Executive Director - AHPs, Psychological Professions and Social Work

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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 three 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

The Executive Director of AHPs, Psychological Professions and Social Work is a new role on our Board.

There is huge potential in this role to further develop high-quality, innovative practice and services across the trust and support us to recognise the positive, wide-ranging and added value that AHPs, therapists, peer support and social workers can bring to services and how to use this to best effect.

Main duties of the job

You will take the lead role in shaping progressive strategies for the development of professional practice throughout the trust and, together with our Executive Medical Director and Chief Nurse, provide strategic leadership in relation to clinical governance and Quality Improvement. You will also support the Chief Nurse in ensuring that a culture of service co-design and patient involvement is embedded across the trust.

We deliver our services with pride in an area with significant social and economic deprivation, and we work hard to address those factors that have historically adversely impacted those we serve. To achieve this goal, our Executive Director of AHPs, Psychological Professions and Social Work will need to continuously strive to improve the wellbeing of our staff, and create an organisation where people want to work, feel valued, included and empowered.

We are seeking a qualified Allied Health Professional, psychological therapist or social worker with senior experience at or close to Board level. You will have experience of leading multi-professional groups and realising the transformative potential of colleagues across professions. You will have a strong track record of developing new roles and new ways of working in a large, complex organisation. Importantly, too, you will live our values and be a champion for a compassionate, fair and just culture underpinned by diversity, equality, inclusion and human rights.

Working for our organisation

Starting with NELFT

NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop-in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer closely to this when completing your application.

We welcome your application even if you do not meet all the criteria listed in the person specification. Any development needs to help you succeed in the role, can be discussed at the interview stage.

All applications should be sent to: applications@hunter-healthcare.com. All applications will be acknowledged.

Applications should include;

• A covering letter - of no more than two pages - explaining why the appointment interests you, how you meet the appointment criteria and what you specifically would bring to the post.
• A Curriculum Vitae (CV) with education and professional qualifications and full employment history. Please include daytime and evening telephone contact numbers and email addresses. The CV should include names and contact details of three referees. References will not be taken without your permission.
• A completed Diversity Monitoring Form and Fit and Proper Person Monitoring Form (available from the Candidate Pack attached). Please note that the information you provide will be treated as confidential and is the monitoring purposes only. It will not form part of the application process.
• Please do not complete an application form linked to this vacancy.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Educated to Master's level in relevant public sector leadership domain, or substantial relevant work experience
• First degree in relevant sector leadership or clinical profession, or substantial work-related experience
• Professional qualification as an Allied Health Professional or Psychological Therapies professional or Social Worker

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience of working at Board or senior level within a healthcare delivery setting
• Experience of leadership of professional groups and experience of leading multi-professional groups
• Experience and understanding of professional regulation and standards

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Expert knowledge of the regulatory environment in the NHS and in the interpretation of legislative, regulatory and policy requirements
• Clear understanding of the statutory and legal framework within which community health and mental health care operates

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:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Supporting our Armed Forces

We recognise the valuable contribution that the Armed Forces community make to our organisation. We have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and achieved Gold Award under the Armed Forces Employer Recognition Scheme. We have supportive policies, guaranteed interview schemes for veterans. reservists and military spouses and give additional leave to our Reservists so that they can attend their annual camp.

Equal opportunities employer

We are committed to equal opportunities and diversity and positively encourage applications from all sections of the community regardless of any protected characteristic.

We are a Disability Confident employer and have made the pledge to commit to employing more people with disabilities. If you require this application in another format i.e. Braille or audio tape please contact the recruitment team on 0300 300 1530 or email recruitment@nelft.nhs.uk.

Correspondence with us

You are advised to regularly check your emails (including any junk mail/spam folders) for correspondence related to this post.

In the event of a high number of responses to any advert, NELFT reserves the right to close the vacancy early. If you do not hear from us within three weeks of the closing date then please assume you have not been successful on this occasion.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

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.

Documents to download

• Executive Director (PDF, 712.3KB)
• Candidate pack (PDF, 500.2KB)
• NELFT Application - Hints and Tips (PDF, 38.4KB)