Head of Therapies – PMOA

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust Head of Therapies – PMOA The closing date is 01 December 2025 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? 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, Affective Disorders, Neurodevelopmental Services - ADD, ADHD, Autism, Learning Disabilities As a member of the Directorate's Senior Leadership Team you will be the principle representative of the Allied Health Professionals workforce within the Directorate and will provide line management, professional and clinical supervision, support and oversight. Developing a culture of quality improvement and evidence-based practice to promote and raise the profile of Allied Health Professionals' contribution to service users and their supporters' experience and outcomes. Main duties of the job 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 About us 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 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. Job responsibilities 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. Person Specification Education, Training & Qualification HCPC registered Occupational Therapist Master's degree or equivalent Evidence of continued professional development relevant to role Membership of Royal College of Occupational Therapists and/or Special Interest Group relevant to the role Leadership Qualification Experience Significant experience of working in mental health as an occupational therapist Extensive experience of working in a multidisciplinary clinical and/or management team Experience of working in a clinical or management position in mental health, Experience of line managing a team Experience of working closely with Speech and Language Therapists and Physiotherapists Experience of setting, monitoring and evaluating standards of care, Experience of managing a budget Experience of developing quality services, Experience of rostering Experience of investigating complaints and incidents Experience of setting objective measurements and developing and monitoring systems for performance management and improvement at team, pathway, directorate and Trust level Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Evidence of an extensive understanding and experience of mental health occupational therapy practice Understanding and experience of managing or supporting speech language therapists and physiotherapists Intellectual strategic comprehension: ability to recognise key and underlying issues in complex situations, the immediate long term implications of decisions to make the interconnections Analytical ability: capacity to process detailed information rapidly Is prepared to challenge restrictive practices and thinking. Cultural flexibility: ability to develop an in-depth understanding of a wide range of organisational and community cultures, developing plans and strategies with all stake Ability to contribute fully to the work of the Directorate Leadership Team and Head Occupational Therapy Committee and deputise if required Understanding of the 4Pi National Involvement Standards Framework and able to evidence examples of implementing these standards in practice. Holds clinical knowledge, skills and abilities relevant to specialisms under the PMOA&ND Directorate e.g. specialist seating, equipment provision, neurorehabilitation, the Remotivation Process, sensory assessment Experience of directing a multi-dimensional project across a complex organisation Sound technical and creative skills in the use of video, social media or other mediums to promote AHP provision 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. South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust £72,921 to £83,362 a year inclusive of HCAS #J-18808-Ljbffr