Head of Children's Therapies
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Croydon is a busy, exciting and diverse place to work. The borough has one of the youngest populations in London and continues to grow.
Croydon Health Services cares for local people at Croydon University Hospital, Purley Memorial Hospital and in clinics and people's homes all across the borough.
We are a very close-knit and friendly organisation where everyone of our 3600 members of staff is valued. We strongly believe that our employees are our greatest asset and so through Listening into Action - our way of engaging staff - we empower everyone at any level to initiate and bring about real improvements in our care.
Join us and be a part of the team that is making Croydon proud. #choosecroydon
Job overview
Head of Children's Therapies
Full Time, Band 8B
Are you an AHP ready to take the next step into a senior leadership role?
Croydon Health Services NHS Trust is looking for a dynamic Head of Children's Therapies to lead and shape our integrated children's therapy services. We are inviting applications from Allied Health Professionals with clinical and strategic leadership experience in any of the four therapy professions:
- Speech and Language Therapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Physiotherapy
- Dietetics
As Head of Children's Therapies, you will:
Lead service development and transformation across therapies
Drive workforce planning and innovation in line with national AHP priorities
Collaborate with MDT colleagues to deliver high-quality, patient-centred care
Mentor and inspire AHP teams to achieve their full potential
Influence service delivery at both local and Trust-wide level
This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced AHP leader who is passionate about improving outcomes for children and families through collaborative, evidence-based practice.
If you're ready for the challenge and want to make a real difference, we'd love to hear from you.
Proposed Interview Date - 16th October 2025
Main duties of the job
To lead and develop the children's therapy services in line with national and local priorities.
To provide leadership ensuring provision meets the agreed quality standards, KPIs and activity targets across the community and hospital services.
To provide professional direction, clinical and managerial leadership with the therapy team leaders for each professional group.
Working for our organisation
Croydon Health Services provides integrated NHS services to care for people at home, in schools, and health clinics across the borough as well as
at Croydon University Hospital and Purley War Memorial Hospital.
CUH provides more than 100 specialist services and is home to the borough's only Emergency Department and 24/7 maternity services, including a
labour ward, midwifery-led birth centre and the Crocus home birthing team.
Purley War Memorial Hospital (PWMH) in the south of the borough offers outpatient care, including diagnostic services, physiotherapy and
ophthalmology services run by Moorfields Eye Hospital, alongside an onsite GP surgery.
Our experienced staff take care of people of all ages across the borough of Croydon.
We are a very close-knit and friendly organisation where every one of our 3600 members of staff is valued. We strongly believe that our
employees are our greatest asset.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the attached supporting document which contains more information about the role in job description and person specification *******
Person specification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Understanding of the issues affecting therapy services and the wider children's agenda
- Experience of managing a number of different professional groups
- Proven experience of successful change management and service redesign
- Strategic service planning and evaluation
Desirable criteria
- Negotiating contracts with suppliers
Education and Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Post Graduate Qualification
- HCPC licence to practice
Desirable criteria
- Master Degree or equivalent clinical experience
Knowledge and understanding
Essential criteria
- Specialist professional knowledge
- Understanding of the issues affecting therapy services and the wider children's agenda
Skills / Abilities
Essential criteria
- Proven leadership ability
- Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to build rapport and credibility with wider teams and management clinical teams and
- Excellent written report writing and verbal communication skills. Able to clearly articulate complex information and concepts
- Able to interpret data / information for service improvement
Due to the high volumes of applications we receive, we reserve the right to close any adverts before the published closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications.
If you decide to apply for this post, but do not hear back from us within four weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted on this occasion.
Disability Advice Line: SWL Recruitment Hub is committed to promoting equity and equal opportunities for individuals with disabilities. We believe that greater diversity and inclusion will lead to an even more positive impact on the people we serve. For support with job opportunities and reasonable adjustments contact our Confidential Disability Advice Line at:
Telephone: 02082963786
Text: 07501066267
Email: esth.dal@nhs.net.
Our confidential answering service is available after 5pm.
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
- Head of Children's Therapies (PDF, 584.3KB)
- CHS DBS Policy Statement (PDF, 53.0KB)
- Map of Croydon University Hospital (PDF, 95.6KB)
- CHS Accomodation (PDF, 1.4MB)
- Croydon Trust Values (PDF, 324.9KB)