Mental Health Occupational Therapist

Gloucestershire Health and Care; Cheltenham; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free car parking

27 days leave + bank holidays

Lifelong learning & development

NHS pension

Flexible working

Cycle to Work

Job summary

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust in Cheltenham invites applications for an experienced Occupational Therapist to join our Recovery Team. The post supports a 30+ hours per week schedule and offers a fixed 37.5 hour per week framework within a high-performing mental health service.

The role provides valuable mental health experience across urban and rural North Gloucestershire and includes opportunities for supervision and professional development within a supportive MDT

Qualifications

• Experience in mental health settings.
• Proven ability to work in community-based care.
• Collaboration with partner agencies and voluntary sector.

Responsibilities

• Manage caseloads of people with complex mental health needs.
• Complete occupational and functional assessments.
• Provide interventions to promote independence and recovery.
• Support daily living, routines and community participation.
• Contribute to risk assessments, safeguarding, care and discharge planning.
• Attend MDT meetings and professional discussions.

Skills

Experience in mental health

Community work

Collaboration with agencies

Education

Registered Nurse

Occupational Therapist

ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence)

Job description

Main area Recovery Service Grade Band 6 Contract Permanent Hours

• Full time
• Part time

37.5 hours per week (Happy to consider 30-37.5 hrs) Job ref 327-26-823

Site Leckhampton Lodge Town Cheltenham Salary £39,959 - £48,117 per annum, pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 30/10/2026 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

Are you an experienced and motivated Occupational Therapist looking to join a high performing mental health Trust?

We are very excited to be able to offer a suitably qualified Occupational Therapy post within our established multi-disciplinary Recovery Team in the beautiful regency town of Cheltenham.

We welcome applicants who would be able to work 30 hours or more per week.

The successful applicant will gain valuable Mental Health experience within well respected and successful services and work in both urban and rural parts of North Gloucestershire. We are looking for a motivated individual with experience of working in a mental health services.

Main duties of the job

• Manage a caseload of people with complex mental health needs, providing assessment, intervention, review and care planning.
• Complete occupational and functional assessments and provide interventions to promote independence, recovery and meaningful activity.
• Support people with daily living, routines, community participation, vocational and social goals.
• Contribute to risk assessments, safeguarding, care planning and discharge planning.
• Attend and contribute to MDT meetings, clinical reviews and professional discussions.
• Work collaboratively with service users, carers and partner agencies.
• Maintain accurate clinical records and outcome measures in line with Trust requirements.
• Undertake supervision, CPD and reflective practice and support the supervision and development of OT students.
• Contribute to service development, audit and quality improvement within the Recovery Team.

The teams provide a planned needs lead 9am-5pm five days a week service. The hours are 37.5 hours per week.

For further details on this vacancy please don’t hesitate to contact Team Manager Lorraine Morris via 0300 421 2072

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

Gloucestershire Health and Care is committed to embedding and providing personalised care through all of its services as part of our high-quality care strategy. The purpose of personalised care is to empower people to lead the lives they want to live. Personalised care starts with a conversation with people about what matters to them. It builds on what people can do, as well as addressing their health needs. Including new ways of working and delivering care, emphasising that we need to make effective use of the full range of our people’s skills and experience to deliver the best possible patient care. So we want to know What Matters to You and that you will share our values and join us on this very important journey.

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

Please refer to the Additional Information attachment before submitting your application.

To support compliance with UK immigration requirements, all applicants who require a visa to work in the UK must disclose their visa history in full. This includes current and previous sponsors, dates of sponsorship, visa category, and any changes of employment. If you are on a Graduate or Dependant Visa, please disclose the expiry date on your application. Incomplete information may mean we are unable to consider your application.

Person specification

QUALIFICATIONS

• Registered Nurse Occupational therapist
• Evidence of continued professional development Essential Application form and interview
• Evidence of formal post registration learning
• European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL)

LENGTH AND / OR NATURE OF EXPERIENCE

• Experience of working in mental health
• Experience in community working
• Experience of collaboration working with other agencies including the voluntary sector

PROFESSIONAL / MANAGERIAL / SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE

• Knowledge and understanding of the Mental Health Act & legal aspects of Mental Health care
• Demonstrable skills in safety assessment and management
• Knowledge of evidence based intervention with service users in an all phases of mental illness
• An understanding Occupational Therapy assessments in Mental Health
• Knowledge of adult & child care / protection issues
• Ability to work on social factors affecting mental distress e.g. accommodation, substance misuse, domestic violence, welfare rights

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.

Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.

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.