Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist - Spinal Injuries

Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust; Salford; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional NHS foundation trust in Salford is seeking a Band 7 Occupational Therapist to join their Spinal Cord Injury Outreach Team. This role provides unique opportunities to work with complex cases in various clinical settings, focusing on patient assessment, treatment planning, and multidisciplinary collaboration. Ideal candidates will have experience in spinal cord injury management and be passionate about improving patient care. Benefits include flexible working and professional development.

Benefits

Flexible working opportunities

Generous annual leave allowance

Protected hours for health and wellbeing activities

Qualifications

• Required experience in spinal cord injury management.
• Ability to lead and work in a multidisciplinary team.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex assessments of Spinal Cord Injury patients in clinical settings.
• Develop treatment plans and recommendations for rehabilitation.
• Provide a specialist OT service to patients in various settings.
• Liaise and communicate with patients and external agencies.

Skills

Experience in Spinal Cord Injury

Clinical assessment

Team collaboration

Communication

Leadership skills

Education

Appropriate Occupational Therapy qualification

Job description

A Vacancy at Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust. Join our expert team. We have a Band 7 opportunity for an Occupational Therapist with a special interest in spinal cord injury (SCI) to join our Greater Manchester Spinal Cord Injury Outreach Team.

You will work alongside our experienced MDT including Physiotherapists, SCI Nurse, Assistant Practitioner, SCI Psychologist and SCI Rehabilitation Consultant. The team also has close links with the Northwest Spinal Cord Injury Centre at Southport. Although based at Salford Royal Hospital, the team is a Greater Manchester (GM) outreach service, and the role supports off site visits and reviews across GM.

This is an exciting and unique OT role providing you with the opportunity to work in a variety of clinical settings and supporting the assessment and treatment of complex Spinal Cord Injured individuals. Whilst experience of SCI is required, the role is a development role with professional support and supervision being provided from the MDT and the wider Neurorehab OT service.

The role also offers the opportunity to support and share expert knowledge with the wider network of treating therapists that manage this patient group, supporting professional development and improving quality of care. We are passionate about evolving our service, and we are looking for someone enthusiastic about developing leadership and service improvement skills.

Responsibilities

• To support, lead and complete complex assessments of Spinal Cord Injury patients in a range of clinical settings in conjunction with the wider MDT.
• To develop treatment plans, recommend where rehabilitation is required, commence the rehabilitation process, support patient flow, and maintain records as an autonomous practitioner.
• To provide a specialist OT service to patients within Salford Care Organisation located on our Critical Care, Trauma, Neurosurgical, Spinal wards and INRU’s and outreach to other GM wide hospitals, rehab facilities and community settings.
• To be a specialist in the holistic assessment of needs of Spinal Cord Injury patients.
• To lead on the assessment, liaison and decision‑making process on behalf of the MDT, and liaise and communicate with the patient and external agencies as needed.
• To be a source of expertise in Spinal Cord Injury, utilising this knowledge in formal and informal teaching as required.
• To lead the Occupational Therapy teams in the delivery of evidence based and client centred care within the speciality of Spinal Cord Injury.
• To monitor and improve standards of care by efficient use of resources, utilising clinical audit and research within Spinal Cord Injury with the MDT.
• To work as an autonomous practitioner being professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of your work, managing own caseload and maintaining accurate and timely records.

About the Trust

The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA) provides hospital and integrated health and social care services to over one million people living across Greater Manchester. Our 20,000 colleagues care for people in hospital and in the community, working across Bury, Rochdale, Oldham and Salford, to save and improve lives. As a large NHS trust we are committed to enhancing the health of our local population by delivering consistently high standards of care and working closely with local authorities and key partners. We believe in our power and potential to make a difference and we’re always looking for people who demonstrate our three core values – care, appreciate and inspire – to join our team.

In return, we can offer you a job role with purpose and flexibility. The size and scale of the NCA means we can provide more challenge and opportunities so your career can always be moving in the right direction. By joining us you can also access a competitive benefits package, including a fantastic annual leave allowance, flexible working opportunities and protected hours for health and wellbeing activities, helping you to achieve more personal downtime and a better work-life balance.

Additional information

Learn more about us in our Candidate Information Pack. To read more information about the advertised role, and the main job duties/responsibilities please open the Job Description and Person Specification located under the supporting documents heading. You can also read more information about working at the Northern Care Alliance within the attached Candidate Information Pack or by visiting our careers website: www.careers.northerncarealliance.nhs.uk.

This advert closes on Thursday 20 Nov 2025.