Associate Director of Therapies

We are seeking an experienced, motivated and innovative

Associate Director of Therapies to provide strategic, professional and operational leadership across therapy services within the Emergency and Integrated Medicine Division.

The post holder will lead Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Dietetics and Speech & Language Therapy services, alongside the Integrated Discharge Team (IDT), ensuring the delivery of high‑quality, safe and effective patient‑centred care.

A key focus of the role is to support patient flow, improve discharge processes and reduce delays, working collaboratively across the organisation and wider system.

As a senior leader, the Associate Director will contribute to the delivery of the Trust’s Nursing, Midwifery and AHP strategy, working closely with the Chief AHP to ensure strong professional leadership and representation.

The role will also act as the Trust’s Trauma Repatriation and Rehabilitation Lead.

This is an exciting opportunity to shape and influence therapy services, drive innovation and transformation, and support the Trust’s ambition to achieve an ‘Outstanding’ CQC rating.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for therapy services across the division, ensuring high-quality, safe and effective care.
• Lead Therapy Team Leads and the Integrated Discharge Team, providing professional oversight, expert clinical guidance and operational direction.
• Support patient flow and timely discharge by working collaboratively with internal teams and system partners, including local authorities.
• Ensure delivery of evidence-based practice across all therapy pathways, supporting timely assessment, intervention and discharge planning.
• Oversee governance, quality and safety standards, ensuring compliance with regulatory and professional frameworks, including CQC requirements.
• Hold delegated budget responsibility, ensuring effective financial management and use of resources.
• Lead workforce development, including supervision, performance management, recruitment and retention.
• Promote a positive, inclusive and high‑performing culture that prioritises staff wellbeing and continuous improvement.
• Act as the Trust’s Trauma Repatriation and Rehabilitation Lead, supporting pathways for patients returning from specialist centres.
• Monitor service performance using data, audit and outcome measures to ensure effectiveness and continuous improvement.
• Work closely with the Associate Director of Nursing, Clinical Director and Director of Operations to improve service quality and outcomes.
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone.

Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff.

We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief.

The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences.

We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.

#J-18808-Ljbffr