Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist | Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust; West Green; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 44,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in West Green, Sussex is seeking an experienced Occupational Therapist as Clinical Lead. This role involves providing leadership to a therapy team while continuing to deliver high-quality clinical care. The ideal candidate has extensive experience in rehabilitation, excellent communication skills, and a proactive approach to service improvement. Competitive benefits and a supportive work environment are offered.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Excellent training and development opportunities

Cost-effective workplace nurseries

Support for diverse backgrounds

Qualifications

• Extensive experience with complex rehabilitation and frailty.
• Excellent clinical reasoning and leadership skills.
• Motivation to inspire and support a diverse therapy team.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical and professional leadership to the therapy team.
• Deliver expert occupational therapy assessments and interventions.
• Support and supervise staff through mentoring and training.

Skills

Complex rehabilitation

Clinical reasoning

Leadership

Communication skills

Collaborative MDT work

Job description

Occupational Therapist – Clinical Lead (Band 7) | Intermediate Care Units

Are you an experienced Occupational Therapist ready to take the next step in your career? Do you thrive in a dynamic, supportive environment where patient-centred rehabilitation is the focus? Would you like to develop your leadership skills while continuing to work clinically? If so, we have the perfect opportunity for you!

We are seeking an innovative, enthusiastic, and organised Occupational Therapist to join our Intermediate Care Units (ICUs) at Crawley and Horsham Hospitals as a Clinical Lead. This is an exciting leadership position where you will play a pivotal role in shaping and developing the therapy service, while continuing to deliver hands-on, high-quality clinical care.

As a Clinical Lead, you will:

• Provide clinical and professional leadership to the therapy team within the ICUs
• Work collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary team, promoting a culture of rehabilitation and patient independence
• Deliver expert, complex occupational therapy assessments and interventions for a varied caseload
• Support and supervise staff through mentoring, coaching, and in-service training
• Lead on service development initiatives, including group activity plans and discharge planning
• Champion best practices in rehabilitation and contribute to achieving Trust-wide service delivery targets

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 wellbeing
• 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
• Accredited Living Wage Employer, we ensure fair pay for all our staff
• Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brighton
• Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networks
• Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust

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.

We’re looking for a passionate Occupational Therapist who:

• Has extensive experience working with complex rehabilitation and frailty
• Demonstrates excellent clinical reasoning, leadership, and communication skills
• Is motivated to lead, inspire, and support a diverse therapy team
• Embraces change and have a positive, proactive approach to service improvement
• Enjoys working as part of a collaborative MDT and is committed to delivering high-quality patient care

We will provide:

• A friendly, welcoming team environment with strong peer support
• Opportunities for ongoing professional development through internal and external CPD
• Protected leadership time to support service development and staff supervision
• A chance to contribute to the evolution of a forward-thinking Intermediate Care service
• Access to mentoring, supervision, and leadership development programmes

This advert closes on Monday 13 Oct 2025