Clinical Lead Therapist

Job summary
To provide clinical expertise, effective leadership and service management to occupational therapists, physiotherapists and assistant therapists working within Acute General Medicine, Frailty and Trauma - currently providing a service to acute medicine, same day emergency care units, the emergency department, the high care unit and trauma ward.

Main duties of the job

• To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of clinical practice
• To deliver advanced knowledge, skills and clinical expertise in frailty, medicine and/or trauma.
• To nurture and maintain a culture of delivering high quality therapy and rehabilitation services underpinned by robust evidence and delivered within the means of the department.
• To lead the teams' service and its staff ensuring that professional and organisational standards are upheld.
• To be responsible for clinical governance and performance of the service reporting directly to the Head of Therapies office.
• To work collaboratively with the Head of Therapies and other departmental leads to implement a Therapies CSU strategy.
• To be an integral part of the senior leadership and management structure within Therapies CSU and actively contribute to the department's programme of work aiming to continuously improve the quality and efficacy of therapy services.
• To work as an integral part of Acute General Medicine, Frailty and Trauma services working collaboratively with the clinical and managerial leaders and contributing to the strategic and operational objectives of the respective department.

About us
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research. The Trust comprises four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.

Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community. We call this Delivering Compassionate Excellence, and its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence. These values put patients at the heart of what we do and underpin the quality healthcare we would like for ourselves or a member of our family. Watch how we set out to deliver compassionate excellence via the OUH YouTube channel.

In 2023 NHS England launched its first sexual safety charter, and our Trust proudly signed it. We pledge zero tolerance for inappropriate sexual behaviour and commit to the ten core principles Oxford University Hospitals promotes a safe, respectful hiring environment. If you want to make a difference with us, come and join our team. Together, we will uphold the highest standards of care and professionalism.

Details
Date posted: 27 August 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8a
Salary: £57,528 to £64,750 a year
Per annum pro rata
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 12 months
Working pattern: Part-time
Reference number: 321-MRC-8196762-B8a-INT
Job locations: Horton General Hospital, Banbury, OX16 9AL, United Kingdom

Job description
Job responsibilities
Main Tasks and Responsibilities
Communication and relationship skills

• To establish and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external health and social care services forming effective partnerships to facilitate high quality patient care without delays or fragmentation.
• To effectively communicate with patients and their carers/relatives using a range of verbal and non-verbal methods suited to the context of each situation. Be able to deploy these skills in the event of barriers to communication, as well as in highly contentious and complex matters whilst maintaining a high level of professionalism throughout.
• To be approachable to all staff, communicate in a way that fosters good working relationships, and deliver feedback using a method that is constructive and conducive to improvement.
• To adhere to Trust values and standards, the information governance framework and the Data Protection Act in clinical documentation and information management.
• Be able to write complex reports accurately describing patients clinical status and ensuring that the information provided aids effective continuing care and clinical management.

Service management and development

• To set and monitor clinical and operational performance standards to ensure that quality measures are in place to effectively evaluate and improve performance.
• To prospectively plan and organise the workforce to ensure services are delivered with continuity and that demand is met with sufficient capacity.
• To ensure effective mechanisms are in place to identify and ensure the highest priority clinical demand is met at times of insufficient capacity.
• To effectively oversee the utilisation of e-rostering as the sole platform for workforce planning and management of staff leave.
• To ensure sufficient service continuity plans are in place to mitigate for emergencies or unplanned events that affect the capacity and/or capability of the workforce to meet the demands placed upon it.
• To be responsible for maintaining a full establishment of therapy staff within the service, and proactively recruit staff against forthcoming vacant posts.
• To deputise for the Head and/or Deputy Head of Therapies and provide support for other therapy service leads in their absence to ensure departmental business continuity.
• To effectively manage financial and physical resources, including the delegated budget, in a way that is efficient and maximises utilisation of the teams and Therapy CSU budget
• To effectively utilise policies and procedures to manage staff performance, sickness absence, and disciplinary matters
• To represent therapy at Acute General Medicine, Frailty and Trauma forums within and external to the Trust to advance the impact of the teams.

Clinical skills

• To undertake clinical assessment, formation of problem lists and goal planning, and therapeutic intervention to consistently high standards in a range of clinical presentations, including highly complex presentations.
• To conform to standards and legal requirements of clinical and service record keeping.
• To lead by example by performing clinical duties that are delivered to the highest standard, derived from evidence-based practice, and centred on maximising the patients care quality and experience.
• To serve as a point of escalation and problem resolution supporting team members in decision-making where there are high levels of complexity and/or dispute in clinical management and/or discharge plans.
• To demonstrate the ability to understand, interpret and implement relevant operational changes based on policy at a departmental, organisational and national level.
• To actively participate in seven-day working for therapy services.

Governance and performance

• To be the clinical governance lead for the Acute General Medicine, Frailty and Trauma therapy services, which encompasses chairing a regular governance meeting, maintaining an up-to-date risk register and action log, investigating complaints and incidents on behalf of the head of therapies, and overseeing clinical audit and quality improvement.
• To evaluate information and data related to clinical governance and performance standards to demonstrate the quality and efficiency of the service and make sustainable changes where required.
• To work with the Head of Therapies and other departmental leaders to devise and implement an annual clinical audit programme by which to measure compliance of therapy services against quality standards.
• To engage with senior AHP, nursing and medical leads in order to actively participate in clinical governance at a specialty and directorate level.
• To be able to implement pre-determined business continuity and emergency planning policies that require a therapy service response.
• To actively contribute to development and implementation of policies commissioned by Therapies CSU, the clinical specialty areas and the Trust.
• To represent Acute General Medicine, Frailty and Trauma therapy services at the senior governance and business forums for the CSU (currently: Therapies Clinical Governance and Performance Meeting and Therapies CSU Management Board)
• To monitor and ensure all service members are up to date with statutory and mandatory training requirements
• To design and implement a training and education programme that supports all service members in delivering high quality and safe therapy services

Working conditions and required effort

• To be able to undertake episodes of moderate physical effort for several short periods during a shift.
• To be able to effectively maintain concentration at work despite frequent interruptions and, at times, an unpredictable working pattern.
• To tolerate and manage frequent exposure to distressing or emotional circumstances and maintain a high level of professionalism.
• To tolerate and professionally manage frequent exposure to unpleasant working conditions, such as exposure to bodily fluids and offensive odours.

Person Specification
Essential

• Degree in Physiotherapy or Occupational Therapy
• HCPC Registration as either Physiotherapist or Occupational Therapist
• Significant and extensive post qualification experience as a therapist working in Acute General Medicine, Frailty or Trauma.
• Experience of effectively leading a team, including through a process of change to improve performance
• Considerable experience managing people and performance, including the deployment of performance improvement plans and application of disciplinary procedures

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).

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).