Professional Lead & Ops Manager Children's Occupational Therapy inOxfordshire inOxfordshire PUBLISHED THU 23 JAN 2025

A rare and fantastic opportunity has arisen to join the Children's Integrated Therapy Service as Professional Lead and Operational Manager for the Children's Occupational Therapy Team. You will work closely alongside Professional Leads for Speech and Language Therapy and Physiotherapy, and the Children's AHP Senior Clinical Lead. You will also receive Professional Support from the Lead OT in the Trust.

The Service covers the whole of Oxfordshire and we have bases in each of our 6 localities. There is flexibility as to where the post holders base is, but recognising you will need to be able to travel across the County as required.

The children's OT team is in an exciting position with service transformation and quality improvement projects, and you will have the opportunity to shape and lead the team through these changes. The Children's Integrated Therapy service is proud not only of the care that it delivers to children and families in Oxfordshire but also the support and encouragement between colleagues within the team. With a focus on wellbeing, work-life balance and CPD you will also be given full support as needed to lead the OT team and also to grow into the Leadership role.

The post holder will provide operational, clinical and professional leadership for Children's OT within the children's integrated therapy service. You will work with the leadership team to ensure an efficient, high quality therapy service is delivered which is evidence-based and centred around the needs of the child/young person.

You will ensure the service is delivered within the identified financial envelope.

The post holder will be accountable for the Children's OT Team and contribute to overall Directorate strategy/policy to ensure the Directorate delivers its quality, quality improvement, people, finance and performance objectives (in regard to the children's integrated therapy service).

The post holder will carry out direct clinical contact with children and young people to maintain practice through experience in order to maintain up to date professional knowledge.

The post holder will ensure that the Children's OT team are engaged in research, research development and evidence-based practice, utilising relevant outcome measures and profession specific standardised assessments.

You will need to be able to communicate effectively, be solution focussed and a team player.

About us

The role of the Children's Professional Lead and Operational Manager is pivotal in ensuring the delivery of high-quality therapy services within the children's integrated therapy service. This position requires a dynamic individual who can provide operational, clinical, and professional leadership to the relevant professional group. The main responsibilities include:

1. Operational Leadership: The post holder will be responsible for the management and coordination of the therapy services, ensuring that they are delivered efficiently and effectively. This includes overseeing the day-to-day operations, managing resources, and ensuring that the services meet the needs of the children and young people.

2. Clinical Leadership: The role involves providing clinical leadership to the therapy team, ensuring that the services are evidence-based and centered around the needs of the child or young person. The post holder will work closely with the leadership team to ensure that the therapy services are of high quality and meet national guidance and local commissioning priorities.

3. Professional Leadership: The post holder will offer professional advice to Service Managers, Heads of Service, and other professions on the role of Allied Health Professionals (AHPs), including staffing levels and skills mix. They will be accountable for the operational, professional, and clinical performance of the relevant professional group.

4. Strategic Management: The role involves working with the Head of Service to meet local commissioning requirements, including the achievement of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The post holder will also work with stakeholders to negotiate the delivery of therapy provision in areas not identified in the principal contract.

5. Quality Improvement: The post holder will support quality improvement projects, including writing proposals, reports, and evaluations, and negotiating operational implementation. They will ensure the collation of monitoring performance data to assess standards of clinical care, staffing issues, and patient-related activity.

6. Workforce Management: The role includes profiling the clinical workforce, identifying risks or shortfalls, and ensuring the safe delivery of clinical and cost-effective services. The post holder will be involved in recruitment and selection of the relevant professional groups within the service.

7. Collaboration and Partnership: The post holder will work in partnership with colleagues from Social Care and Education to ensure a robust system to support children with Education and Health Care Plans (EHCPs). They will also work closely with senior manager colleagues to ensure that integrated therapy service development and delivery countywide is consistent while remaining responsive to specific local area needs.

This role is crucial in ensuring that the children's integrated therapy service is delivered efficiently, effectively, and to a high standard, meeting the needs of children and young people in Oxfordshire.