Lead Occupational Therapist

Pennine Care Nhs Foundation Trust; Greater Manchester; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous annual leave

NHS Pension scheme

Staff wellbeing services

Job summary

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced Band 7 Lead Occupational Therapist to provide professional leadership and clinical oversight across five inpatient rehabilitation wards in Greater Manchester. The post holder will lead high-quality, person-centred OT services and work with multidisciplinary teams to maximise service users' occupational performance and quality of life.

Hours are Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm, with some flexibility.

Qualifications

• BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy qualification.
• HCPC Registration.
• Experience of leadership to Occupational Therapy staff.
• Experience of supervising OT students/apprentices.
• Knowledge of OT assessments and rehabilitation.
• Ability to lead change and service development.

Responsibilities

• Provide professional leadership for OT across five wards.
• Maintain a clinical caseload with complex MH needs.
• Lead assessment, formulation, and delivery of OT interventions.
• Ensure evidence-based, outcome-focused OT practice.
• Support staff development through supervision and teaching.
• Lead service improvement, audits, and quality assurance.
• Contribute to operational planning and rehab pathway development.
• Collaborate with carers, families, and external services for discharge planning.

Skills

Leadership

Clinical supervision

Multi-disciplinary teamwork

Communication skills

Time management

Care planning

Quality improvement

Education

BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy

HCPC Registration

Job description

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and motivated Occupational Therapist to join our Rehabilitation Service as a Band 7 Lead Occupational Therapist. The post holder will provide professional leadership and clinical oversight across five inpatient rehabilitation wards, supporting individuals with complex mental health needs to achieve recovery, independence, and meaningful participation in everyday life.

The successful candidate will lead and develop high-quality occupational therapy services across the wards, ensuring the delivery of evidence-based, person-centred rehabilitation interventions. Working closely with multidisciplinary teams, you will promote recovery-focused practice and support service users to maximise their occupational performance and quality of life.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced clinician with strong leadership skills who is passionate about rehabilitation and service development. You will provide supervision and support to occupational therapists, assistants, students, and apprentices, while contributing to workforce development, quality improvement, and wider strategic objectives.

Working hours will primarily be Monday to Friday 9am-5pm with some flexibility as required. Base to be determined on appointment.

Main duties of the job

• Providing professional and clinical leadership for occupational therapy across five rehabilitation wards.
• Maintaining a clinical caseload of service users with complex and enduring mental health needs.
• Leading the assessment, formulation, and delivery of specialist occupational therapy interventions.
• Ensuring occupational therapy practice is evidence-based, outcome-focused, and aligned with professional standards.
• Supporting staff development through supervision, appraisal, teaching, and mentorship.
• Leading service improvement, audit, and quality assurance initiatives.
• Contributing to operational planning and the development of rehabilitation pathways.
• Working collaboratively with carers, families, community services, and external agencies to support effective discharge planning and recovery.

About us

We are proud to provide high quality mental health and learning disability services, both inpatient and in the community across five boroughs of Greater Manchester - Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport and Tameside and Glossop.

Our vision is for a happier and more hopeful life for everyone in our communities and our staff work hard to deliver the very best care for the people who use our services. We're really proud of our #PennineCarePeople and do everything we can to make sure we're a great place to work.

All individuals regardless of race, age, disability, ethnicity, nationality, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership are encouraged to apply for this post. We would also encourage applications from individuals with a lived experience of mental illness, either individually or as a carer.

If you come and work for us we will offer a range of benefits and opportunities, including:

• Generous annual leave entitlement for Agenda for Change and Medical and Dental staff.
• Flexible working opportunities to support your work/life balance
• Access to Continued Professional Development
• Involvement in improvement and research activities
• Health and Wellbeing activities and access to an excellent staff wellbeing service
• Access to staff discounts across retail, leisure and travel

Job responsibilities

Essential

• BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy qualification
• Health and Care Professions Council Registration
• Further short courses and experience to Masters level
• Evidence of leadership to Occupational Therapy staff
• Specialist knowledge and application of OT assessments and intervention relevant to rehabilitation service users occupational needs.
• Applying and interpreting standardised OT assessments
• Proven experience of line management / supervision of OTs / support staff
• Experience of supervision of OT students and/or OT apprentices
• Demonstrable experience of involvement in service development
• Experience of supporting effective change management within teams
• Proven experience of effective multidisciplinary/interagency working
• Able to communicate effectively complex and sensitive information, both verbally and in writing.
• Reflective practice skills
• Time management skills
• Able to organise and respond effectively to complex information
• Able to work as part of a team and independently
• Ability to reflect and critically appraise own performance
• Ability to work autonomously, set own priorities and manage time effectively
• Demonstrate application of Safety Planning and management in clinical practice
• Demonstrate an excellent understanding and clinical application of the Model of Human Occupation
• Demonstrable knowledge of up-to-date evidence based practice
• Applied knowledge of relevant national policy and legislation related to people with complex mental health needs
• Awareness and knowledge of factors relating to Occupational Therapy service provision within rehabilitation services
• Experience of applying the Model of Human Occupation to assess and evaluate service user outcomes
• Detailed knowledge of the principles of clinical quality and its application in practice
• Ability to plan and develop groups to meet individual rehabilitation goals

Desirable

• Management / leadership training
• Placement educator
• Evidence of post graduate research experience
• Experience working in rehabilitation services
• Experience of using Quality Improvement methodology
• Presentation and teaching skills

Please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification to give you the best chance of being shortlisted.

Person Specification

Essential

• BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy qualification
• Health and Care Professions Council Registration
• Further short courses and experience to Master's level
• Experience of delivering Clinical Supervision
• Evidence of leadership to Occupational Therapy staff
• Specialist knowledge and application of OT assessments and intervention relevant to rehabilitation service users' occupational needs.
• Applying and interpreting standardised OT assessments
• Proven experience of line management / supervision of OTs / support staff
• Experience of supervision of OT students and/or OT apprentices
• Demonstrable experience of involvement in service development
• Experience of supporting effective change management within teams
• Proven experience of effective multi-disciplinary/interagency working
• Reflective practice skills
• Able to organise and respond effectively to complex information
• Able to work as part of a team and independently
• Ability to reflect and critically appraise own performance
• Demonstrate application of Safety Planning and management in clinical practice
• Demonstrate an excellent understanding and clinical application of the Model of Human Occupation with people with complex mental health needs.
• Awareness and knowledge of factors relating to Occupational Therapy service provision within rehabilitation services
• Demonstrable knowledge of up-to date evidence based practice
• Ability to plan and develop groups to meet individual rehabilitation goals
• Use of a car or access to a means of mobility to travel across the Trust footprint in line with service needs

Desirable

• Management / leadership training
• Placement educator
• Evidence of post graduate research experience
• Experience working in rehabilitation services
• Experience of using Quality Improvement methodology

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.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration.