3568 - Chief Allied Health Professions Officer Wales

Job summary

The role of the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer (CAHPO) is a key Professional leadership role within the Health, Social Care and Early Years Group (HSCEY). Knowledge and experience of system wide leadership will be key.

Accountable to the Director of Primary Care, Mental Health and Early Years, you will ensure senior leaders and Welsh Ministers receive appropriate, timely and high-quality professional advice in respect of the Allied Health Professions (AHPs). You will work alongside other professional advisors and with senior leaders including the Director General for Health, Social Care and Early Years and Chief Executive of NHS Wales and the Chief Social Care Officer for Wales to deliver improvements to health and care services in Wales.

As a HCPC registrant in one of the 13 professions identified as AHPs in the AHP Framework for Wales, you will have a demonstrable breadth of knowledge and experience, sufficient profile and experience to lead your peers and engage effectively with the wider AHP community in delivering Government ambitions.

Job description

As Head of Profession for AHPs in Wales you will work across the health system, and with local authorities, and others (e.g., housing and education) and oversee the strategic direction and leadership of the AHP professions that are regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) together with associated staff groups and support workers.

These professions are: art, music and drama therapy, dietetics, podiatry, physiotherapy, prosthetics, orthotics, occupational therapy, orthoptics, paramedic, psychology or speech and language therapy.

Person specification

• Provide expert professional leadership and advice on strategic and policy direction and development, professional practice and operational issues to drive increased access to AHP expertise in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation and recovery from conditions.
• Provide senior leaders and Welsh Ministers with appropriate, timely, high quality and professional advice in respect of the Allied Health Professions (AHPs).
• Promote continued cost-effective development and transformation of services within the complex, dynamic and changing health and care environment.
• Professional responsibility for 13 professions, and relevant National Clinical Leads.
• Act as the principal professional lead for Welsh Government and NHS Wales, to Ministers and Cabinet on all matters relating to AHP policy, education, training and research.
• Raise the profile of AHPs and provide high quality advice that supports policy development that maximises the contributions of the AHP workforce, working across boundaries with other groups to deliver Welsh Government’s wider objectives – e.g., preventing ill-health, improving long-term health outcomes.
• Champion and represent the profession and service within, and beyond, Wales. Maintain an equitable and effective representation of each of the professions’ value and impact in improving health outcomes for the population of Wales.
• Maintain strong leadership and support of Executive Directors of AHPs and Healthcare Sciences (DAHPHS). Drive prioritisation of service re-design and workforce to improve prevention, tackle inequalities, stigma and improve responsiveness and access to AHPs.
• Build and maintain effective networks and relationships with UK Heads of Profession for AHPs and across the system and professions beyond CAHPOs own.
• Strong leadership across the 4 UK nations and working with counterparts in other nations to drive forward the ambitions and vision of AHP services.
• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with key stakeholders and delivery partners including Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW), Health Education Improvement Wales (HEIW), Social Care Wales, NHS Wales Executive and wider NHS in Wales, professional bodies, statutory regulators, academia, industry and wider government administrations.
• Strategic oversight, direction and leadership of delivering ‘The AHP Framework for Wales: Looking Forward Together (2019)’ framework.
• Work with workforce policy colleagues in Welsh Government, Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) and Social Care Wales to secure and grow sufficient and effective undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing education and training opportunities for the AHPs in Wales.
• Support policy officials to shape the AHP research agenda and stimulate the generation, translation and dissemination of this knowledge to the relevant stakeholders in Wales and across the rest of the UK.
• Advise on all statutory duties for those areas of health and social care policy relevant to the 13 separate AHPs to enable the optimal use of their skills and ensure high compliance with quality and patient safety standards.
• Work with the Welsh AHP Advisory Committee, AHP Network, AHP professional bodies, leaders and experts in each of the professions to secure quality assured sources of advice to underpin professional advice on innovative AHP practise and the potential impact on public health, the NHS and social care.
• Support the development of systems which maximise the potential benefits of new technologies and to promote evidence-based practice and high-quality research activity among allied health professionals for service quality improvement and innovation adoption for person centred care.
• Develop and support the effective use of resources and Value Based health and care principles within the allied health professions and facilitate the continuing professional development, research and evaluation to improve clinical effectiveness and outcome.
• Provide authoritative advice on human resources issues within the allied health professions in Wales in terms of workload, planning, training and continued professional development.

Qualifications

Relevant postgraduate education or equivalent experience

Memberships

Registration in one of the HCPC allied health professions recognised in the AHP Framework for Wales. (art, music or drama therapy, dietetics, podiatry, physiotherapy, prosthetics, orthotics, occupational therapy, orthoptics, paramedic, psychology or speech and language therapy)

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Changing and Improving

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £76,715, Welsh Government contributes £22,224 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

The Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our AI candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection Process and Stages

Welsh Government, like all other Government Departments use Success Profiles when we recruit. For each role we consider what you will need to demonstrate to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job. It raises performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

The selection process and stages are:

Number of Stages:2 stage processStage 1Application FormStage 2Interview

In the event of a large number of applications, an initial sift will be conducted against the lead assessment criterion: Leadership. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

A CV is requested as part of the application process. The CV is for information only and will not be scored as part of the assessment process:

• Applicants for this post will be required to demonstrate, via their CV, and through evidence at onboarding stage, that they meet the following criteria:
  • Registration in one of the HCPC allied health professions recognised in the AHP Framework for Wales. (art, music or drama therapy, dietetics, podiatry, physiotherapy, prosthetics, orthotics, occupational therapy, orthoptics, paramedic, psychology or speech and language therapy)
  • Relevant postgraduate education or equivalent experience
  • Demonstrable experience of your leadership contribution and impact in the field of allied health professions, and across the health and care system, at a strategic national or international level.

A presentation/ test on ‘seeing the big picture’ will be required at interview stage (Stage 2). More information will be provided in the invitations to that stage.

A reserve list may be held for this opportunity. Any candidate who is successful in being offered a reserve status, will remain on the reserve list for 12 months.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : hscey.pcmhey.directorsoffice@gov.wales
• Email : hscey.pcmhey.directorsoffice@gov.wales

Recruitment team

• Email : Sharedservicehelpdesk@gov.wales

Further information

Recruitment principles and complaints

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition. Please see the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles on the Commission's website.
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and wish to make a complaint please email complaints@gov.wales. Please ensure that you refer to the vacancy reference number.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Welsh Government, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: info@csc.gov.uk.