NHSCT Assistant Director Integrated Discharge, OT and SLT Band 8c

Job details

• Branch: Northern HSC Trust Area
• Location: Braid Valley Site: Spruce House
• Directorate: Mental Health, Learning Disability & CWB Division
• Functional Area: Admin Services
• Salary: Band 8c (£76,965 - £88,682)
• Contract Type: Permanent
• Opening Date: 17/07/26
• Closes: Fri, 31 July 2026 @ 5:00 PM
• Interview Dates: TBC

Notes

If you are submitting a manual application, please post it to: Recruitment Shared Services, Rosewood Villa, Longstone Hospital Site, 73 Loughgall Road, Armagh, BT61 7PR. Applications received after the advertised closing date/time cannot be considered, so please allow enough time for postage. “A waiting list may be created for similar posts that may arise while the waiting list is live, this may include temporary or part-time posts. This will be managed in line with the updated HSC waiting list principles effective from 1 April 2026”. Where a part-time waiting list is required, one part-time waiting list will be created- regardless of any specific hours advertised, this waiting list will cover all future vacancies where part-time posts arise. A part-time post is defined as any post that has less than 37.5 hours per week.” Please remember to save or print a copy of the job description before submitting your application, as it will not be accessible afterwards. Flexible Working We welcome flexible working requests from day one. All HSC organisations offer a range of flexible working options. The options available for this post will depend on the requirements of the role. Find out more about flexible working options on our website.

Job Description

Assistant Director for Integrated Discharge, Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language Therapy

Job Description

The Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NHSCT) is responsible for the delivery of safe and effective health and social care (HSC) services to the population of the Northern Trust area in Northern Ireland.

We provide compassionate care with our community in our community. In order to do this we require the commitment of a highly skilled and professional workforce that meets the need of the service.

The diagram below outlines our values and our objectives which support the delivery of compassionate care within our community.

The below diagram details the values and associated behaviours that we expect staff working within Health and Social Care (HSC) to display at all times;

HSC Value

What does this mean?

What does this look like in practice? - Behaviours

Working Together

We work together for the best outcome for people we care for and support. We work across Health and Social Care and with other external organisations and agencies, recognising that leadership is the responsibility of all.

I work with others and value everyone’s contribution

I treat people with respect and dignity

I work as part of a team looking for opportunities to support and help people in both my own and other teams

I actively engage people on issues that affect them

I look for feedback and examples of good practice, aiming to improve where possible

Compassion

We are sensitive, caring, respectful and understanding towards those we care for and support and our colleagues. We listen carefully to others to better understand and take action to help them and ourselves.

I am sensitive to the different needs and feelings of others and treat people with kindness

I learn from others by listening carefully to them

I look after my own health and well-being so that I can care for and support others

Excellence

We commit to being the best we can be in our work, aiming to improve and develop services to achieve positive changes. We deliver safe, high-quality, compassionate care and support.

I put the people I care for and support at the centre of all I do to make a difference

I take responsibility for my decisions and actions

I commit to best practice and sharing learning, while continually learning and developing

I try to improve by asking ‘could we do this better?’

Openness & Honesty

We are open and honest with each other and act with integrity and candour.

I am open and honest in order to develop trusting relationships

I ask someone for help when needed

I speak up if I have concerns

I challenge inappropriate or unacceptable behaviour and practice

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE: Assistant Director

BAND: Band 8c

PORTFOLIO OF SERVICES: Integrated Discharge (CDC, Hospital Social Work, Trusted Assessors); Community Equipment; Wheelchair Services’ MHRA Serivce; Early Review Team; Occupational Therapy; and Speech and Language Therapy

DIRECTORATE/DIVISION: AHPs, Intermediate Care and Integrated Discharge

INITIAL LOCATION: To be confirmed

REPORTS TO: Director of AHPs, Intermediate Care and Integrated Discharge

ACCOUNTABLE TO: Director of Operations

FLEXIBLE WORKING

PROVISIONS AVAILABLE: Full-time working, Fixed working patterns, Flexi-time, Compressed/ elongated hours

JOB SUMMARY

The Assistant Director is responsible for the strategic leadership, operational management and performance of the above portfolio of services within the Trust. The post holder is accountable for delivering high quality, safe and effective services that meet the needs of the population and achieve statutory, regulatory and organisational targets.

The Assistant Director will operate as a senior leader within the Trust, managing significant financial, workforce and service resources, and will be accountable for both the delivery of operational performance and the transformation and modernisation of services.

The post holder will provide visible and credible leadership across multidisciplinary teams, ensuring the implementation of robust performance management arrangements to deliver against Ministerial, Department of Health, Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG) and Trust priorities.

They will lead site coordination to ensure effective and safe operational delivery of services, while participating in the senior on-call rota, providing oversight and timely decision-making in response to service pressures and incidents.

Working in partnership with the Director and key stakeholders, the Assistant Director will lead the planning, transformation and delivery of integrated services across organisational and system boundaries, maximising the effective use of resources and improving outcomes for patients, service users and the wider population.

KEY RESULT AREAS / MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic leadership and service transformation

Be accountable for the strategic development, planning and delivery of services within the portfolio, ensuring alignment with Trust objectives, regional strategies and Ministerial priorities.

Drive service modernisation, transformation and innovation, including the development of integrated models of care across primary, community and acute settings to improve outcomes and patient flow.

Contribute to improving population health outcomes and reducing health inequalities by aligning services to population need and regional priorities.

Lead the continued development, embedding and expansion of the Integrated Discharge model across the Trust locality, ensuring consistency, sustainability and alignment with regional and organisational priorities.

Provide strategic oversight of integrated discharge and care pathways, ensuring alignment across acute, community and intermediate care services to optimise patient flow, experience and outcomes.

Operational delivery and performance management

Accountable for the delivery of operational performance across the service portfolio, ensuring the achievement of agreed targets and the delivery of high quality, safe and effective services through the effective leadership and management of multidisciplinary teams.

Establish and maintain robust performance management frameworks, supporting effective monitoring, reporting and delivery of performance objectives, and holding service managers and clinical leaders to account for agreed performance, quality and financial outcomes.

Drive a culture of data-driven decision making, maximising the use of digital systems, performance intelligence and informatics to inform service delivery, improvement and planning.

Maintain compliance with all statutory, regulatory and professional standards, including the timely implementation of recommendations arising from inspections, reviews and regulatory processes.

Be accountable for the safe, effective and timely discharge of patients from hospital to home or appropriate community settings, ensuring optimal patient flow and reduction in delays across the system.

Provide strategic and operational oversight of complex discharge pathways, ensuring robust multidisciplinary assessment, coordination and timely mobilisation of community-based support for patients with high levels of dependency and risk.

Provide senior leadership oversight within Integrated Discharge arrangements, including participation in senior-level decision-making forums and rotas to expedite discharge and support system flow.

Develop, implement and assure escalation frameworks to support timely, safe and effective discharge decision-making, particularly in complex or high-risk cases.

Quality, safety and governance

Deliver services which are patient/service user centred and underpinned by evidence-based practice and continuous quality improvement.

Ensure that robust clinical, social care and corporate governance arrangements are in place, including effective systems for risk management, assurance and compliance.

Have oversight of systems for the effective management of incidents, complaints and investigations, ensuring learning is embedded and results in measurable service improvement.

Embed a culture of openness, learning and continuous improvement across all services.

Improvement, innovation and learning

Drive continuous improvement and innovation initiatives to enhance outcomes, productivity and value for money.

Differentiate and lead both continuous improvement and large-scale transformation programmes, ensuring sustainable change and measurable benefits.

Promote the use of research, evidence, benchmarking and best practice to inform service development and improvement.

Financial and resource management

Maintain robust financial management of all delegated budgets, delivering financial balance, value for money and agreed efficiency targets.

Lead delivery of financial recovery plans and cost improvement programmes where required, ensuring sustainability of services while maintaining quality and safety standards.

Lead service and capital planning within the area of responsibility, ensuring alignment with the Trust’s Corporate Plan.

Contribute to commissioning, contracting and service level negotiations with the Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG) and other commissioning bodies.

Workforce, culture and organisational development

Accountable for the leadership, development and sustainability of the workforce, ensuring services are supported by a highly skilled, engaged and high-performing workforce aligned to current and future service needs.

Provide clear, visible and inclusive leadership to develop a highly skilled, motivated workforce, fostering a culture of engagement, accountability and continuous improvement.

Lead workforce planning, modernisation and organisational development to ensure services are sustainable, adaptable and responsive to changing service demands and strategic priorities.

Drive service redesign and organisational change programmes, ensuring staff are effectively engaged, supported and developed throughout transformation.

Embed a positive organisational culture that supports staff wellbeing, inclusion, continuous professional development and high standards of performance.

Develop and sustain effective industrial relations, maintaining constructive partnership working with staff and trade unions.

Partnership and system working

Develop and sustain effective strategic partnerships across the Trust, wider HSC system and external organisations to support service delivery.

Actively represent and influence the Trust’s position at regional and system-level forums, contributing to the development of strategy, policy and service models.

Ensure meaningful engagement with stakeholders, service users and carers in the co-design, planning, delivery and evaluation of services.

Lead collaboration across organisational boundaries to deliver integrated, person-centred care pathways.

Provide strategic leadership across acute, community and primary care interfaces to ensure aligned, effective discharge pathways and seamless transitions of care.

Provide oversight of Community Equipment Services as a critical enabler of discharge pathways, ensuring alignment, responsiveness and capacity to support timely discharge and admission avoidance.

Corporate and leadership responsibilities

Provide visible, credible leadership across the organisation, acting as a role model for professional and managerial standards.

Contribute to and influence corporate governance, planning and decision-making as a member of the Divisional Management Team.

Provide assurance and high-quality information to the Trust Board, senior management and external stakeholders as required.

Hold accountability for delivery of services across a large and complex portfolio, managing significant financial, workforce and operational resources.

Deputise for the Director as required and participate in on-call arrangements.

Lead by example, demonstrating the HSC values and the highest standards of professional and managerial conduct.

GENERAL MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Ensure the appropriate governance and risk management arrangements are in place for the services you are responsible for and take appropriate action to identify and manage risk and to maintain safety of users, staff and others in accordance with relevant regulations, policies and procedures;

It is essential to ensure that the highest standards of infection prevention and control are maintained to ensure patient and client safety and maintain confidence in the Trust. As a Manager, you must ensure that you implement all instructions/ policy in this area and that all staff are made aware of and fully comply with these;

Where the post-holder has responsibility for managing a budget, ensure that services are managed and developed both in accordance with agreed and funded priorities as set out on a yearly basis and in accordance with Standing Financial Instructions, particularly ensuring your compliance with payroll documentation procedures and timescales;

Ensure the necessary arrangements are in place in regard to the ‘Knowledge and Skills Framework’ outlines, where this applies, for the posts for which you have management responsibility and ensure that each member of staff has an annual development and performance review, a personal development plan and that arrangements are in place to ensure that staff have maximum opportunity to progress through gateways in their pay bands and to contribute effectively towards our objectives;

Promote a culture of continuous service improvement amongst your staff, encouraging their participation and that of service users in reviewing and modernising current services and in service development;

Make sure you are trained and competent in the relevant policies and procedures which apply to the management of staff and other resources and abide by these policies; seeking advice as necessary from senior management or specialist staff as necessary;

Communicate effectively with staff and maintain productive working relationships amongst your staff and with others;

Delegate appropriate responsibility and authority to staff in order to ensure optimum and effective service delivery and decision-making, whilst retaining overall accountability and responsibility for outcomes;

Promote a culture of learning and development and facilitate arrangements for and participate in training and development of staff as agreed for the performance of their duties. Where training is in accordance with relevant standards make sure you have the relevant competences in order to carry out this responsibility;

Promote equality of opportunity for all by personal action, both in the management of your staff and in the provision of care to service users in accordance with the Trust’s Equality of Opportunity Policy and Equality Scheme;

Take responsibility for ensuring appropriate standards of environmental cleanliness and for encouraging staff to maintain standards in their work area. Have an awareness of environmental issues and take appropriate action, for example to ensure the efficient use of energy and other resources, recycling etc.;

Make sure that staff are aware of Trust policies regarding the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and Records Management and that they must not disclose, withhold, retain or dispose of any information unless legally authorised.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Employees of the Trust will be required to promote and support the mission and vision of the service for which they are responsible and:-

At all times provide a caring service and to treat those with whom they come into contact in a courteous and respectful manner

At all times demonstrate practice the HSC values of Working Together, Excellence, Openness & Honesty and Compassion

Carry out their duties and responsibilities in a manner which assures patient and client safety

Comply with all instructions in regard to Infection Prevention and Control

Demonstrate their commitment by their regular attendance and the efficient completion of all tasks allocated to them

Comply with the Trust’s Smoke Free Policy

Carry out their duties and responsibilities in compliance with health and safety policy and statutory regulations

Adhere to equal opportunities policy throughout the course of their employment

Ensure the ongoing confidence of the public in service provision

Adhere to the Code of Conduct for HSC Employees which aims to guide staff, managers and employers in the work that they do and the decisions and choices they have to make. Professional staff are expected to follow the code of conduct for their own professions as well as this code.

The post holder will, in the event of a concern being raised with them, ensure that it is managed correctly under the NHSCT Raising Concerns Policy, and ensure feedback/learning is communicated at individual, team and organisational level regarding the concerns, and how they were resolved.

RECORDS MANAGEMENT

All employees of the Northern Health & Social Care Trust are legally responsible for all records held, created or used as part of their business within the Northern Health and Social Care Trust, including patient/client, corporate and administrative records whether paper based or electronic and also including e-mails. All such records are public records and are accessible to the general public, with limited exceptions, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Environment Regulations 2004, the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Employees are required to be conversant and to comply with the Northern Health and Social Care Trust policies on Information Governance including (for example) the ICT Security Policy, Data Quality and Data Protection Policy and Records Management Policy and to seek advice if in doubt.

SALARY

£76,965 - £88,682 per annum (pro-rata for part-time)

RIGHT TO WORK IN THE UK

Please note this role may not meet the requirements for a Skilled Worker visa (including a Heath and Care Worker visa) and the Trust therefore would be unable to employ anyone that requires Sponsorship. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration).

HOURS

Normal full-time hours of duty are 37½ hours per week, exclusive of meal times

MEDICAL

Appointment will be subject to a successful pre-employment health assessment.

HOLIDAYS

27 days each year; 29 days after 5 years’ service; 33 days after 10 years’ service and 10 statutory and public holidays.

PENSION

The post-holder can participate in the Health Social Care Pension Scheme.

NORTHERN TRUST BENEFITS

You can explore the benefits on offer to you in the Northern Trust by clicking here

PROBATIONARY PERIOD

You will serve a probationary period of normally six months.

PAY PROTECTION

Legacy Trust Staff who apply for a promotion after 1 April 2011 should be aware that they will lose their legacy protection arrangements and will be entitled to pay protection in accordance with circular HSS (JNF)(1) 2011. This circular will also apply to legacy staff who are currently in receipt of protection and who move post on promotion.

Completed application forms should be returned to the BSO Recruitment and Selection Shared Services Centre, on or before the closing date as stated in the advertisement.

Canvassing, either directly or indirectly, will be an absolute disqualification.

We will review this Job Description and it may include any other duties and responsibilities we determine in consultation with the jobholder. We do not intend it to be rigid and inflexible but rather to provide guidelines within which the jobholder works.

May 2026

PERSONNEL SPECIFICATION

Title of Post: Assistant Director

Band of Post: Band 8c

Notes to applicants

You must clearly demonstrate on your application form under each question, how you meet the required criteria as failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. You should clearly demonstrate this for both the essential and desirable criteria.

Shortlisting will be carried out on the basis of the essential criteria set out in Section 1 below, using the information provided by you on your application form.

Proof of qualifications and/or professional registration will be required if an offer of employment is made – if you are unable to provide this, the offer may be withdrawn.

Volunteering experience may be considered appropriate in particular for roles within the context of direct patient/client care.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

SECTION 1: The following are ESSENTIAL criteria which will initially be measured at shortlisting stage although may also be further explored during the interview/selection stage. You should therefore make it clear on your application form whether or not you meet these criteria. Failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. The stage in the process when the criteria will be measured is stated below.

Factor

Criteria

Method of Assessment

Qualifications/ Registration

Experience

Educated to degree level or equivalent professional qualification.

Evidence of significant ongoing professional and/ or leadership development (formal and/or experiential).

Significant experience1 at senior management level (Band 8b or equivalent)2 leading strategic and operational delivery across complex, multi-professional services within a large complex organisation3.

Demonstrable experience of professional governance and assurance, including accountability for quality, safety and risk management.

Proven track record of leading large-scale service transformation and improvement programmes and delivering sustained performance against challenging operational, quality and financial targets.

Experience of managing substantial workforce and financial resources, including delegated budgets, workforce planning and establishment control.

Experience of working with and influencing senior internal and external stakeholders, including Executive colleagues, system partners and regional bodies, to deliver organisational and system-wide objectives.

Shortlisting by Application Form

Other

Hold a current full driving licence which is valid for use in the UK and have access to a car on appointment. This criteria will be waived in the case of applicants whose disability prohibits driving but who have access to a form of transport approved by the Trust which will permit them to carry out the duties of the post.

Willingness to participate in the on-call rota

Shortlisting by Application Form

SECTION 2: The following are ESSENTIAL criteria which will be measured during the interview/ selection stage:

Skills / Abilities

Ability to operate strategically and operationally within complex health and social care systems

Strong performance management capability, including use of data to drive improvement

Ability to manage significant budgets and resources and deliver financial sustainability

Excellent communication, influencing and negotiation skills across organisational boundaries

Advanced analytical and decision-making skills in complex and ambiguous environments

Proven ability to deliver results through large, multidisciplinary teams

Strong leadership and people management capability

Interview / Test

Knowledge

Understanding of current HSC priorities, policy and reform agenda

Knowledge of governance, risk management and quality frameworks

Knowledge of financial and workforce management at scale

Interview / Test

The following additional clarification is provided

1 ‘Significant’ is defined as contributing directly to key corporate objectives of the organisation.

2 ‘Senior management level’ is defined as experience gained at Band 8b (Agenda for Change 2025/26 salary range: £64,455 - £74,896).

3 ‘Major complex organisation’ is defined as one with at least 200 staff or an annual budget of at least £50 million and involving having to meet a wide range of objectives requiring a high degree of co-ordination with a range of stakeholders.

Value Based Recruitment

Value Based Recruitment is a process adopted by the Northern Trust to attract and select employees on the basis that their individual values and behaviours align with those of the Trust.

It focuses on the ‘how’ and ‘why’ people do what they do.

Candidates who are short-listed for interview will need to demonstrate at interview that they have the required knowledge, skills, competencies and values to be effective in this new role.

In answering the value based questions you have the opportunity to share examples of when you have demonstrated values relevant to the Northern Trust.

Criminal Offences, Investigations and Charges

Having a criminal record will not necessarily debar you from working with the Trust. This will depend on the nature of the position, together with the circumstances and background of your offences or other information contained on a disclosure certificate. Where it is necessary to obtain an Access NI disclosure the Trust operates in line with the Access NI Code of Practice (www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/accessni-code-practice).

If you require further information or a copy of the policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders or the policy on the Secure Handling, Use, Storage and Retention of Disclosure Information, please contact the Trust Human Resources Department.

Essential Leadership Capabilities

The successful candidate will need to provide evidence and demonstrate their Leadership capabilities against the required dimension on the NHS Leadership framework.

A shortlist of candidates for interview will be prepared on the basis of the information contained in the application form. It is therefore essential that all applicants demonstrate through their application how and to what extent their experience and qualities are relevant to this post and the extent to which they satisfy each criterion specified. An assessment centre may also be used as part of the short-listing process.

Candidates who are short-listed for interview will need to demonstrate at interview that they have the required competencies to be effective in this demanding leadership role. The dimensions concerned are given in the Healthcare Leadership Model details of which can be found at http://www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/resources/healthcare-leadership-model.

Particular attention will be given to the following

Inspiring shared purpose

Leading with care

Evaluating information

Connecting our service

Sharing the vision

Engaging the team

Holding to account

Developing capability

Influencing for results

As part of the Recruitment & Selection process it may be necessary for the Trust to carry out an Enhanced Disclosure Check through Access NI before any appointment to this post can be confirmed.

THE NHSCT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER

Successful applicants

may be required to attend for a Health Assessment

can expect to be placed at the minimum point of the pay scale, although a higher starting salary, within the range of the pay band may be available if the person appointed has experience relevant & equivalent to the post. If the successful candidate is an existing HSC employee moving to a higher band, AfC Pay on Promotion will apply.

have the right to request Flexible Working from the 1st day of their employment. A number of flexible working provisions are offered by all HSC Organisations including Full-time working, Fixed working patterns, Part-time working, Flexi-time, Compressed/elongated hours, Average hours working patterns, Term-time working, Job-share or Homeworking for some or all of the working pattern, depending on the role being undertaken. Successful applicants are encouraged to discuss with their manager what Flexible Working provisions may be available in the role they are taking up, prior to commencing employment, to help them achieve a positive Work/Life Balance.

May 2026

Assistant Director for Integrated Discharge, Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language Therapy

Job Description

Assistant Director for Integrated Discharge, Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language Therapy

Job Description

The Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NHSCT) is responsible for the delivery of safe and effective health and social care (HSC) services to the population of the Northern Trust area in Northern Ireland.

We provide compassionate care with our community in our community. In order to do this we require the commitment of a highly skilled and professional workforce that meets the need of the service.

The diagram below outlines our values and our objectives which support the delivery of compassionate care within our community.

The below diagram details the values and associated behaviours that we expect staff working within Health and Social Care (HSC) to display at all times;

HSC Value

What does this mean?

What does this look like in practice? - Behaviours

Working Together

We work together for the best outcome for people we care for and support. We work across Health and Social Care and with other external organisations and agencies, recognising that leadership is the responsibility of all.

I work with others and value everyone’s contribution

I treat people with respect and dignity

I work as part of a team looking for opportunities to support and help people in both my own and other teams

I actively engage people on issues that affect them

I look for feedback and examples of good practice, aiming to improve where possible

Compassion

We are sensitive, caring, respectful and understanding towards those we care for and support and our colleagues. We listen carefully to others to better understand and take action to help them and ourselves.

I am sensitive to the different needs and feelings of others and treat people with kindness

I learn from others by listening carefully to them

I look after my own health and well-being so that I can care for and support others

Excellence

We commit to being the best we can be in our work, aiming to improve and develop services to achieve positive changes. We deliver safe, high-quality, compassionate care and support.

I put the people I care for and support at the centre of all I do to make a difference

I take responsibility for my decisions and actions

I commit to best practice and sharing learning, while continually learning and developing

I try to improve by asking ‘could we do this better?’

Openness & Honesty

We are open and honest with each other and act with integrity and candour.

I am open and honest in order to develop trusting relationships

I ask someone for help when needed

I speak up if I have concerns