Deputy Designated Clinical Officer

Main area Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) registered or registered Allied Health Professional Grade NHS AfC: Band 7 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Monday -Friday) Job ref -TS

Employer NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board Employer type NHS Site Gail House Town Maidstone Salary £49,387 - £56,515 pro rata, per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 01/11/ :59 Interview date 18/11/2026

Deputy Designated Clinical Officer

NHS AfC: Band 7

Job overview

This role supports the Designated Clinical Officer and ICB SEND Team to ensure NHS Kent & Medway ICB meets its statutory responsibilities for children and young people aged 0-25 with special educational needs and disabilities.

The post holder provides clinical expertise, leadership and coordination across health, education and local authority partners, with a focus on high-quality health input to Education, Health and Care Plans, multi-agency assessments and SEND service improvement. Key duties include overseeing workstreams and projects, advising on complex cases, supporting quality assurance, audits and tribunals, developing policy and training, managing risks and records, and contributing to effective commissioning and use of resources.

The role requires strong analytical, organisational and communication skills, sound clinical judgement and the ability to influence change across a complex partnership system.

Main duties of the job

• Support delivery of statutory SEND responsibilities for children and young people aged 0-25.
• Provide clinical expertise and guidance on complex SEND cases and EHCP requirements.
• Lead and coordinate SEND workstreams, projects and multi-agency assessments.
• Ensure health advice within Education, Health and Care Plans is accurate, timely and high quality.
• Work collaboratively with health services, local authorities, education settings, families and voluntary organisations.
• Support quality assurance, audits, service evaluation and continuous improvement.
• Develop policies, procedures and training to improve SEND practice across organisations.
• Represent the ICB at SEND tribunals and other complex multi-agency meetings.
• Manage risks, performance information, case records and statutory documentation.
• Contribute to service planning, commissioning decisions and effective use of resources.
• Provide oversight and support the team members and deputise for the Designated Clinical Officer when required.

Working for our organisation

We are committed to a culture that supports all staff at NHS Kent and Medway to be the best version of themselves.

Our ability to improve outcomes for our population depends on how effectively clinical, operational, financial and strategic professionals work together to make informed commissioning decisions. That’s why our workforce works a minimum of two days-a-week on-site, with the expectation that all one-to-ones are held face-to-face and that colleagues will regularly visit the services we are commissioning to understand more about them.

We believe regular on-site working supports stronger collaboration, faster problem-solving, peer learning, visible leadership and the integration of colleagues into our organisation. We also know that culture is built through shared experiences and day-to-day interactions.

We are a flexible working friendly organisation; we aim to support you to work flexibly in a way that will suit you and us.

We work with staff to agree objectives through regular supervision, annual appraisal and access to training opportunities.

We are committed to equal opportunities and diversity. In order to reflect the diversity of our population, we positively encourage applications from all areas of the community regardless of gender, race, faith, disability, age or sexual orientation.

Person specification

Qualifications and Experience

• Educated to degree level or equivalent experience.
• Member of a relevant clinical professional body.
• Significant experience working in political, complex environments.
• Evidence of continued professional development.
• Experience coordinating complex projects

Attributes

• Motivated to improve outcomes for CYP with SEND
• Able to prepare clear, concise, high quality communications.
• System thinking, process improvement, effective communication
• Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Strong financial/process literacy.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.