Lead Specialist Occupational Therapist – Inpatient

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust; Knowsley; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Band 6 Specialist Occupational Therapist for the inpatient acute service at Rydal Ward, Knowsley. The role involves autonomous clinical leadership, holistic assessments, goal setting, and discharge planning within a supportive MDT.

You will work with family and carers, contribute to care pathways, and supervise junior staff while delivering high-quality, patient-centred care. Flexible working options may be considered.

Qualifications

• Ability to utilise assessment skills and tools effectively.
• Excellent communication across professional groups and with patients.
• Ability to formulate clear, evidence-based reports.
• Ability to delegate tasks and coordinate junior staff.
• Prioritise workload and meet deadlines.
• Flexible approach to problem solving and care planning.
• Able to move and handle clients safely.
• Ability to influence decision making within a multi-disciplinary team.

Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload autonomously using evidence-based, patient-centred principles.
• Provide leadership for junior staff through supervision and appraisal.
• Follow the inpatient OT pathway and contribute to discharge planning.
• Deliver group and individual OT interventions and support integration into daily activities.
• Collaborate with MDT to enable safe discharge and prevent readmission.
• Provide professional guidance and supervise OT staff to ensure service quality.
• Contribute to development of care pathways and records, ensuring governance standards.
• Support induction and training of staff, students and volunteers.

Skills

Assessment skills

Communication

Report writing

Delegation

Prioritisation

Flexible thinking

Manual handling

Stakeholder influence

Job description

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Band 6 Specialist Occupational Therapist for the inpatient acute service at Rydal Ward, Knowsley. The role involves autonomous clinical leadership, holistic assessments, goal setting, and discharge planning within a supportive MDT.

You will work with family and carers, contribute to care pathways, and supervise junior staff while delivering high-quality, patient-centred care. Flexible working options may be considered.