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Job summary

Main area
Head of Specialty & Michael Palin Centre
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 8d
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
220-WHT-3486
Employer
Whittington Health NHS Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Michael Palin Centre
Town
London
Salary
£99,808 - £113,803 per annum inclusive of HCAs
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
13/11/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Whittington Health NHS Trust logo

Head of Specialty & Michael Palin Centre

NHS AfC: Band 8d

Please note in order to progress your application, your data will be processed by our 3rd party recruitment providers – North London Partners Shared Service, who conduct recruitment activities on behalf of Whittington Health NHS Trust.

For our current apprenticeship vacancies, please go to https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship and use Keyword ‘Whittington’

By applying for this role, you accept in the event you are successful that 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 is aimed at saving you time and improving efficiencies within the NHS when your employment transfers.

 


 

Job overview

The Michael Palin Centre (MPC) for Stammering Children is a national tertiary centre and an internationally recognised centre of excellence in stammering and cluttering.  The MPC is run by NHS Whittington Health with support from charity partners. 

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a suitably qualified Speech and Language Therapist (SLT) to take up the position of Head of Speciality and the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering. This post holder will be responsible for the delivery and management of all clinical services, training and research activities provided by the Centre, ensuring that the service achieves the highest standards of evidence-based practice. The post holder will be responsible for the management of specialist SLTs, as well as the administrative support team. They will also be responsible for clinical supervision, clinical governance and budgetary management.

This post requires an expert practitioner with specialist knowledge and skills of evidence-based practice in the field of stammering and cluttering, as well as a history of publications and the delivery of conference presentations and specialist training courses. The post holder will have a creative and visionary approach to the future development of an expert national and international service, professional training and the research programme. They will also have relevant management experience including negotiating with key stakeholders and commissioners, as well as fundraising leadership.

 

Main duties of the job

To provide strong, visible, strategic leadership and clinical expertise in the field of stammering and cluttering, participating nationally and internationally in the advancement of clinical practice and research, as well as in developing and implementing strategic planning, interpreting NHS policy drivers and aligning with the Whittington Health organisational goals. 

 

Working for our organisation

Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Head of Specialty will be responsible for the delivery and management of all expert clinical services, training and research activities provided by the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering (MPC).

The post holder will be responsible for ensuring that these activities and services aspire to achieve the highest standards of best practice in relation to research and expert evidence.

In addition, the post holder will be responsible for staff management, clinical supervision, clinical governance, budgetary management and cost improvements.

The Head of Specialty will be responsible for developing and delivering services in line with requirements of commissioners ensuring high quality experience and outcomes for service users. 

As a clinician with expert knowledge and skills in the field of stammering and cluttering, the Head of Speciality has a national and international role in promoting best practice, providing strategic leadership in practice, training and education, supporting research and influencing policies on care pathways and clinical networks to improve national standards for those affected by stammering and cluttering.

The Head of Specialty will have a key role in managing relationships with existing and potential philanthropic supporters, hosting visits, preparing literature, presenting cases for support and providing stewardship for donors. This may involve organising, hosting and giving presentations at fundraising events and initiatives.

For more details of the role please see the attached job description

Person specification

Education/Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Educated to master's level or equivalent level of experience working at a senior clinical or academic level in specialist areas.
  • Extensive knowledge of specialist areas, acquired through experience or training, plus further specialist knowledge, ongoing training and experience exceeding 5 years.
  • Participation on national and international committees and networks relevant to stammering and cluttering.
  • Portfolio of qualitative/quantitative research studies and publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Skills & Abilities

Essential criteria
  • Highly developed leadership and influencing skills with the ability to enthuse, motivate and involve individuals and teams.
  • Ability to devise, assess and prioritise complex key organisational deliverables balancing competing priorities to inform strategic choices for long term delivery and growth.
  • Strong commercial and business acumen and judgment, understanding the need for expert and efficient services and the impact of operational efficiencies on financial performance, patient experience and staff motivation and morale.

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria
  • Ability to develop and influence a high performing, collaborative team, whilst allowing flexibility for staff to develop against their own personal targets.
  • Experience of managing a team of professionals, including recruitment, appraisal performance management and development.
  • Evidenced experience of building and sustaining effective and productive working relationships with a range of people at local national and international level including statutory, voluntary and private sector organisations.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

No smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleDisability confident leaderInvestors in PeopleImproving working livesCare quality commission - GoodDisability confident committed

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.

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. Please complete and submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Vanessa Cooke
Job title
Director of Operations, CYP Services
Email address
[email protected]
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