Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist Paediatrics

The Trust provides a full range of local hospital services across its different sites, and specialist services from King’s College Hospital (KCH) sites at Denmark Hill in Camberwell and at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) site in the London Borough of Bromley.

Job overview

Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist in Paediatrics Team managing 3 staff members between Band 4 and Band 7 levels.

Provides clinical leadership to the Paediatrics Occupational therapy service.

Lead the service providing day to day leadership and operational management to the team and delegating to junior staff as appropriate.

Contributes to the overall Occupational therapy strategy for OT at Denmark Hill site.

Main duties of the job

The role of the clinical lead occupational therapist is to ensure their service area provides a quality service which is evidence-based, effective and efficient. The role also requires a focus on staff management, engaging staff in an attitude of excellence and instilling confidence, focusing on providing thorough inductions and training to enable staff to provide the best service and strive for continual improvement.

The clinical lead will be actively nationally through specialist interest groups, conferences and study days and also be actively engaged in research opportunities.

The post requires a flexible approach to working and a commitment to weekend working as required.

Working for our organisation

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and around 15,000 staff based across 5 main sites in South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local hospital services across its different sites, and specialist services from King’s College Hospital (KCH) sites at Denmark Hill in Camberwell and at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) site in Bromley.

King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus.

Our values at King’s, are that we’re a kind, respectful team.

The trust-wide strategy Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (EDI) at the heart of everything we do. By being person-centred, digitally-enabled, and focused on sustainability, we can take Team King’s to another level

King’s is dedicated to embracing the broad diversity of our staff, patients and communities and stand firmly against all forms of prejudice and discrimination.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1. To organise and manage the specialist provision of acute services and rehabilitation to patients admitted within paediatrics.
2. To work at an advanced clinical level within paediatrics, particularly in the assessment, diagnosis and management of complex patients.
3. To use analytical and judgement skills to diagnose occupational difficulties (physical, cognitive, perceptual and emotive impact on functional performance), understand complex situations and formulate appropriate solutions.
4. To develop programmes of care to meet the highly specialist and complex needs of patients that includes meeting the needs of patients and their extended support system. This practice should be evidence based and be in accordance with current research.
5. To manage a clinical caseload to a high standard, including assessment, interventions and discharge planning. To carry out this care in accordance with research findings and evidence based practice.
6. To plan and co-ordinate complex multi-disciplinary activities e.g. case conferences; discharge planning and other keyworker activities.
7. To work within local policies and procedures, national standards and guidelines and adhere to the Royal College of Occupational Therapy professional standards and ethics.
8. To fulfil requirement to exert moderate physical effort to provide manual physical therapy within occupational therapy practice. To be able to manoeuvre patients and specialist equipment safely and effectively.
9. To supervise, train and provide day-to-day management to occupational therapists and assistants working within paediatrics services.
10. To provide advice/support to occupational therapy colleagues on clinical practice issues and service development initiatives.
11. To propose and action changes, develop, organise and manage paediatrics occupational therapy services.
12. To consult with occupational therapists within the trust and external to the trust regarding occupational therapy, in paediatrics.
13. To work across disciplines and services to develop protocols and procedures.
14. To liaise with the service manager and paediatrics service consultants to agree protocols/care pathways for the assessment and management of patients.
15. To work with the head/ deputy head of occupational therapy and service managers, therapy leads and consultants to develop a service for patients with complex presentations.
16. To liaise with consultants and managers regarding service developments and changes in practice.

1. To establish robust communication networks with patients, carers, multidisciplinary members and other agencies.
2. To ensure a quality service for patients by maintaining a high standard in relation to communication with patients, liaison with referrers and other team members, and documentation of intervention.
3. To promote awareness of the role of occupational therapy within the team, negotiating priorities where appropriate.
4. To ensure that up to date written and electronic records and activity data are maintained across the paediatrics occupational therapy service in accordance with professional and trust standards and provide reports relevant to practice setting.
5. To write good quality occupational therapy functional and discharge reports for social services, onward inpatient services and community services
6. To represent occupational therapy at ward, departmental and service level meetings, including delegation for the clinical lead occupational therapist.
7. To provide and receive complex, diagnosis related information (including providing information regarding rehabilitation prospects that may be unwelcome) to patients and their social environment that may involve empathetic, re-assurance, persuasion and negotiation skills. Barriers to understanding may be present.

1. To keep comprehensive records of activity in accordance with local and national requirements.
2. Ensure ongoing evaluation of the service provided against agreed outcomes.
3. To provide occupational therapy input to service planning, developments and operational management, as required.
4. To provide input into clinical governance, risk management and quality programmes.
5. To ensure management across paediatrics of student placement offers and individually supervise and complete yearly appraisal with staff and/or students.
6. To be aware of the importance of staff wellbeing, accessing trust support as required and raising any concerns
7. To evaluate the service requirements for occupational therapy input in order to maximise the potential for rehabilitation.
8. Attend and contribute to relevant paediatrics services and occupational therapy department meetings.
9. To be actively engaged in relevant professional networks.
10. To develop and implement relevant policies for own area and propose changes that applies to rest of department to occupational therapy in liaison with other clinical leads and head/ deputy head of occupational therapy.
11. To be aware of, interpret for specialist area and implement codes of practice, local and national guidelines.
12. To be responsible for the safe use of equipment and be responsible for encouraging the team reporting of defective equipment.
13. Responsible for maintaining stock control systems.
14. Authorised signatory for small petty cash payments, social services small equipment (up to value of £300) and locum timesheets.
15. To be actively involved in recruitment of new staff.
16. To abide by clinical governance agenda and responsible for appropriate risk management.

1. Prepare and participate in lectures, seminars, specialist training programmes and demonstrations to occupational therapists and members of other disciplines both within and external to the trust.
2. To provide practical training and clinical supervision within discipline to students on clinical placement and staff within the service.
3. To participate in the occupational therapy preceptorship provision within the trust and encourage participation by the team.
4. To take responsibility for keeping own specialist knowledge up to date and maintaining evidence based clinical expertise, acting as a resource in this clinical area
5. To participate in and develop as appropriate occupational therapy or multidisciplinary research, and actively participate in any evaluation or research projects within the unit as appropriate and as agreed.
6. To undertake clinical audit and service evaluation both within the trust and on a national level, taking the lead role where appropriate.

• Lead, coach and manage the performance of the team in line with good people management practices. Ensuring excellence is recognised and underperformance is addressed.
• Participate in regular performance appraisal meetings and ensure each member of the team has a clear set of objectives and development plans.
• Ensure the team compliance with all statutory, mandatory training together with any professional training requirements, ensuring they are up to date and fully compliant.
• Manage team absences including sickness in line with Trust policy ensuring the appropriate return to work meetings occur, e-roster is updated and productivity is at keep to the highest possible level.
• Identify and fill any vacancies that arise within the team in line with the Trust’s recruitment policy and process.
• Identify talent and support the internal talent management process in order attract and retain and succession plan for your people.
• Review skills mix at regular intervals in order to identify any potential opportunities to maximise resource utilisation / allocation, ensuring job descriptions are kept up to date.
• Ensure overall wellbeing of the team is maintained. Continuously support in improving the morale of the team and implementing a culture of zero-tolerance for bullying and harassment.

Person specification

Knowledge and Experience

• Experience in Paediatrics at Band 7 and above
• Experience and knowledge of leading and managing a team
• Experience and skills of developing staff and leading with CPD
• Experience and knowledge of service development
• Communication skills at highest level

Education and Qualifications

• Occupational Therapy Degree or Equivalent (Dip OT/ BSc OT)
• HCPC Registration

• Masters degree
• Member of Professional Body (RCOT)

• Check your email account regularly as this is how we will communicate with you
• If you delete the job from any of your accounts, you may be prevented from accessing further communications
• To enquire about your application or inform us of any changes in your circumstances, please contact the named person on this advert
• Please provide email addresses for referees where possible
• Click here to see the range of benefits we offer
• Please review the documentation on our recruitment microsite, particularly the Trust’s criminal records checking policy
• All staff have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and for ensuring they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.
• Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. On occasion, we might close a vacancy early due to a high number of applications being received. You are advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Annual Reports and Other Corporate Publications

King's Health Partners Academic Health Science Centre Website

King's College Hospital is part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC), a pioneering collaboration between King's College London, and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts.