Job summary
Head of Therapy & Dietetics
Department: Physiotherapy & Dietetics
Band 8C £74,290 - £85,601 Per annum
Hours: 37.5 per week, all MKUH roles will be considered for flexible working
Are you ready to revolutionise healthcare? Do you thrive on driving change, inspiring teams, and making a lasting impact? We're looking for a bold, forward-thinking leader to take our Physiotherapy and Dietetics services to new heights!
As our Head of Therapy & Dietetics, you won't just oversee services--you'll shape their future. Leading a talented multidisciplinary team, you'll champion innovation, improve patient care, and bring fresh ideas that challenge the status quo.
Who You Are:o A strategic thinker with a proven track record in NHS leadership.o A visionary ready to challenge conventional ways of working.o A collaborative force, bringing teams together to deliver excellence.o A passionate advocate for patient-centred innovation.o A motivator who drives change, impact, and results.
Why Join Us?Make a difference--lead services that truly improve lives.Shape the future--drive real, meaningful healthcare transformation.Support & development--grow your leadership skills in a forward-thinking NHS trust.
If you're ready to make waves in healthcare, lead with confidence, and inspire real change--we want to hear from you!
Interview date 24 June 2025
Main duties of the job
What You'll Do:o Lead with purpose--empowering physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech & language specialists, and dietitians.o Innovate services that transform patient recovery, wellbeing, and independence.o Collaborate with NHS leaders to craft strategies that make a real difference.o Inspire teams to think bigger, work smarter, and drive excellence.o Deliver outstanding care through evidence-based, patient-centred approaches.
o Be responsible for the operational management and strategic planning of the trust wide Therapy Service, in terms of Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Dietetics, Speech and Language and Orthotics.
o Lead by example and display a leadership style that demonstrates trust values, empowers staff and develops and nurtures development at all levels.
o Work with the Divisional triumvirate and Service Leads to develop and implement strategic plans for an integrated service.
o Work with the Therapies Inpatient lead and site management to support patient flow and discharge processes.
o Lead the Therapy Leadership team to work collaboratively to deliver an integrated Therapy service, ensuring sustainable outcomes and meeting Divisional/Trust objectives
'We care We communicate We collaborate We contribute'
About us
MKUH staff scored highest for 'I look forward to coming to work' (NHS Staff Survey 2023).
You can expect a warm welcome at Milton Keynes University Hospital, our staff are friendly and welcoming. We listen to each other and work together to embed our Trusts values and behaviours. At MKUH we appreciate our staff and reward them with an outstanding benefits package including:
- Free on-site parking
- Free refreshments
- Great flexible workingopportunities
- Discounted gym membership
- Lease car scheme
- Generous annual leave and pension scheme
- On site nursery (chargeable)
- Extensive staff health and well-being programme
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, in partnership with the University of Buckingham, is a University Teaching Hospital; we conduct research and teaching on site to improve the care of our patients. The hospital is undergoing significant investment, and we are proud to be rated good by the CQC. Visit our website to catch up on our latest news.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To ensure interprofessional leadership for the service and staff to deliver a quality service to patients.
To be the lead for clinical governance ensuring a safe and effective service for patients and staff.
To lead service development and innovation responding to National agenda, Trust, ICB and professional drivers.Collaborate and support the Trust AHP lead with service improvements and the AHP profile.
Management & Leadership To undertake the strategic planning, service planning and overall management of the trust wide Therapy & Dietetic Services, ensuring that levels of service are met within agreed resources and standards.
To establish links and communication across divisions and service lines.
Financial & Information Management Budget responsibility for all Therapy & Dietetic service budgets, ensuring that resources are used effectively and efficiently, and annual efficiency savings are delivered.
To identify sources of funding or opportunities and create and implement business plans to meet service needs and developments.
Quality/Clinical Governance To be accountable for all aspects of clinical governance in the service, reporting back to the division as required.
To develop the services annual therapy strategy, quality programme and audit plan, ensuring time scales are met and findings acted upon.
Workforce Development To ensure that staff are competent to deliver a safe and effective service by providing a framework for induction, training and staff development.
To ensure that an annual strategic learning needs analysis is completed to reflect both the future needs of the service and personal development needs, using appropriate information systems to capture findings and plans, both for the department and for individual staff.
Communication and Working Relationships
The post-holder will communicate with a wide range of staff across the Trust and beyond and with senior officials of external organisations.
Excellent communication skills are required to persuade others of complex business cases and negotiate the implementation of change. The rapid assimilation of information is required to provide an opinion/judgement during meetings.
Equality and Diversity
Act in a way that promotes equality and diversity in relation to Trust policy and procedure and legislation.
To ensure that equality and diversity issues are recognised, addressed in accordance with legislation, policies and procedures.
Please refer to Job Description for further details
We believe success lies in the diversity of our employees and are committed to promoting equality, encouraging diversity and embracing inclusion. We welcome applications from everyone interested in working for us.
MKUH is committed to equal opportunities and improving the working lives of our staff and as such we offer a range of flexible working practices.
We reserve the right to expire vacancies prior to the advertised closing date once a sufficient number of applications have been received.
MKUH uses identification scanning technology to confirm the authenticity of documents; all prospective employees of MKUH will have their original documents verified using this technology.
By applying for this role, you accept if successful, that information from your application will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Record (ESR) system. Your personal data may be transferred from the Trust to another NHS organisation where your employment transfers within the NHS. This is in accordance with the streamlining programme which aims at saving you time and improving efficiencies within the NHS when your employment transfers.
Upon commencing employment with the Trust, all employees (except Medical & Dental Staff on national terms and conditions) are subject to a probationary period lasting a period of six months with an option to extend for a further six months to a total of 12 months.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To ensure interprofessional leadership for the service and staff to deliver a quality service to patients.
To be the lead for clinical governance ensuring a safe and effective service for patients and staff.
To lead service development and innovation responding to National agenda, Trust, ICB and professional drivers.Collaborate and support the Trust AHP lead with service improvements and the AHP profile.
Management & Leadership To undertake the strategic planning, service planning and overall management of the trust wide Therapy & Dietetic Services, ensuring that levels of service are met within agreed resources and standards.
To establish links and communication across divisions and service lines.
Financial & Information Management Budget responsibility for all Therapy & Dietetic service budgets, ensuring that resources are used effectively and efficiently, and annual efficiency savings are delivered.
To identify sources of funding or opportunities and create and implement business plans to meet service needs and developments.
Quality/Clinical Governance To be accountable for all aspects of clinical governance in the service, reporting back to the division as required.
To develop the services annual therapy strategy, quality programme and audit plan, ensuring time scales are met and findings acted upon.
Workforce Development To ensure that staff are competent to deliver a safe and effective service by providing a framework for induction, training and staff development.
To ensure that an annual strategic learning needs analysis is completed to reflect both the future needs of the service and personal development needs, using appropriate information systems to capture findings and plans, both for the department and for individual staff.
Communication and Working Relationships
The post-holder will communicate with a wide range of staff across the Trust and beyond and with senior officials of external organisations.
Excellent communication skills are required to persuade others of complex business cases and negotiate the implementation of change. The rapid assimilation of information is required to provide an opinion/judgement during meetings.
Equality and Diversity
Act in a way that promotes equality and diversity in relation to Trust policy and procedure and legislation.
To ensure that equality and diversity issues are recognised, addressed in accordance with legislation, policies and procedures.
Please refer to Job Description for further details
We believe success lies in the diversity of our employees and are committed to promoting equality, encouraging diversity and embracing inclusion. We welcome applications from everyone interested in working for us.
MKUH is committed to equal opportunities and improving the working lives of our staff and as such we offer a range of flexible working practices.
We reserve the right to expire vacancies prior to the advertised closing date once a sufficient number of applications have been received.
MKUH uses identification scanning technology to confirm the authenticity of documents; all prospective employees of MKUH will have their original documents verified using this technology.
By applying for this role, you accept if successful, that information from your application will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Record (ESR) system. Your personal data may be transferred from the Trust to another NHS organisation where your employment transfers within the NHS. This is in accordance with the streamlining programme which aims at saving you time and improving efficiencies within the NHS when your employment transfers.
Upon commencing employment with the Trust, all employees (except Medical & Dental Staff on national terms and conditions) are subject to a probationary period lasting a period of six months with an option to extend for a further six months to a total of 12 months.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Current Health and Care Professions Council registration
- Degree/Diploma in Physiotherapy or Occupational Therapy
- Master's degree or equivalent experience
- Postgraduate management qualification & experience
- Evidence of continuous professional development
Desirable
- Project Management qualification
- Evidence of involvement in research, audit, and promotion of evidence-based practice
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Significant experience
- Experience leading others through service change
- Extensive experience in clinical incident investigation, governance, and risk management
- Continuing professional development (CPD)
- Expertise in workforce planning and management
- Experience working in partnership with other services/agencies
- Knowledge of process and outcome measurement in quality improvement, performance management, and benchmarking
- Clinical responsibility and accountability for a Therapy department/service
- Significant operational and strategic planning knowledge
- Experience managing change in a complex multidisciplinary environment
- Successful staff engagement
- Experience with audits
- Comprehensive Knowledge and understanding of Therapy processes within an acute setting
- Experience of risk management
- Significant experience and knowledge of quality improvement
Desirable
- Experience of working in an acute setting
Skills
Essential
- Well-developed communication skills with the ability to communicate highly complex, and sometimes sensitive, information in all conceivable situations to individuals or groups
- Persuasive, motivational, negotiating skills (e.g., negotiating contracts)
- Ability to communicate effectively with clinical and non-clinical staff and all other levels of staff and external bodies
- Ability to influence Senior NHS staff/managers/executive level
- A positive role model who can demonstrate ability to act in accordance with the Trust's leadership model and is willing to develop skills, practices, and behaviours consistent with the Trust's leadership model
- Physical effort -- combination of sitting, standing, walking, some light physical effort, walking between locations
- Has insight into own level of competence and leadership style
- Demonstrate leadership, vision, strategic thinking and planning with well-developed situational awareness skills
- Ability to make decisions autonomously, sometimes on difficult issues
- Ability to apply the most effective way to promote equality of opportunity and good working relationships in employment and service delivery and to take actions which support and promote this agenda
- Prolonged concentration for day-to-day activities with frequent interruptions from others
- Able to handle conflict, distressing situations and complaints effectively, which may involve reassurances and conveying unwelcome news/unexpected results to patients/staff
- Ability to meet key targets and deadlines and demonstrates a commitment to continuous performance improvement
Personal and people development
Essential
- Evidence of skills in managing people
- Understanding of team dynamics
- Awareness of self and others
- Determination, perseverance and resilience
Communication
Essential
- Excellent interpersonal skills including observation, listening and empathy.
- Highly developed negotiation and problem-solving skills in complex situations and ability to facilitate these skills in others.
- Demonstrates excellent analytical and reflection skills.
- Demonstrates leadership skills as well as ability to be a good team member.
- Able to synthesize and present complex information.
- Excellent presentation skills both written and verbal.
- Excellent organisation skills and ability to facilities these skills in others.
- The ability to lead on projects including audit
- Ability to translate policy into practice.
- Computer literate.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Current Health and Care Professions Council registration
- Degree/Diploma in Physiotherapy or Occupational Therapy
- Master's degree or equivalent experience
- Postgraduate management qualification & experience
- Evidence of continuous professional development
Desirable
- Project Management qualification
- Evidence of involvement in research, audit, and promotion of evidence-based practice
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Significant experience
- Experience leading others through service change
- Extensive experience in clinical incident investigation, governance, and risk management
- Continuing professional development (CPD)
- Expertise in workforce planning and management
- Experience working in partnership with other services/agencies
- Knowledge of process and outcome measurement in quality improvement, performance management, and benchmarking
- Clinical responsibility and accountability for a Therapy department/service
- Significant operational and strategic planning knowledge
- Experience managing change in a complex multidisciplinary environment
- Successful staff engagement
- Experience with audits
- Comprehensive Knowledge and understanding of Therapy processes within an acute setting
- Experience of risk management
- Significant experience and knowledge of quality improvement
Desirable
- Experience of working in an acute setting
Skills
Essential
- Well-developed communication skills with the ability to communicate highly complex, and sometimes sensitive, information in all conceivable situations to individuals or groups
- Persuasive, motivational, negotiating skills (e.g., negotiating contracts)
- Ability to communicate effectively with clinical and non-clinical staff and all other levels of staff and external bodies
- Ability to influence Senior NHS staff/managers/executive level
- A positive role model who can demonstrate ability to act in accordance with the Trust's leadership model and is willing to develop skills, practices, and behaviours consistent with the Trust's leadership model
- Physical effort -- combination of sitting, standing, walking, some light physical effort, walking between locations
- Has insight into own level of competence and leadership style
- Demonstrate leadership, vision, strategic thinking and planning with well-developed situational awareness skills
- Ability to make decisions autonomously, sometimes on difficult issues
- Ability to apply the most effective way to promote equality of opportunity and good working relationships in employment and service delivery and to take actions which support and promote this agenda
- Prolonged concentration for day-to-day activities with frequent interruptions from others
- Able to handle conflict, distressing situations and complaints effectively, which may involve reassurances and conveying unwelcome news/unexpected results to patients/staff
- Ability to meet key targets and deadlines and demonstrates a commitment to continuous performance improvement
Personal and people development
Essential
- Evidence of skills in managing people
- Understanding of team dynamics
- Awareness of self and others
- Determination, perseverance and resilience
Communication
Essential
- Excellent interpersonal skills including observation, listening and empathy.
- Highly developed negotiation and problem-solving skills in complex situations and ability to facilitate these skills in others.
- Demonstrates excellent analytical and reflection skills.
- Demonstrates leadership skills as well as ability to be a good team member.
- Able to synthesize and present complex information.
- Excellent presentation skills both written and verbal.
- Excellent organisation skills and ability to facilities these skills in others.
- The ability to lead on projects including audit
- Ability to translate policy into practice.
- Computer literate.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
