Clinical Lead (Occupational Therapist) - Community Therapy Team

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust; Haywards Heath; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS community service provider in Haywards Heath is seeking an Occupational Therapy Clinical Lead to offer professional leadership to the team. This role involves delivering complex clinical care in the community, supporting service development, and mentoring team members. The ideal candidate will have an Occupational Therapy degree and significant clinical experience. This position offers flexible working arrangements and opportunities for professional development, aimed at promoting clinical excellence within a supportive environment.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Training and development opportunities

Cost-effective workplace nurseries

Qualifications

• Professional qualification in Occupational Therapy required.
• Must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council.
• Experience in clinical case management is essential.

Responsibilities

• Provide professional leadership to Occupational Therapists in the team.
• Support leadership team in service development.
• Deliver complex clinical care to patients in the community.

Skills

Clinical reasoning skills

Leadership skills

Communication skills

IT proficiency

Mentoring skills

Education

Degree in Occupational Therapy

Registered with HCPC

Post registration qualification or training to Masters level

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Clinical Lead (Occupational Therapist) - Community Therapy Team

At Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust (SCFT) we believe in excellent care at the heart of the community.

Are you a dynamic, resourceful leader who would like to contribute to a fast moving and dynamic service?

We are looking to recruit an Occupational Therapy Clinical Lead within the Community Therapy Team North to provide clinical and professional leadership for the Occupational Therapy staff.

We would welcome applications from experienced band 6 OTs who are ready to take the next step in their career, and would consider a Band 6 to 7 development opportunity for the right candidate.

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a dynamic forward thinking AHP team, passionate about providing therapy rehabilitation to our patients in the community. You will be well supported in the team and encouraged to expand and develop your leadership skills through supervision and internal training opportunities, to meet the needs of yourself and the service to promote clinical excellence.

The service area covered includes Crawley, Horsham and Mid Sussex so being a car driver is essential.

Flexible working will be required as the service covers 8am to 6pm.

Main duties of the job

Occupational Therapy Clinical Lead:

• Provide professional Leadership to the Occupational Therapists in the team.
• To support the Leadership team in service development and ensuring clinical excellence.
• To be part of the Leadership teams daily responsibility for work allocation and triage.
• To support and implement service change and development.
• To provide regular supervision and complete PDR's for staff.
• To ensure all staff are up to date in their competencies.
• To hold an active caseload of complex patients.

About us

We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.

Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.

Why work for us?

• Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeingo
• Varied environments: community hospitals, patients' homes, and bases across Sussex
• Flexible working options: part-time, flexi-time, annualised hours, and flexi-retirement
• Excellent training, development, and research opportunities
• Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brighton
• Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief network
• Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust
• Beautiful Sussex location near the South Downs and coast

Our values--Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence--guide everything we do.

We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.

This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.

Job responsibilities

The successful applicant will deliver complex clinical care to patients in the community and support other staff with their own caseloads. You will need an excellent and wide-ranging knowledge of a variety of conditions. You will support colleagues with mentoring, coaching and teaching. The emphasis will be on providing clinical leadership in order to support community patients to maximise their independence and achieve their goals. You will also provide specialist support to therapy colleagues and work closely with the other clinical and operational leads for therapy services and members of the wider multidisciplinary team, ensuring seamless care for patients going in and out of hospital. We are looking for someone with excellent interpersonal skills, a demonstrable dedication to personal development and a commitment to providing high quality care to a range of patients with differing needs.

Person Specification

Qualification

• Professional qualification such as a degree or equivalent in Physiotherapy or Occupational Therapy
• Currently registered with the Health and Care Professions Council
• Post registration qualification or training to Masters level or equivalent, or be willing to undertake
• Advanced Physical assessment course or Masters level module
• Mentoring course or equivalent or Qualified Practice Assessor
• Recognised Leadership Qualification

Experience

• Experience within clinical case management
• Experience working within a multi-disciplinary team
• Evidence of a consistent pattern of learning from education and training
• Experience working across the boundaries of primary, community and secondary care
• Experience of clinical leadership within a service
• Experience of leading service development and change
• Experience of active participation in research

Skills

• Up to date knowledge and skills within clinical area (Physiotherapy or Occupational Therapy)
• Up to date knowledge of health and social care policy
• Able to use advanced reasoning and assessment skills in a wide range of approaches to treatments and management of conditions
• Able to analyse complex situations and problem solve as necessary
• Able to direct and co-ordinate programmes of care working autonomously and collaboratively
• Able to mentor, supervise and develop other professionals
• Able to communicate effectively where barriers or obstacles exist and able to deploy strategies to overcome these
• Able to work in a fast-paced and dynamic health service
• Able to use recognised IT packages e.g. Microsoft Office including Excel and able to use IT systems and keyboard skills including accurate data recording skills
• Able to identify the training needs of self and others and to provide relevant and appropriate learning
• Able to work in partnership and collaboration with other professionals in other services and challenge and negotiate with them as needed
• Able to meet conflicting deadlines, prioritise effectively and manage own and others workload
• Able to teach patients and carers to participate and manage their own care as appropriate
• Able to monitor, maintain and improve standards of care

Other requirements

• Car driver with current driving licence and access to a car for work - unless qualify for reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act (2010)
• An understanding of the principles of equal opportunities in relation to staff and patients
• Willingness to undertake training to develop within the role
• Access to a vehicle for work purposes

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

£47,810 to £54,710 a year per annum pro rata