University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust
Hand Therapy Operational Team Leader
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About the Role
We are seeking an experienced, dynamic, and highly motivated Hand Therapy Lead to provide senior leadership and operational management for our internationally renowned Pulvertaft Hand Unit.
This is a pivotal leadership role within the Trauma & Orthopaedics division, responsible for ensuring the delivery of a high-quality, specialist hand therapy service across physiotherapy and occupational therapy. The post holder will work closely with consultants, senior managers, and the wider multidisciplinary team to ensure the service remains safe, responsive, efficient, and sustainable.
The Pulvertaft Hand Unit is a nationally and internationally recognised centre of excellence for hand surgery and therapy. You will be joining a high-performing, forward-thinking team delivering specialist care to a complex and diverse patient population.
This role plays a critical function in managing day-to-day operational pressures within the service and reducing escalation, supporting timely and effective decision-making across the unit.
While primarily a leadership role, the post includes a defined advanced clinical component, maintaining expert clinical credibility within specialist hand therapy practice.
Responsibilities
The Hand Therapy Lead will provide senior professional, clinical, and operational leadership, with responsibility for:
- Leading and developing a highly specialised multidisciplinary Hand Therapy workforce
- Providing supervision, appraisal, and performance management across the service
- Service planning, demand and capacity management, and operational delivery
- Clinical governance, audit, risk management, and regulatory compliance
- Financial management, including responsibility for pay and non-pay budgets
- Driving service improvement, innovation, and transformation initiatives
- Supporting advanced clinical practice and extended scope roles
- Acting as a key point of contact for workforce, recruitment, and operational challenges
- Ensuring high standards of patient care, experience, and outcome
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Requirements
You will be an experienced and credible senior clinician with:
- Professional registration (HCPC or equivalent)
- Extensive experience in specialist hand therapy practice
- Demonstrable leadership experience at Band 7/8 level
- Strong operational and service management skills
- Experience of workforce planning, governance, and service development
- A collaborative approach, with the ability to influence across multidisciplinary teams
- A clear commitment to quality, patient safety, and continuous improvement
Key Facts
- We see on average 4810 OP appointments a day.
- We are the 4th busiest Trauma & Orthopaedic outpatients department in England – an average of 2077 per week.
- An average of 1115 patients are seen in A&Es across our network every day – 3rd largest in the country.
- Our hospitals admit an average of 195 emergency patients daily.
- Last year we undertook almost 33,700 planned surgical operations in our 57 operating theatres.
- We are one of only 7 Trusts nationally with more than 50 operating theatres.
- We carry out more than 140 elective procedures each working day.
- UHDB is a research active University Hospital with a large and varied portfolio of clinical trials and research opportunities for all staff.
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Application Details
Closing date: 22 July 2026
Interview date: 20 August 2026
About Us
As a trusted organisation at the heart of our communities, we recognise the important role we can play in supporting the public, patients, our own people, and local partners in achieving the best of health for the local population and the communities in which they live by providing Exceptional Care Together.
Our fundamental Values of Compassion, Openness, and Excellence underpin how we intend to work as a Trust and the associated behaviours are becoming embedded in all aspects of how we work.
Benefits
In Return We Will Offer
- Development opportunities, both professional and leadership development
- Ongoing support from recruitment to when you join our team and beyond
- Staff benefits including employee assistance programme, discounted gym membership, onsite fitness classes, car schemes
Contact
For further details / informal visits contact:
- Name: Jennifer Brierley
- Job title: Deputy General Manager
- Email address: Jennifer.Brierley@nhs.net
- Telephone number: 01332 340131
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