Band 7 Team Lead Occupational Therapist

The Great Western Hospitals NHS FT; Swindon; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 43,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare trust in the UK is seeking a Band 7 Team Lead Occupational Therapist to oversee and coordinate operations within the Acute Occupational Therapy Team. This senior role emphasizes leadership in service delivery, clinical standards, and supports patient care through effective team management and collaboration across various medical and surgical wards. Candidates must have a relevant degree and the ability to manage professional checks, ensuring quality treatment and team development.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Continuous professional development

Qualifications

• Demonstrated leadership and change-management skills.
• Ability to manage DBS checks.
• Eligible for a Skilled Worker visa.

Responsibilities

• Ensure high-quality, effective service delivery.
• Lead the implementation of guidelines to meet standards.
• Manage departmental budget, equipment, and resources.

Skills

Leadership

Clinical assessment

Change management

Patient care

Education

Degree in Occupational Therapy

Current right to work in the UK

Job description

The Great Western Hospital is seeking an enthusiastic and motivated Band 7 Team Lead Occupational Therapist to join our Acute Occupational Therapy Team. This senior leadership role will provide operational oversight, clinical leadership and day‑to‑day coordination across a range of medical and surgical wards, working collaboratively with the existing Band 7 Team Lead and the Band 7 Clinical Specialists across Palliative Care, Frailty, Cardiology and Respiratory.

Responsibilities

1. Ensure high quality, effective service delivery that places patient experience and safety at its core.
2. Demonstrate leadership and change‑management skills through the management of designated projects contributing to clinical governance and service development.
3. Lead the implementation of local and national guidelines to meet clinical governance standards.
4. Adhere strictly to Trust clinical and non‑clinical policies, procedures and guidelines.
5. Make recommendations for changes to practice and lead the implementation of specific changes.
6. Undertake and lead audits relevant to the service area, disseminating findings at local level.
7. Contribute to the Trust’s clinical governance and quality agenda, including attendance at CQC meetings.
8. Undertake regular professional development to develop own clinical knowledge and skills in line with evidence‑based practice.
9. Participate in local and Trust‑wide service development and projects, representing Acute OT and delegating to team members where appropriate.
10. Use specialist clinical assessment and reasoning skills to provide autonomous specialist assessment, diagnosis, treatment and evaluation of patients presenting with high risk, chronic and acute problems and medical conditions.
11. Work with patients to identify Occupational Therapy goals as part of the overall care plan.
12. Monitor, evaluate and modify treatment to measure progress and ensure effectiveness of intervention.
13. Work closely with the multidisciplinary team and partner organisations to ensure high‑quality service delivery, timely discharges and appropriate referrals.
14. Maintain accurate paper and electronic records in accordance with professional and organisational standards.
15. Promote and communicate the role of Occupational Therapy and service priorities to the MDT.
16. Support staff in communicating sensitive information about patient treatment, goals and progress.
17. Manage challenging circumstances and work environments while maintaining patient dignity.
18. Adhere to national guidelines, legislation, HCPC and College of Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.
19. Manage the departmental budget, equipment and resources responsibly and with clear benefits to the team and organisation.
20. Provide direct supervision to senior OTs, fostering staff development and retention.
21. Support local universities by supervising Occupational Therapy students and ensuring comprehensive induction for staff and students.
22. Co‑ordinate and monitor the supervision and appraisal of staff.
23. Lead daily and team meetings with the Acute OT team to cascade information and facilitate support.
24. Ensure caseload and referral data is kept up to date with the Informatics Team, providing reports when required.
25. Maintain the Health Roster, including annual leave, sickness absence, TOIL, overtime and weekend working.
26. Plan workforce and recruitment for the team.
27. Participate in performance and absence management processes in collaboration with HR.
28. Investigate incidents and complaints in line with Trust policies and procedures.
29. Coordinate and participate in weekend working rosters.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Current right to work in the UK, subject to verification.
• Proof of qualification meeting sponsorship criteria (if applicable).
• Eligible for a Skilled Worker visa under the UK immigration policy (skill level and salary criteria met).
• Ability to manage DBS checks; Applicants responsible for covering DBS costs if required.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We are a Disability Confident Employer; all applicants who have a disability can opt to be considered under the guaranteed interview scheme, which means that, providing they meet the minimum essential criteria for the post, they will be offered an interview. We are also proudly accredited as a Veteran Aware organisation and have signed The Armed Forces Covenant.

Work‑Life Balance

Flexible working arrangements are supported through the Great Western Academy, and upon joining the Trust, you have the right to request flexible working with unlimited requests permitted.

All communications regarding your application will be conducted via email; please check your junk/spam folders as emails may occasionally be filtered there.