Band 7 Occupational Therapist for Medicine (including Neurology)

Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust; Harlow; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust is seeking an experienced Occupational Therapist to lead advanced assessments and develop patient-centred treatment plans within neurology. You will work across inpatient and community settings, collaborating closely with carers and medical teams.

You will drive professional standards, supervise junior staff, and contribute to service development and training, ensuring safe, effective care and strong governance across the department.

Responsibilities

• Provide individual and client-centred assessments in medicine and neurology.
• Conduct specialist multi-needs assessments using complex clinical reasoning.
• Provide clinical leadership within the medical team on neurology.
• Develop collaborative treatment plans with patients and carers, including home settings.
• Maintain high professional standards and promote quality improvements.
• Manage clinical and managerial caseload with governance and standards.
• Undertake risk assessments for moving, equipment use, and discharge planning.
• Lead clinical training and in-service education for staff.
• Lead designated occupational therapy staff and supervise students.
• Inform changes in practice affecting service delivery and planning.
• Ensure records of professional judgments are accurate and reported.
• Participate in recruitment, selection and induction of staff.
• Contribute to policy development and strategic reviews.

Job description

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) is proud to care for the communities of West Essex, delivering safe, compassionate, and high-quality services. We are part of the Neighbourhood Wavea national programme that’s changing how care is delivered by focusing on prevention,
early support, and more joined-up services across health, social care, and the voluntary sector.

This means we’re working more closely with local partners to bring care closer to home and support people to live healthier, more independent lives.

We’re a supportive and inclusive organisation that values its people. We offer development opportunities, flexible working, and a strong focus on wellbeing. As a Disability Confident and equal opportunities employer, we welcome applicants from all backgrounds and experiences.

Join us and help shape the future of care in West Essex.

Job Overview

Main duties of the job

• To be responsible for providing individual and client centred assessments to medicine & neurology managing the most complex cases addressing occupational performance skills, patterns, context or contexts and activity demands in collaboration with patients and carers.
• To undertake occupational therapy specialist multi-needs assessments using complex and advanced clinical reasoning demonstrating critical thinking, reflection and analysis to develop individual and group goal and task oriented treatment plans.
• To act as a source of clinical expertise and advice providing clinical leadership within the medical team and provide a resource for other teams in regards to neurology.
• To develop collaborative treatment plans with patents, carers and colleagues in the hospital and if necessary in the patient’s home environment, demonstrating ethical clinical reasoning and problem solving techniques to determine agreed outcomes across health and social care.
• To maintain high professional standards, continuously promoting and developing quality improvements appropriate to the needs of the occupational therapy service and profession.
• To be responsible for clinical and managerial caseload management ensuring clinical governance, quality assurance and occupational therapy professional standards are met.
• To undertake complex risk assessments and to advise others in determining appropriate management specifically relating to moving and handling, safe use of equipment, pre-discharge access assessments and home assessments ensuring safety during occupational therapy interventions both in hospital and the patient’s home.
• To understand and apply National Guidelines and legislation relating to health and social care in occupational therapy practice.
• To take a lead in developing and implementing clinical training programmes and in- service training for occupational therapy staff and other professionals.
• Be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your work, ensuring a high standard of care for your patients and support more junior staff to do likewise. This includes the use of autonomy to work within the scope of practice and treat patients within general professional guidelines and standards as determined by the Royal College of Occupational Therapy and any other appropriate source.
• To operationally lead and manage designated occupational therapy staff within the medical team, providing effective guidance, supervision and performance management including the education and management of students on practice placements.
• To inform the occupational therapy service of changes in clinical practice which may influence occupational therapy service delivery, business planning and strategic reviews to support the delivery of the annual occupational therapy plan, meeting agreed objectives.
• To ensure accurate and up to date records of all professional judgements, decisions taken, related statistical information are kept and reported in accordance with occupational therapy policies.
• To participate as required in the recruitment selection and induction of junior occupational therapy staff.
• To participate in the operational planning and implementation of policy and service development within occupational therapy, medicine & neurology leading on delegated projects.
  

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

Please see attached job description and personal specification of the role for further information. Alternatively you are welcome to call the therapies department on
and speak with Katie Silk (head of therapies) or Darryl De Souza (deputy therapy manager) for an informal chat.