Senior Music Therapist in London

We are an award winning organisation providing care at two main hospital sites—Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital—and a number of community-based services across London, such as sexual health and HIV clinics.

With 6,700 members of staff, we are proud to care for a diverse population of one million people.

We are committed to ensuring that our workforce is just as diverse with a strong mix of skills and abilities.

Our staff are at the very heart of our organisation and we recognise the valuable contribution that each and every person working at the Trust makes.

One of our Trust priorities is to be an employer of choice—a place where people want to start their career and to grow with us through continued education, professional development and support .

Main area Music Therapy Grade NHS Af C: Band 7 Contract Fixed term: 12 months (Short term funding) Hours Part time - 22.5 hours per week (Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays preferred working days) Job ref 289-CS-597

Site Chelsea & Westminster Hospital Town London Salary £58,133 - £65,261 per annum incl. HCAS (pro rata) Salary period Yearly Closing 23/11/ :59 Interview date 14/12/2026

Job overview

An excellent opportunity exists for an HCPC registered Music Therapist with substantial experience working with children presenting with complex developmental needs to develop their skills further.

The post holder will work closely and in collaboration with families, the music therapy team and multidisciplinary colleagues

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital offers a comprehensive child development music therapy service for children and families.

We provide assessment and therapy across three Child Development Centres in Central London.

We also offer a range of music therapy input to local children’s centres and nurseries as well as training and consultation for professionals and parents/carers.

We are looking for a Music Therapist with substantial experience who is able to work both independently and autonomously as well as effectively within a music therapy and wider multi professional team.

This post holder will be experienced in supervision and management responsibilities and be able to respond flexibly and effectively to supporting the needs of children with a wide variety of health, developmental and social needs.

They will also be responsive to families who benefit from joined up collaborative work with other related professionals.

Excellent support will be provided including clinical supervision, regular managerial supervision, CPD opportunities and administrative assistance.

Secondments will be considered.

Main duties of the job

• To provide highly specialist music therapy assessment and intervention, using evidence based principles and current best practice, and maintain accurate records.
• To lead on specific management responsibilities as well as contribute to strategic planning and service developments.
• Operational management and clinical supervision responsibilities for qualified and trainee music therapists in the team.
• To provide consultation, teaching and training at undergraduate/post-graduate level, to child health/education staff, related professionals and parents.
• To work within a range of community settings, which could include child development centres, children’s centres, nurseries and local schools.
• To implement service audits and evaluations, develop and lead CPD, and participate in research.
• To be a role model for expert clinical care, and the identified Trust values at all times.
• Working for our organisation

Our Trust is one of England's top-performing and safest trusts.

We operate two main acute hospital sites—Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital—along with award-winning clinics across North West London.

Our nearly 7,500 staff care for a diverse population of 1.5m, providing full clinical services including maternity, A&E and children’s services, plus specialist HIV and sexual health care.

The CQC rates us Good in safety, effectiveness, care and responsiveness, and Outstanding in leadership and resource use.

We continually invest in our facilities, including a £30m expansion of critical care at Chelsea and an £80m Ambulatory Diagnostic Centre at West Mid.

We are delivering sustainable healthcare through our Green Plan.

In line with Greener NHS ambitions, we aim for net zero carbon emissions by 2045.

Achieving this requires collective effort.

We encourage staff to reduce their impact on carbon, waste and pollution wherever possible.

Every action counts to create a healthier, more sustainable future.

We are committed to equal opportunities and believe diversity drives innovation and excellence.

We welcome applications from the global majority, veterans and underrepresented communities, valuing the perspectives they bring.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical

• To be professionally and legally responsible for all aspects of work, including the management of patients in your care
• To provide specialist music therapy assessment and treatment for children presenting with a wide range of developmental needs
• To lead the delivery of clinical services for a specific site.
• To implement a range of specialist interventions drawn from different evidence based theoretical models
• To offer a flexible provision of care to the families in our service in liaison with the MDT and others working with a child, providing joint interventions as appropriate
• To actively seek the views and involvement of families as part of clinical delivery and service development
• To identify and develop particular areas of clinical practice within the service, and lead their implementation across the team
• To demonstrate a sensitive approach to the diverse needs of the children and families who access the service
• To adhere to Trust policies relating to confidentiality.
• To maintain accurate and up-to-date patient records and statistics in line with Trust and HCPC standards.
• To adhere to governance policies and procedures and be aware of relevant documents/briefings from bodies.
• To be responsible for the supervision of trainee music therapists.
• To demonstrate good time management and organisational skills during daily management of own workload and to be able to adapt flexibly to changes
• To continue to develop professional expertise and knowledge through continuing professional development
• To carry out practical, clinically related tasks as necessary

Leadership and management

• To make appropriate and timely referrals to other members of the multidisciplinary team when required.
• To deputise for the lead music therapists during periods of absence to ensure effective day to day organisation of the team’s workload.
• To understand and apply clinical governance principles to your own caseload and contribute to and lead departmental clinical governance sessions
• To contribute to service and policy developments within the music therapy team and across wider AHP services in the Trust.
• To develop and maintain effective communication and working relationships with other colleagues within the Trust.
• To provide clinical support and guidance, and to act as a resource for clinical knowledge to other professionals both within and external to the Trust.
• To understand and manage service developments and changes with colleagues.
• To lead on the implementation of audit and service evaluations.
• To be involved in purchase of equipment and consumable stock, including furniture, electrical goods, stationery and specialist music therapy equipment.

Education & research

• To contribute to clinical supervision of trainee music therapists, supporting where appropriate the development of research projects which are deemed relevant to the service.
• To be involved in data collection for research and audits being undertaken in each area and to be able to monitor and implement change.
• To be involved in, audit and research projects, presenting as required.
• To participate in promoting music therapy through workshops, parent forums, and seminars where appropriate.
• To maintain a high standard of care and professional conduct in accordance with the requirements of the HCPC ensuring that staff and trainees you are responsible for do likewise.
• To maintain professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council.
• To ensure that all mandatory training is completed within the required timescales.

To assess own training and development needs, participating in regular clinical and managerial supervision.

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

• HCPC Registered as a Music Therapist
• MA training in Music Therapy (or equivalent)
• Evidence of further training in an area related to child health
• Membership of The British Association for Music Therapy
• Membership of British Association for Music Therapy Children Young People and Families Clinical Interest Group
• Research project experience which links to the area of children’s health

Experience

• Recent substantial experience of working with children between the ages of 0 – 6 with developmental difficulties
• Experience of working with a range of professionals across health, social care, or education settings.
• Experience of working and contributing effectively within a multi-disciplinary team which includes AHP colleagues e. g. OT, SALT, Physiotherapy
• Experience of music therapy work which actively involves parents and/or carers in music therapy sessions
• Experience of providing managerial and clinical supervision to music therapy trainees and qualified music therapists, and liaison with higher education training courses
• Consolidated experience running children’s music therapy groups with music therapists or other professionals using a variety of flexible approaches
• Recent experience of joint working with other professionals
• Experience of providing teaching and training to professionals and carers on the benefits of music making and music therapy
• Experience of leading and implementing service development, research and audit
• Experience of providing teaching and training to professionals and carers on the benefits of music making and music therapy within child/family health settings
• Experience of presenting music therapy practice, service evaluation and research to audiences other than music therapists
• Experience of contributing as a music therapist to multi-agency/professional meetings e. g. TAC meetings (Team Around the Child), CIN meetings (Child in Need)
• Experience of leadership/management within a MDT setting
• Experience of music therapy working pre and post neurodevelopmental diagnosis
• Experience of working in children’s centres or other early years settings
• Knowledge or direct support of arts-in-health initiatives

Skills and knowledge

• Ability to take responsibility for clinical work from referral through to discharge
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team
• In-depth, highly specialist knowledge of child development music therapy practice with children who have a wide variety of additional needs
• Ability to communicate effectively in an often highly emotive clinical setting and identify and assess risk accordingly
• Ability to demonstrate an evidence based approach to work
• Ability to communicate effectively with other professionals, parents, and children of all ages and abilities
• Diplomacy and sensitivity dealing with children and families who are in crisis
• Excellent organisational and presentation skills
• Awareness of professional and personal boundaries
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of governance and clinical risk management principles
• Knowledge of other relevant therapeutic approaches
• Knowledge of relevant initiatives and policies to support children with SEND and their families
• Recruitment Fraud Warning

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Trust does not charge any fees for job applications, recruitment processes, sponsorship arrangements or offers of employment.

All legitimate recruitment communications and applications will be made through our official careers website and published contact details.

If you receive a job offer or recruitment communication requesting payment, please do not make any payment and verify it with us using the contact details published on our official careers website.

• Important
• There may be some occasions when we have to close a vacancy earlier than the advertised closing date, this will be due to a high volume of applications.

You are therefore advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

• Please check your emails regularly (and your junk folder) as this is how we will communicate with you throughout the recruitment process.
• In submitting an application, you authorise the Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process, should you be appointed to the post.
• During the recruitment process your identity documentation (ie passport, driving licence, visa etc) will be scanned using a device which recognises UV, infrared and machine-readable zone security features of the documents provided.
• Employment at the Trust is offered subject to successful completion of a six month probationary period.
• We operate a joint recruitment hub across the North West London Acute Provider Collaborative Group.

As part of this, your application and personal data may be shared with partner trusts within the group for recruitment and workforce purposes, in line with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

Right to work

If you need sponsorship to work in the UK, please visit the Home Office website for information on sponsorship and visa status before you fill in your application form.

Due to recent changes in the UK immigration rules which affect Skilled Worker Visas, Global Business Mobility, Higher Skill Level and Increased Salary Thresholds, please ensure that you are able to meet the requirements to live and work in the UK before applying.

Further information about eligibility is available on UK Visas and Immigration - GOV.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.

• Name Juliet Wood Job title Clinical Lead for Music Therapy Email address
• Telephone number
• Additional information

If you have any questions about the role that are not answered in the person specification and job description attached, please contact us by email on

The recruitment team are available to provide support from 9am–5pm, Mon–Fri.

To contact the team please call the Trust switchboard and ask for ‘Recruitment team, Human Resources Department’.