Band 7 Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist

BHR Hospitals; England; Remote; GBP 56,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

BHRUT in Romford is seeking a Band 7 Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist to lead and develop the Acute Elderly Unit team. The post focuses on complex assessment, discharge planning and autonomous practice with supervision of junior staff.

You will provide specialist OT services within acute elderly and medical areas, contribute to policy development and ensure robust decision-making to support patient flow; Band 6-7 development may be considered.

Qualifications

• HCPC registered Occupational Therapist.
• Experience in acute frailty or elderly care settings.
• Leadership and teaching skills for supervising junior staff.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist OT services for acute elderly patients.
• Lead and mentor MDT colleagues and student OT staff.
• Develop and implement discharge plans and patient flow strategies.
• Contribute to policy development and service improvement.
• Support autonomous practice while coordinating with Clinical Leads.

Skills

Leadership

Autonomous practice

Discharge planning

Teaching/mentoring

Clinical assessment

Education

Degree in Occupational Therapy

HCPC registration

RCOT membership

Job description

Band 7 Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist

Band 7

Main area BHRUT Therapies Grade Band 7 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 162-8087-CCS

Site Queen's Hospital Town Romford Salary £55,524 - £62,652 Per Annum Inclusive Salary period Yearly Closing 12/11/2026 23:59

PEOPLE are at the HEART of everything we do

This video gives a flavour of what it is like to work at our Trust and why some of our staff love working here

The Acute Elderly Unit Team in BHRUT are actively recruiting for a motivated and dynamic Band 7 Occupational Therapist to join our team at Queen's Hospital in Romford, Essex.

The team covers 3 Acute Elderly wards and are part of the Frailty service provision. Working in a fast-paced environment, you will have the opportunity to expand your clinical knowledge and be expected to supervise and educate more junior staff.

You will be required to demonstrate strong leadership skills and be confident to work as an autonomous practitioner with a focus on complex assessment and discharge planning with robust decision-making essential for efficient patient flow. You will be familiar the assessment of patients with diverse presentations and complex physical, cognitive and psychological health conditions within elderly and medical specialities to develop and deliver treatment and discharge plans. The team is an integrated service with Occupational therapy, with staff working to develop an enhanced therapy role. You will be supported in your role directly by the Clinical Specialist OT. Peer support will be provided by the existing Band 7 Physio's and OTs and plenty of CPD opportunities are available.

Band 6 to 7 development post may be considered.

Main duties of the job

• To provide specialist standard of Occupational Therapy service to patients within the acute elderly units with a special focus on the assessment of the acute elderly patients, facilitating and maximising patient potential within the service boundaries using a holistic approach.
• To give highly specialist guidance, advice and education to other members of the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) on matters relating to your specialist area.
• Provide leadership for your team (in conjunction with the Clinical Leads) in planning, coordinating, delivering, and evaluating the Occupational Therapy service provided to patients within your area.
• To provide a lead role in teaching, supervising and appraising peers, Band 6, Band 5, Student Occupational Therapists and Generic Therapy Assistants
• To deputise in the absence of senior colleagues as required both within management and clinical areas.
• To contribute to the running and development of the service through the promotion, adaptation and development of policies, procedures and guidelines using evidence-based practise.
• Undertake supervision, mentoring and performance development plans to promote clinical and professional effectiveness of self and others. This includes performance management, management of disciplinary issues in liaison with Therapy Manager.

Working for our organisation

We’re an organisation that is getting better and better and our improvements are driven by a determination to deliver care we’re proud of and our patients are happy with.

They are benefitting from a new electronic patient record (we were the last acute trust in London to introduce one) and our maternity services have been rated good by the Care Quality Commission.

We operate from two main sites – KGH in Goodmayes and Queen’s Hospital in Romford. We have two busy emergency departments with more than 346,000 people visiting them last year. We’re campaigning to secure the £35m we need to transform the A&E at Queen’s and get rid of corridor care.

We’re proud of our regional Neurosciences Centre, Radiotherapy Centre and Hyper Acute Stroke Unit. We’re also part of the North East London Cancer Alliance.

We run a Women’s Health Hub in Ilford; an Ageing Well Centre in Hornchurch; and Community Diagnostic Centres (CDC) at Barking Community Hospital and at St George’s Health and Wellbeing Hub. These CDCs are open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The majority of our 8,400 staff – who come from 146 different countries - live in the three diverse London boroughs we serve and are from black, Asian and minority ethnic groups. Many can work flexibly and more than 400 of them are on our Ofsted accredited apprenticeship programmes. We’re proud to be a London Living Wage employer.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For further information on this role, please see the attached detailed Job Description and Person Specification.

The person specification listed below is not the full specification requirements for the role. Please ensure you review the full specification on the job description prior to submitting your application.

Applicants are advised to read all the information on the advert and the supporting information before completing and submitting an application. As you complete your application please ensure you clearly demonstrate how you meet the criteria in the person specification for this post by adequately completing the supporting information section of the application form.

All new staff appointed at the Trust are subject to a probationary period.

Applications should be made online, however, queries regarding the application process, assistance with completion of the application form or if you require any adjustments (for applicants with a disability) please contact Pubudu Chandrasekera, Recruitment Advisor, on 01708 435000 ext. 5110. Further details regarding the post may be obtained by contacting the manager as per the contact details above.

Person specification

Education/ Qualifications

• Degree/Diploma in Occupational Therapy
• H.C.P.C. Registration
• Evidence of recent and relevant CPD.
• Appropriate post graduate study in specialist field.
• RCOT Membership.
• Evidence of completion of statutory training.
• Leadership training
• Member of appropriate specialist interest group.
• Willingness to continue post graduate training.

Skills/ Abilities

• Advanced knowledge of a wide range of issues (physical, cognitive, environmental, social and political) impacting on the process of treating and discharge planning
• Strong knowledge of acute medical conditions, and their impact on cognitive, physical & social functioning
• Highly skilled in the assessment and treatment of patients presenting with common pathologies including dementia, delirium and falls
• Demonstrate up to date knowledge of best practise and current research in acute elderly/frailty and medical care
• Highly skilled in the application of relevant cognitive assessments to inform OT treatment planning and intervention in a medical setting.
• In depth knowledge of community services provided by Primary Care and Social Services
• Ability to organise, prioritise and delegate
• Ability to demonstrate leadership and supportive supervisory skills
• Evidence of teaching skills
• Ability to use own initiative
• Knowledge and understanding of the Mental Capacity Act and experience in carrying out Mental Capacity Assessments in accordance to the Mental Capacity Act
• Understand the legal responsibilities of the profession and their implications for practice
• Understand clinical governance and its implications for service delivery and demonstrate evidence of its application i.e. audit
• Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information (verbal, non-verbal and written) in accurate, clear and logical manner
• Ability to work at moderate to intense physical effort throughout the day
• Ability to cope working in a stressful environment and with emotional or aggressive patients and carers
• Evidence of developing service provision.

Experience/ Knowledge

• To have a broad base of experience at Band 5 and Band 6 levels or equivalent
• Proven clinical experience in the relevant field of acute frailty during Band 6 rotations in an acute hospital setting.
• Experience of working closely with community services to facilitate early discharge from hospital
• Training of junior staff and MDT in relevant conditions, treatment and management.
• Supervision of Junior staff
• Evidence of treating patients with complex needs
• Training of students on placements
• Recent clinical experience and knowledge in spinal patients
• Experience of working in early discharge teams such as Discharge To Assess/Home First

Before you apply

Using AI
We recognise that more applicants are using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support their job applications and welcome the responsible use of these technologies.
AI can be a useful tool to help organise your thoughts, improve the structure of your application and support your preparation. However, your application should remain an authentic and accurate reflection of your skills, experience, and knowledge.
We encourage you to review the person specification carefully and provide clear examples that demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria for the role. Any information submitted as part of your application must be accurate, truthful, and based on your experience.
Throughout our recruitment process, we value honesty, integrity, and authenticity. We want to understand what you can bring to BHRUT, so please ensure that your application reflects your own capabilities and achievements.
AI should not be used to misrepresent your skills, qualifications, and experience.

Flexible working
We welcome applications from candidates seeking flexible working or job sharing where service needs allow.

Pre-employment checks
Please provide references from your current or most recent employer, including your line manager or supervisor. Successful applicants will also be required to complete pre-employment checks, including identity verification through TrustID and any role-specific clearances.

Certificate of Sponsorship
In line with UKVI guidance, we are unable to provide a Certificate of Sponsorship for Band 2 and Band 3 roles.

Recruitment process
We may close vacancies before the advertised closing date if we receive a high volume of applications. All communication regarding your application will be sent by email, so please check your inbox and junk folder regularly.

Inclusion
BHRUT is committed to creating an inclusive workplace and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. Applicants who declare a disability under the Equality Act 2010 or identify as a Care Leaver and choose to be considered under our Disability Confident or Care Leaver schemes will be guaranteed an interview where they meet the essential criteria.

Safeguarding
BHRUT is committed to safeguarding children and adults at risk. All employees are expected to share this commitment and follow the Trust's safeguarding policies.

Smoke-free Trust
BHRUT is a smoke‑free Trust. All employees are expected to comply with our smoke‑free policy.

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.

There’s never been a better time to join the team.

We have a wide range of flexible, temporary and part-time opportunities.