Job summary
Shape the future of SEND support across Buckinghamshire

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and innovative Occupational Therapist to lead the Occupational Therapy contribution to Buckinghamshire's new Experts at Hand programme, a key element of the national SEND reform agenda.

As the Experts at Hand Clinical & Operational Lead, you will play a pivotal role in designing, developing and delivering a transformational service that strengthens inclusive practice across mainstream education settings. Working collaboratively with the Local Authority, Integrated Care Board, schools and wider system partners, you will provide strategic leadership to ensure children and young people receive timely, needs-led support through a graduated approach.

This is a unique opportunity to influence service development at a system level while maintaining your professional expertise and shaping the future OT workforce within SEND services.

Main duties of the job
Reporting to the Head of Service for CYP Integrated Therapy Services, you will:

• Lead the strategic, operational and clinical delivery of the Occupational Therapy element of the Experts at Hand programme.
• Drive service innovation and continuous improvement in line with national SEND reforms.
• Work collaboratively with senior leaders across health, education and social care.
• Lead and develop a team of Highly Specialist Occupational Therapists and Therapy Assistants.
• Provide expert advice, consultation and clinical leadership for complex situations.
• Monitor service performance, outcomes and quality standards.
• Manage resources effectively and contribute to budget management.
• Lead workforce development, supervision, training and succession planning.
• Represent the service at local, regional and national forums.

About us
Listen to why colleagues think we are a great place to work! - BHT - A great place to work (buckshealthcare.nhs.uk)

What does Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust offer you?

• As part of our BHT family, you'll benefit from learning and development opportunities to support your career progression.
• We offer flexible and agile working opportunities, alongside your NHS benefits of generous annual leave entitlement, pension and access to NHS discount schemes.
• We provide a range of health and wellbeing services to promote a healthy, happy workforce.

Why work for us?

• We're committed to promoting inclusion and making sure all colleagues feel they belong. We encourage new colleagues from a diverse range of backgrounds to apply.
• As an employer, we aim to create a workplace where differences are valued and colleagues treat one another with dignity and respect.
• Greater diversity within our BHT family improves positive outcomes for the people and communities we serve.
• A keen supporter of the Armed Forces Community who know the value of employing a service leaver/veteran and their families.

What do we stand for?

• Our vision is to provide outstanding care, support healthy communities and be a great place to work.
• Our mission is to provide personal and compassionate care every time.
• Our care values are collaborate, aspire, respect and enable.

Job responsibilities
For a comprehensive list of responsibilities and duties, please kindly refer to the Job Description and Person Specification by downloading the JD and PS attachment in the advert.

If you are an internal applicant there is the option for secondment, all applicants must have the endorsement/support of their line manager prior to application.

If you have a disability that makes submitting this online application difficult and would like assistance, please contact us on bht.recruitment@nhs.net quoting the vacancy reference number.

Person Specification
Education, qualifictaions and training
Essential

• Degree or Diploma (Occupational therapy)
• Professional registration with HCPC.
• Post graduate clinical/ management qualification or equivalent level of experience and proven ability to perform at this level
• Significant demonstrable experience of and demonstrable achievement in managing education/ health/social care services
• Member of relevant professional body e.g. RCOT

Experience
Essential

• oSignificant post-registration experience providing highly specialist occupational therapy interventions to children and young people with complex needs
• oExperience of operational and/or clinical leadership of a therapy service or team
• oExperience of line management, including appraisal, performance and professional development of staff
• oExperience of developing and maintaining effective partnerships with education, local authority, health and other stakeholders in the redesign of services
• oExperience of effectively leading and implementing change and service transformation
• oExperience of budget management / management of resources
• oExperience of managing complaints, disputes, resolutions and/or Serious Incidents
• oExperience of working and coproducing within, or in close partnership with, education and early years settings and of SEND / EHCP processes

Skills, knowledge and abilities
Essential

• oHighly expert knowledge and skills in occupational therapy needs in children and young people
• oAdvanced knowledge of current legislation, the SEND Code of Practice, the graduated approach and the national SEND reform / Experts at Hand programme, spanning education and health
• oAbility to provide strategic and operational leadership and to translate national policy into local delivery
• oHighly developed communication, negotiation and influencing skills, including the ability to manage complex and contentious information
• oAbility to analyse and interpret Key Performance Indicators, activity and outcome data to drive improvement
• oAbility to plan, organise and adjust a broad, complex range of activities across multiple partners and settings
• oKnowledge of clinical governance, risk management and safeguarding, and their application in practice
• oCompassionate, inclusive leadership skills and the ability to motivate, develop and support staff

Special circumstances
Essential

• Able to travel across sites in Buckinghamshire.
• oAbility to work flexibly across sites and to attend system and partnership meetings as required

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).

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.

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).

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).