Occupational Therapist

NHS Jobs; West Alvington; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS Jobs is seeking an Occupational Therapist to manage a complex caseload across community and intermediate care settings, delivering comprehensive assessments and evidence-based treatment and rehabilitation plans. You will work to maximise independence and safety, assess equipment needs, and support discharge planning within a multidisciplinary framework.

The role emphasises patient-centred care, collaboration with partners, safeguarding, consent, and professional standards under HCPC

Job description

Clinical Responsibilities

Manage a complex caseload of patients within community and intermediate care settings, undertaking comprehensive assessments, formulating diagnoses, and developing evidence-based treatment and rehabilitation plans. Deliver high-quality Occupational Therapy interventions to patients with complex physical, cognitive, psychological and social needs. Utilise advanced clinical reasoning and problem-solving skills to support safe discharge planning, rehabilitation and long-term management. Assess for, prescribe and arrange appropriate equipment, assistive technology and minor adaptations to maximise independence and safety. Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary and multi-agency partners to coordinate patient-centred care. Provide specialist Occupational Therapy advice and consultation to colleagues, patients, carers and partner organisations. Assess mental capacity, obtain informed consent and work within relevant legal frameworks, including the Mental Capacity Act, safeguarding legislation and confidentiality requirements. Lead and contribute to complex case discussions, multidisciplinary meetings and patient reviews.

Leadership and Professional Responsibilities

Provide clinical leadership, supervision, support and mentorship to junior Occupational Therapists, support workers and students. Participate in recruitment, induction, appraisal, performance management and workforce development activities. Lead by example in maintaining professional standards, evidence-based practice and compliance with HCPC and professional body requirements. Deliver formal and informal training to colleagues, students and members of the multidisciplinary team. Contribute to service development, quality improvement initiatives, audits, research and implementation of best practice guidance.

Service Development and Governance

Support the development and implementation of local policies, procedures and service improvements. Maintain accurate and timely clinical records in accordance with organisational and professional standards. Monitor and evaluate service outcomes using audit, outcome measures and evidence-based practice. Promote a culture of clinical governance, risk management and continuous improvement. Represent the service locally, regionally and nationally as required.

Organisational Responsibilities

Effectively prioritise and manage workload, balancing clinical, supervisory and professional responsibilities. Support operational management of the team, including workload coordination and prioritisation. Contribute to service delivery planning and resource management. Ensure compliance with organisational policies, health & safety procedures and incident reporting requirements.

Physical, Emotional and Working Conditions

Undertake physically demanding clinical activities including patient handling, mobility assistance, transfer practice and equipment use. Manage emotionally challenging situations involving serious illness, disability, deterioration, end-of-life care, bereavement and safeguarding concerns. Frequently work with patients experiencing communication difficulties, cognitive impairment, distress or challenging behaviour. Work within a variety of community environments with occasional exposure to unpleasant conditions, bodily fluids, infectious diseases and verbal or physical aggression.

Key Leadership Responsibilities

Support coordination and prioritisation of team workload. Assist the multidisciplinary team to establish patient-centred goals and rehabilitation plans. Ensure discharge planning and outcome reporting clearly reflects patient progress, treatment provided and future recommendations. Provide day-to-day clinical support and guidance to colleagues to ensure safe, effective and responsive service delivery.