Head of Neurodevelopmental Service

**The Oakdale Group**

Oakdale was established twenty-five years ago and is highly regarded as a professional therapy provider. We are a community-based organisation and our team is united by a commitment to provide flexible, bespoke, evidence-based and high quality clinical services. Our services are designed to meet the individual needs of our clients as well as the requirements of commissioners for a collaborative service provided by a multidisciplinary team of skilled and experienced clinicians.

Oakdale provides a number of services including Interventions for families where there is an adopted, fostered or SGO child, Neuro Developmental Assessments and support, ADHD medication service, Building Underdeveloped Sensorimotor Systems (BUSS) for children who have experienced developmental trauma, Psychotherapy in Schools, Independent Psychology and Psychotherapy Services, Improving Access to Psychological Therapy (IAPT) Services and Specialist Psychological Therapy and Trauma Services for NHS staff. Most of our services are commissioned by the NHS or Local Authorities.

Oakdale has Clinical Centres in Horsforth and Farsley in Leeds, in Harrogate and in Halifax and also delivers services from consulting rooms in York, Selby and Skipton. Most of Oakdale’s services are currently delivered in the North of England, although some are now provided nationwide using online platforms.

Oakdale’s outstanding multidisciplinary clinical team consistently receives excellent feedback from clients and commissioners. Oakdale values its clinical and administrative teams and strives to ensure that both our clients and our colleagues are at the heart of all that we do. Oakdale’s approach is collaborative, reflective and transparent. We seek to work in partnership with clients and commissioners to achieve excellent clinical results and have in place a commitment to measuring outcomes, seeking feedback from all stakeholders, providing good value services and having in place processes for continuous improvement.

**Oakdale’s Neurodevelopment Service**

This service was developed in response to a demand in North, South and West Yorkshire and the Humber, initially for private paying clients and subsequently contracted work from the NHS to help with waiting lists. The majority of Oakdale’s assessment work is now commissioned by the NHS via ICB contracts or provided as part of the NHS Choice Agenda.

The service has grown significantly year on year and Oakdale now has a team of administrators and clinicians, some are employed and many work on a sessional basis. Oakdale has become a respected provider in this field and is well regarded for providing an ethical service in the best interest of both clients and commissioners.

We are aware that demand for neurodevelopmental assessments is exceptionally high nationwide and that people seeking to access NHS diagnostic services face prohibitively long waits in many localities. The advent of the NHS Right to Choose Agenda (which entitles people to select any NHS Commissioned provider of their choice for Neurodevelopmental assessments, irrespective of whether or not they are their locally commissioned provider) has created a fresh opportunity for Oakdale to grow to help meet their needs. It is envisaged that the post holder will oversee Oakdale’s strategy for expanding our Neurodevelopmental services into new localities in a planned, sustainable way - and that they will line manage and guide Oakdale’s neurodevelopmental ‘Service Development Lead and National Right to Choose Coordinator’ as they undertake this work.

**ROLE**

To provide strategic and operational oversight and manage, develop and grow the neurodevelopmental service. This senior role would suit an organised, capable and experienced senior manager, who shares Oakdale’s values, and is keen to work with commitment and flexibility within a mutually supportive team.

**SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES**

The post holder will contribute towards the growth and positive reputation of the Oakdale Centre, its success and development, and most importantly the positive experience of our clients and partnership working with our commissioners.

**DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES**
- To lead and manage the neurodevelopmental service, in particular by ensuring that our agreed service and clinical quality standards are met.
- To work as an enthusiastic and committed team member, taking a key role in the strategic planning, continued development and innovation within the service.
- To continue to develop the service, including building stakeholder relationships with relevant ICBs and other commissioners; and building our Right to Choose referrals - potentially on a nationwide basis.
- To ensure high quality neurodevelopmental assessments and support are provided that meet the specific needs of the clients referred to Oakdale including creating and maintaining the appropriate organisational structures and resources required to deliver an eff