Therapy Team Lead, Therapies in Watford

We are looking for an experienced Band 7 or an existing Band 8a to move into an operational lead role within our friendly and dynamic Therapy Department at West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (West Herts). As a Therapy Team Lead, you will have responsibility for the operational management of the Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists that work in the Emergency Medicine and Frailty teams. You will play a key role in supporting service delivery, staff development, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality patient care. You will be joining a collaborative team of six Therapy Team Leads, collectively managing the four therapy professions: Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Dietetics, and Speech and Language Therapy. There are two job opportunities available – a substantive 30‑hours/week post and a 1‑year fixed‑term 30‑hours/week post. For the fixed‑term post, we would support a secondment opportunity for both internal and external staff members. To ensure professional representation of both Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy within the Inpatient Therapy leadership team, we will be looking to appoint an Occupational Therapist into one of these posts.

Main duties of the job:

• Deliver a safe and effective service.
• Lead on recruitment and retention initiatives in your team and department.
• Lead HR processes within your team.
• Develop your services, working with teams both within the Trust and external partners to maximise the patient experience.
• Support the health, well‑being and professional development of your staff.
• Lead the quality and governance agenda within your teams.

Person specification:

• Relevant clinical qualification to first degree level or equivalent as a Dietitian, Speech and Language Therapist, Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist HCPC UK registered.
• Evidence of continuing professional and managerial development.
• Recognised NHS management qualification or training.

• Sound financial awareness and evidence of delivery against cost improvement programmes.
• Supporting and implementing change.
• Knowledge and experience of governance systems and processes.
• Knowledge of HR processes.
• Familiar with concepts of clinical supervision, staff development and quality improvement.

• Substantive clinical experience.
• Experience of working/leadership role.
• Evidence of operational management and leadership.
• Experience of building effective teams and networks.
• Working in a team and understanding team dynamics.
• Experience of service development, quality improvement and audits.
• Multidisciplinary team management.

• Able to analyse and interpret data.
• Effective problem‑solving skills.
• Excellent organisational skills.
• Good time management.
• Ability to inspire and motivate.
• Excellent communication skills both oral and written, including the ability to liaise and negotiate.
• Communicate effectively at all levels across organisations.

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust provides acute healthcare services to a core catchment population of approximately half a million people living in west Hertfordshire and the surrounding area. The Trust also provides a range of more specialist services to a wider population, serving residents of North London, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and East Hertfordshire. As an employer of nearly 6,000 people the Trust is one of the biggest employers in the area and sees nearly a million patients each year.

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.