous improvement of innovative AHP services, embedding NICE guidance, national policy, quality improvement and clinical governance standards.

·       Ensure robust clinical oversight and governance, contributing to PSIRF processes, MDT working, reviews and Trust quality and safety forums, and providing expert AHP clinical advice.

·       Set, monitor and assure performance against agreed standards and KPIs, developing improvement and contingency plans in collaboration with the senior leadership team.

·       Promote equality, diversity and inclusion, ensuring services and employment practices are equitable, culturally responsive and meet the needs of people with protected characteristics.

·       Act as a professional role model and ambassador for AHPs, communicating complex and sensitive information effectively and representing AHPs at Trust, regional and external forums.

·       Hold overall accountability for the professional leadership, management and development of AHP staff, including recruitment, induction, supervision, appraisal, CPD, professional registration and mandatory training.

·       Lead workforce planning for AHP services, ensuring sustainable staffing models, appropriate skill mix, career pathways, succession planning and effective use of e‑job planning.

·       Support education and training through supporting student placements and development of staff capability, ensuring compliance with professional and Trust requirements.

·       Contribute to strategic service development, articulating the value and impact of AHPs, designing new models of care and supporting integrated pathways across the Trust and with external partners.

·       Ensure service users and Experts by Experience are actively involved in service design, delivery, evaluation and improvement, embedding feedback into practice.

·       Provide professional accountability for the planning and delivery of AHP services, responding effectively to operational pressures, workforce challenges and competing priorities.

·       Manage delegated AHP budgets and resources, supporting cost improvement programmes, productivity initiatives and effective use of equipment and physical resources while maintaining quality and safety.

·       Lead and contribute to research, audit, evaluation and quality improvement activity, identifying priorities for AHP research and disseminating learning across services.

Person specification

Qualifications/Registration

Essential criteria
  • Diploma/degree in Occupational Therapy
  • HCPC registration
  • Evidence of continued professional development to master’s level or equivalent (or working towards this)
Desirable criteria
  • Member of professional body
  • Quality improvement training
  • Sensory Integration qualification

Personal Qualities

Essential criteria
  • Enthusiasm for a broad range of AHP interventions, an interest in service delivery and the ability to articulate the added value of AHP services.
  • Able to demonstrate high level of personal professional accountability and autonomy attitude to change
  • Ability to work autonomously at a senior level

Other

Essential criteria
  • • Ability to move across the borough by car or public transport
  • • Able to work in a hot desk environment across multiple sites depending on the needs of the service.

Skills/Abilities

Essential criteria
  • Ability to communication complex condition related information to service users, carers, and colleagues
  • High level skills in clinical supervision
  • Ability to evaluate research and implement best practice in the clinical setting
  • Ability to articulate clearly the role of AHPs and the benefits they bring to service user care
  • Lead others in the development of knowledge, ideas and work practices including policies and strategies
  • Ability to influence, negotiate and persuade regarding complex or sensitive issues

Experience/ Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Significant post registration professional experience in mental health
  • Experience of team management and leadership
  • Working knowledge of the practice of different AHP services
  • Experience of multiagency/integrated working
  • Experience of staff recruitment, selection, and retention
  • Knowledge of national and local health care developments
  • Demonstrable experience of managing services within health/social care including service delivery, quality, performance, and staff
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of representing the Occupational Therapy profession or service at local or national forums

Employer certification / accreditation badges

NHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardVeteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleJob share policyAge positiveImproving working livesCare quality commission - GoodArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerCare Leaver CovenantStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.Step into healthAccredited Living Wage Employer

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Mark Pritchard
Job title
Care Group Managing Director
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
020 8702 3730
Additional information

 For further information please contact:

 Suzie Willis, Head of Occupational Therapy/ Allied Health professional lead

[email protected]  Tel 08712 494 863

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