Home First Occupational Therapist

Gloucestershire Health and Care; Gloucester; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free car parking

27 days leave + bank holidays

NHS pension

Flexible working

Job summary

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an Occupational Therapist (Band 5) to join the new Home First service in Gloucester. You will assess, plan and deliver rehabilitation across acute, community and home settings to support safe discharge and maintain independence.

The role involves working a 7‑day rota with weekend shifts, supervision of learners, and contributing to service development within a rapidly evolving countywide care model.

Qualifications

• HCPC registration as an Occupational Therapist.
• Degree/Diploma in Occupational Therapy.
• Membership of CSP.
• Moving and Handling training.

Responsibilities

• Undertake therapy assessments, rehabilitation and interventions.
• Work in community, acute or rehabilitation settings.
• Support discharge planning, admission avoidance and safe transitions.
• Supervise, support or develop support staff and students.

Skills

HCPC Registration

Degree in OT

CSP membership

Moving and Handling

Education

Degree/Diploma in Occupational Therapy

Job description

Main area Occupational Therapy Grade Band 5 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (7 day working rota with 1 weekend in 10 and in reaching into GHFT 4 weeks in 16) Job ref 327-26-653-D

Site Edward Jenner Court Town Gloucester Salary £32,073 - £39,043 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 17/11/2026 23:59

We love what we do and we think you will, too!

At Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC), we provide joined-up mental health, physical health and learning disability services to people of all ages across Gloucestershire. We run community hospitals and provide care and support in people's own homes and in a range of other locations across the county .

We are on a mission to enable people to live the best life they can and we have a vision to work together to provide outstanding care . We put people at the heart of our services, focusing on personalised care by asking 'what matters to you'.

We're passionate about making sure that everyone can contribute to achieving our mission and w e are continually working to support healthy and happy high-quality team s in all areas of the Trust .

Our application process aims to understand each candidates knowledge, skills and experience. We have found that candidates that use AI to generate their answers can lack specificity and fail to address key criteria outlined in the job description.

It is really important to personalise your application to convey your individual skills, knowledge, and experiences effectively and for us to understand why you are applying for this role with GHC. We discourage over reliance on AI-generated applications as it will lessen your chances of success in securing an interview with us .

Job overview

Join an exciting new service that launched on 1 September 2026 and help shape the future of care closer to home.

We are looking for enthusiastic Occupational Therapists to join our new countywide Home First service. This is an exciting opportunity to work within an innovative multidisciplinary team supporting people to recover, regain independence and remain safely in their own homes following hospital discharge.

Working across acute, community and home settings, you will provide timely assessment, rehabilitation and intervention for adults with a range of physical, functional and rehabilitation needs. You will play a key role in supporting safe discharge planning, admission avoidance and preventing unnecessary hospital readmissions, whilst working closely with health, social care and voluntary sector partners.

This role offers the opportunity to work in a dynamic and supportive environment where you can develop your clinical skills, influence patient outcomes and contribute to the successful delivery of a new integrated service designed to improve patient flow and independence across Gloucestershire.

This role will be part of a rota working weekends and also in-reaching to our acute hospitals to improve patient transitions from hospital to home.

Main duties of the job

As a member of the Home First team, you will assess, plan, deliver and evaluate rehabilitation and therapy interventions for adults within acute, community and home settings, supporting individuals to maximise independence and achieve their goals.

You will manage a varied clinical caseload, undertaking holistic assessments, risk assessments and treatment planning for people with a range of physical, neurological, orthopaedic, medical and rehabilitation needs. Working autonomously and alongside the multidisciplinary team, you will support safe and timely discharge planning, admission avoidance and the prevention of unnecessary hospital readmissions.

The role involves providing rehabilitation, equipment assessment, advice and education to patients, carers and partner organisations, whilst ensuring accurate clinical records and outcome measures are maintained.

You will contribute to clinical governance, quality improvement, audit and service development activities, whilst maintaining high professional standards and evidence-based practice. The post holder will also support and supervise therapy assistants, students and other learners as appropriate, contributing to workforce development and the delivery of high-quality patient-centred care.

The successful candidate will be flexible, proactive and committed to helping people remain independent within their own homes while working within a fast-paced, developing service operating across a 7-day model.

Working for our organisation

We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people's homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.

Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:

• 72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.
• 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.
• 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust’s priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.

This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.

The Trust aims to recruit and retain the best possible staff who, through the application of their skills, qualification and experience, will make a positive contribution to our business of providing quality health care services. It is the Trust’s view that the costs associated with moving house in order to take up a post with us should not restrict our ability to recruit the excellent people we need; therefore, we support staff to relocate with our relocation policy.

This post requires the post holder to be able to undertake all statutory and mandatory training and post holders must be able to undertake physical interventions. Fitness for physical intervention will be assessed by Occupational Health.

To ensure you fully understand how the Trust, as a Data Controller, will process and store your data please read the attached document 'Applicant and Staff Privacy Notice' prior to applying for the role.

Candidates for any staff appointment shall, when making application, disclose in writing to the Trust whether they are related to any governor. Failure to disclose such a relationship may disqualify a candidate and, if appointed, may render them liable to dismissal.

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust are proud to have been recognised as a 'Veteran Aware Trust', evidencing the provision of the best care for Veterans and driving to improve the care for veterans and their families. Find out more about this by clicking on the link at the right-hand side, titled 'Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance'.

At Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, we are supportive of the people we care for in the community and aim to provide a fully responsive service to everyone who needs it. This is

the same approach we take for our employees. We look to value the skills and experiences of those we work with, whether they are service users, carers, families or those looking to work with us.

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust is part of the NHS. We treat NHS patients according to NHS principles and standards. The difference is the Trust is accountable to local people, rather than to Government, and so we are able to work closely with our community to develop services in the way that best suits the needs of local people.

Person specification

Qualifications

• HCPC Registration as an Occupational Therapist
• Degree/Diploma in Occupational Therapy
• Membership of relevant professional body (e.g. CSP).
• Moving and Handling training.

Skills & Experience

• Experience undertaking therapy assessments, rehabilitation and interventions.
• Experience working within community, acute or rehabilitation settings.
• Knowledge of discharge planning, rehabilitation and admission avoidance.
• Experience working independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Experience supervising, supporting or developing support staff and students.
• Experience working as a registered practitioner for 18 months or more.
• Experience of Home First, frailty or community rehabilitation services.

Personal Attributes

• Ability to work under pressure and manage competing priorities.
• Ability to use initiative and work autonomously.
• Ability to participate in weekend and bank holiday working.
• Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.

When joining us, as well as becoming part of a team that makes a difference, we also offer:

• Free car parking at many of our sites
• 27 days leave plus bank holidays, increasing up to 33 days with long service
• A broad range of training and development opportunities, including apprenticeships up to Level 7 qualification.
• A multi-professional preceptorship programme for all Newly Qualified; Nurses, Nursing Associates, Internationally Educated Practitioners, Allied Health Professionals and Return to Practice Practitioners.
• Generous NHS pension and enhanced pay when if you work unsocial hours
• Flexible, family friendly and agile working opportunities
• Recognition and long service awards
• Fast Track physiotherapy
• Access to discounts and salary sacrifice schemes; including Cycle to Work, Car scheme and discounts on travel, leisure and retailers.

If you are aged 16-30, you may be eligible for financial and pastoral support from the King's Trust, with who we are in partnership with to support your first 6 months in role. We will pass on your details to the King's Trust who will be in touch with you if you are eligible. If you would rather not be contacted, please let us know.

For more information please see the attached 'Additional Information for Applicants' document.

Good luck with your application.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.