Therapy Service Lead for Professional Development
The closing date is 04 May 2026
Overview
Join us as a Therapy Service Lead and play a key role in shaping Therapy Services across Worcestershire Acute Hospitals. The senior role offers an exciting opportunity for an experienced clinician and educator to lead innovation, drive high quality practice, and support service development across Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy. You will lead evidence based practice and clinical standards, oversee education and CPD, and support workforce development and sustainability. Working closely with Therapy Managers and Service Leads, you will inspire and develop teams, oversee training and quality assurance, and promote best practice through supervision, audit, research and service improvement, while maintaining a specialist clinical caseload.
If you are passionate about advancing therapy practice, developing others, and influencing service‑wide change, this role offers the opportunity to thrive in a supportive, forward‑thinking environment and help deliver outstanding patient care.
Main duties of the job
The role provides expert leadership in evidence based Therapy practice and education across the service. It oversees the organisation and delivery of training, audit activity and quality assurance, ensuring alignment with Trust objectives and operating within allocated budgets. The post leads clinical supervision, teaching and development for Therapy staff, offering structured appraisal, guidance and support to junior and senior clinicians. It designs and delivers service‑wide development activities, promotes best practice, and ensures translation of emerging evidence into high quality clinical care.
Improving Diversity and Inclusive Recruitment
As part of the Trust's aim to improve diversity across the Trust, positive action is being taken. All applications for this post from BAME, Disabled and LGBT+ candidates can request to be considered under an expanded Guaranteed Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum criteria as specified in the person specification for this role. Applicants will be prompted in the application form to declare if they wish to be considered under this scheme, and their response would be visible to the Shortlisting Panel. If you have any queries about the scheme, please contact Rob Saunders (HR Manager – Recruitment) in confidence via email robert.saunders1@nhs.net.
Job responsibilities
For a full list of duties please refer to the attached Job Description document which includes Key Duties, Clinical, Professional, Communication, Development and Delivery, Leadership, Training, Education and Research.
Key Duties
* To be the therapy services expert lead in evidence based and current therapy practice and education.
* Develop, oversee and be responsible for ensuring the organisation and delivery of training, audit and quality assurance within the therapy services.
* Develop practice and educational developments and improvements inline with the service and Trust objectives.
* Ensure the service operates within the budgetary constraints allocated to training and postgraduate education and work with the Therapy Service Managers to identify and deliver high quality training and postgraduate study.
* Lead clinical supervision and teaching of junior and senior staff within the therapy services and depend on individual speciality.
* Provide structured appraisals, formal meetings and informal support to manage and supervise senior staff regarding clinical issues.
* Design and deliver development activities for therapy staff throughout the service, including training activities, workshops and practice sharing forums.
* Act as a clinical leader within therapy services, leading by example and demonstrating good practice, openness and responsiveness to emerging evidence.
* Provide guidance and support to therapy teams in all specialist areas and support the development of practice within therapies.
* Oversee the therapy student activity in partnership with local universities.
* Participate in the planning, development and evaluation of practice within therapies holding responsibility for defined projects.
* Ensure regular managerial and clinical problem‑solving and supervision of all clinicians within a structured clinical supervision framework.
* With the other therapy service leads, be responsible for leadership in maintaining and improving all aspects of clinical governance, evidence based practice and quality assurance within the therapy service.
* Contribute to strategic planning and service development of the therapy service and deputise for Therapy Service Manager and other therapy service leads when required.
* Work alongside the therapy service leads to initiate and manage clinical service development initiatives, implementing and sustaining change where necessary.
* Use expert clinical reasoning and specialist skills to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions and to provide specialist support and advice to other therapy staff, whilst maintaining an autonomous caseload that includes highly complex patients within a speciality area.
* Apply evidence based principles and current best practice guidelines, ensuring all members of the therapy service do likewise.
* Develop and lead CPD and other developmental activities, encouraging all members of the therapy service to do likewise.
* Participate in, facilitate or lead research projects within the therapy services and designated clinical area.
* Educate the multi‑disciplinary team, therapists in the Trust and therapists nationally (as appropriate) on elements of occupational therapy and physiotherapy, and raise the profile of the service and Trust.
* Work closely with other members of the multi‑disciplinary team and demonstrate excellent communication skills.
* Support the therapy managers to ensure that the therapy services are responsive to user requirements within the available resources and in accordance with directorate and departmental plans.
Person Specification
Skills / Knowledge
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including presentation skills.
* Highly developed clinical skills and advanced knowledge within the specialist therapy area.
* Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate others and manage change effectively.
* Experience of people management, supervision and performance management.
* Thorough understanding of professional, legal and clinical governance responsibilities.
* Ability to analyse and manage complex professional and ethical issues.
* Knowledge and application of audit and survey data to inform service improvement.
* In‑depth understanding of current local and national NHS priorities and issues.
* Experience of leading or contributing to clinical audit, research, or guideline and policy development.
* Experience contributing to business planning and financial or budget awareness.
Qualifications
* Diploma or Degree in Physiotherapy or Occupational Therapy.
* Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
* Achieved or working towards a relevant postgraduate qualification at Level 7 (e.g. MSc, PGCert etc.).
* Demonstrate evidence of management and leadership development (e.g. ILM, NHS Leadership Academy, MSc modules, or equivalent).
* Membership of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) or Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT).
Experience
* Substantial experience as a senior clinician, including team leadership or management responsibilities.
* Extensive experience working within an acute NHS setting.
* Extensive post‑registration experience within the relevant specialty.
* Evidence of recent and relevant continuing professional development (CPD).
* Experience of staff supervision, appraisal and professional development from different professional backgrounds.
* Demonstrable involvement in service development and change management.
* Evidence of participation in clinical audit, research and service evaluation.
* Operational management experience, including workforce management.
* Experience of teaching and supporting staff and students.
* Proven ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team.
* Experience of liaising with external stakeholders and boundary spanning.
* Experience of delivering teaching and lecturing.
* Active participation in research activities.
Personal Qualities
* Professional, approachable and confident manner.
* Committed, enthusiastic and motivated.
* Demonstrates initiative and resilience.
* Excellent interpersonal skills.
* Ability to motivate self and others.
* Values‑led and aligned with the Trust and therapy service vision and values.
Other Job Requirements
* Willingness and ability to work across multiple sites.
* Flexibility to work across a seven‑day service, including participation in on‑call and weekend rotas as required.
* Ability to meet the physical demands of the role.
* Commitment to working in Worcestershire.
DBS Checks and Costs
Any applicants who are offered posts requiring a DBS check as part of their employment check will have the cost of this check (at the current rate) deducted from their salary. Please see the linked supporting information for details on DBS checks and costs.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such a submission for Disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) will be made to check for any previous criminal convictions.
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