Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust; Chelmsford; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation package

Job summary

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust seeks an experienced Band 7 Occupational Therapist to join the Adult Community Mental Health Service, covering Braintree, Chelmsford and surrounding areas. The Clinical Lead OT will provide professional leadership and supervise the OT team, delivering advanced clinical interventions to adults with mental health needs.

You will oversee a varied caseload, lead on service development and quality improvement, and champion occupational therapy across

Responsibilities

• Provide professional leadership and clinical expertise across Adult Community Mental Health Services.
• Manage a complex caseload, undertaking specialist assessments and delivering both individual and group-based interventions.
• Provide supervision and support to Occupational Therapy staff and students.
• Lead on service development, quality improvement and implementation of evidence‑based practice.

Job description

Job Overview

Are you an experienced and enthusiastic Occupational Therapist looking to take the next step in your career? We have an exciting opportunity for a Band 7 Occupational Therapist to join our Adult Community Mental Health Service, covering Braintree, Chelmsford and surrounding areas.

Job Overview

Are you an experienced and enthusiastic Occupational Therapist looking to take the next step in your career? We have an exciting opportunity for a Band 7 Occupational Therapist to join our Adult Community Mental Health Service, covering Braintree, Chelmsford and surrounding areas.

This varied and rewarding role combines advanced clinical practice, leadership and service development. You will work with adults experiencing a range of mental health needs, delivering both one-to-one assessments and interventions as well as therapeutic group programmes within community settings. Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, you will promote recovery, independence and meaningful occupation, supporting individuals to live well within their communities.

As the Clinical Lead OT, you will provide professional leadership and supervision to occupational therapy staff, contribute to service improvement initiatives, and champion the role of occupational therapy across the service. This is an excellent opportunity to influence practice, develop innovative interventions and make a real difference to the lives of service users and their families.

Main duties of the job

As the Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist, you will provide professional leadership and clinical expertise across Adult Community Mental Health Services in MID Essex, ensuring the delivery of high‑quality, recovery‑focused occupational therapy interventions. You will manage a complex caseload, undertaking specialist assessments and delivering both individual and group‑based interventions to support people with mental health needs to maximise their independence, wellbeing and participation in meaningful occupations. The role includes providing supervision and support to Occupational Therapy staff and students, contributing to multidisciplinary team working, and leading on service development, quality improvement and the implementation of evidence‑based practice.

Working for our organisation

Valuing you. Recognising your dedication. At EPUT, we look after you.

• Receive supervision and support to help you fulfil your potential.
• Join an inclusive EPUT community and connect with others through engagement events and equality or champion networks.
• If you need help, we provide mental health and wellbeing services, occupational health advice and counselling.

Benefits

• 27 days holiday, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days after 10 years’ service.
• Excellent pension of up to 14.5% of your pensionable pay.
• Staff discounts include Blue Light Card, NHS discount offers, and staff benefits.
• £8K relocation package if you move to Essex to join us
• Season ticket loans are interest‑free to cover the cost of travelling to and from work via tram, rail, or bus.

Please be aware that, due to current allocation constraints, Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) are being prioritised for registered roles at this time.

Important note: please ensure that as part of your application, you include professional references with business contact information covering your last three years of employment history. We are unable to accept personal or character references.

As a newly appointed employee, you are responsible for incurring the cost of your initial DBS check relevant to your post; the amount will be deducted from your first salary with the Trust.

Our Trust is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We particularly welcome applications from people with experience of using mental health services. We also hold the Disability two tick symbol and have made the pledge to commit to employing more people with learning disabilities, we encourage people with a disability to apply. If you require this application form in another format i.e. Braille or audio tape etc, please contact the Recruitment Department on 01375 364513 or email [e-mail] and we can arrange for this to be dispatched to you.

The Trust has the right to expire vacancies prior to the closing date if they so wish. The Trust makes every attempt to contact all applicants and we strongly advise that you check the email account which is registered with NHS Jobs regularly, we would advise however due to the high number of applications we receive that if you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expect all staff to undertake this commitment. Applicants will be subject to robust safer recruitment processes.

Important Notice: Recently the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2021 (the Regulations) which amended on 22 July 2021 and come into force on 11 November 2021 that anyone directly employed to work in a Care Home or who are required as part of their role to be deployed to a CQC registered care home are required to have had both their COVID vaccinations, unless they are exempt. This is therefore a requirement of this role and will form part of our pre‑employment checks.

Please note - staff who are formally at risk within the organisation will be given priority in securing alternative employment. Should it come to light that a post being advertised by the Trust is considered ‘suitable alternative employment’ to an individual who is at risk, the recruiting manager will be advised and the post will be withdrawn from NHS Jobs.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.