Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.
The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.
Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video
Job overview
An exciting 12 months secondment opportunity has arisen for a dynamic and forward-thinking Head of Service to join our Kent & Medway Children’s Service and All Age Eating Disorder Service. We are seeking a Head of Service who will work flexibly across a portfolio that covers the Neuro Diversity and Learning Disability pathway and the All Age Eating Disorder Service and overseeing young people's transitions as the CYPMHS and AAEDS move to Kent & Medway NHS Trust to establish an all-age mental health service across Kent.
The post holder will be expected to uphold and promote the organisation’s values in their daily work, supporting their team, department, and the wider organisation to deliver high-quality services that improve outcomes for children, young people, their families, and individuals accessing AAEDS.
This role carries responsibility for the operational management of the service. The successful candidate will work closely with the clinical leadership team to deliver high-quality, responsive, and efficient services that meet the needs of the local population.
The ideal candidate will demonstrate effective staff management skills and a strong, compassionate, strengths-based approach. They will foster positive working relationships within the service and with key external stakeholders, including children and young people and their families, GPs, local authority services, and schools.
Main duties of the job
To provide operational management functions for all services within the remit of AccessandAssessmentServices
Key responsibility for the day-to-day line management of the service areas, ensuringarrangementsare inplace toenabletheeffective safe deliveryofservices.
To lead services in line with corporate objectives of Clinical and Corporate Governanceandprofessional standards
Work with the Assistant Director by delivering the Community Services agenda for quality, riskmanagementandhealthandsafety
Work with the Assistant Director in the formulation of long-term strategies for the services withinportfolioincludingoperationalchanges,servicereviewsanddevelopment.
Identify opportunities for service redesign and modernisation that improves patientexperience,performanceand qualityservices
Develop a multi-professional culture within area of responsibility in which all staff aredelivering high quality, patient centred care based upon the principles outlined inlegislation, initiatives and governmentguidance
Working for our organisation
This post is a 12 months secondment covering maternity leave and open to open to individuals already employed by North East London NHS Foundation Trust.
Our Values 2025 - 2030
Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.
They are:
We are kind. We are respectful. We work together with our communities.
These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To deliver effective operational and clinical leadership and direction to the service leads and multi-disciplinary teams
To support and develop the strategic direction for the service in line with national policies and locally identified health
To ensure that services are continually monitored, viewed and adapted to meet changing service user need and identified commissioning requirements
To ensure the delivery of clinical and care quality standards and objectives
To support and influence the development of new patient pathways in response to the requirements of the commissioners
Certificates of Sponsorship
Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points-based system. When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High-Cost Area Supplement) is not included to ensure fairness and consistency within our Trust.
Use of AI
Please see attached document regarding acceptable use of AI during the recruitment process.
Person specification
Experience
Essential criteria
1. A recognised health discipline Nursing (RGN), Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist, Speech and Language Therapist or other appropriate qualification
2. Significant operational management experience of NHS services
3. Demonstrable experience of improving quality for service users and carers
4. Experience of successful inter-agency partnership working
5. Experience of managing successful change
Qulaification
Essential criteria
6. A recognised health discipline Nursing (RGN), Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist, Speech and Language Therapist or other appropriate qualification
Skills & Knowledge
Essential criteria
7. Knowledge of the national policy agenda
Benefits
We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:
8. A long-standing and award-winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term/chronic conditions and LGBT staff.
9. A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our effortsto support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a ‘Top 10 Family Friendly Employer’ from the Working Families Charity.
10. Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors.
11. Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.