Occupational Therapist - Band 5 Stroke

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Cheltenham; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Band 5 Occupational Therapist to join the stroke therapy team on a fixed-term basis until 26 April 2027. You will work within an integrated team of occupational therapists, physiotherapists and therapy support workers across hyper-acute and acute stroke settings.

The role focuses on delivering high-quality, evidence-based OT, developing skills, and supporting colleagues while rotating between specialty areas and sites as needed.

Qualifications

• Degree or Diploma in Occupational Therapy is required and HCPC registration is essential.
• Experience of working in the NHS in the UK is required.
• Demonstrates effective communication skills across multidisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Deliver therapeutic interventions as an OT using client-centered principles.
• Work within the Therapy team to provide an effective, evidence-based service.
• Rotate between specialty areas and sites as required; support supervision of staff and students.

Skills

NHS experience

Communication skills

Clinical reasoning

Education

Degree/Diploma in Occupational Therapy

HCPC registration

Job description

Current jobs at Gloucestershire Hospitals

Main area Occupational Therapy Grade Band 5 Contract 4 months (Fixed Term until 26th April 2027) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 318-26-T0706

Site Cheltenham General Hospital Town Cheltenham Salary £32,073 - £39,043 (pa, pro rata if part-time) Salary period Yearly Closing 17/11/2026 23:59

At Gloucestershire Hospitals, our people are at the heart of everything we do. As the county’s largest employer, we are proud to provide high-quality acute, elective, and specialist services to more than 650,000 people across our county. Our care is delivered across Gloucestershire Royal, Cheltenham General and Stroud Maternity Hospital.

With over 9,000 employees representing more than 95 nationalities, bringing together a mix of cultures and experiences to the care that we deliver. Whether you’re beginning your NHS journey or looking to take the next step in your career, this is an exciting time to join us. We’re investing heavily in innovation, research, and transformation, with more than 100 active clinical studies and major developments underway across our hospitals.

We take pride in working as one team, driven by a shared ambition to grow, develop, and continually improve. Every contribution is valued and by combining our collective strengths, we support not only our diverse communities but one another. You can expect a warm, supportive culture and colleagues who are passionate about teamwork, professional development and delivering exceptional care. We offer structured development programmes, mentoring and leadership opportunities to help you progress in your career.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels they belong. By joining our Trust, you will benefit from a comprehensive package that includes flexible working opportunities, generous annual leave, the NHS pension scheme, competitive bank rates, local discounts, access to on-site nurseries, reduced public transport costs, reward and recognition schemes and a wide range of health and wellbeing initiatives.

Be part of Gloucestershire Hospitals, explore your future with us today.

Job overview

A fantastic and exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 5 Occupational Therapist to join our dynamic stroke therapy team for a fixed term until 26th April 2027. You will be joining a supportive integrated stroke therapy team consisting of Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Therapy Support Workers. This fixed-term role would be ideal opportunity for an existing band 5 Occupational Therapist seeking stroke specialist experience across both hyper-acute and acute stroke.

The successful candidate will be passionate about stroke, motivated to develop their own skills and that of the service, and provide Occupational Therapy that is high quality and evidence-based. They will be keen to develop and support colleagues alongside the demands of working in a busy acute hospital.

Main duties of the job

To deliver therapeutic interventions, using the principles of Occupational Therapy in an integrated and client-centred way supported by competency frameworks.

To work within the Therapy team providing an effective and evidence based service through assessing, planning and implementing treatment programmes.

The post holder will expect and be willing to rotate between specialty areas, within the Therapy Service, across hospital sites and off-site locations, as required.

The post holder will have no budget or managerial responsibilities. They will be expected to progress to supervise and appraise less experienced therapists, support workers and undergraduates, with the support of the team leader.

There will also be progression to taking on increasing responsibility for the day-to-day management of the clinical area, in the absence of more senior staff.

The post holder is supervised by a named therapist, although they may not be present at all times. Clinical and professional supervision is in the form of regular clinical reasoning sessions, observed practice, peer review and formal training. Access to advice and support from specialist therapists is available as required.

To participate in the out of hours service at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and/or Cheltenham General Hospital after appropriate induction and training.

Working for our organisation

Join a forward-thinking, compassionate, and high-performing integrated Therapy Service at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. This is an exceptional opportunity for a passionate and skilled individual to make a meaningful impact within a supportive and collaborative environment, while developing a fulfilling career.

As a member of the Therapy Service, you will play a vital role in delivering high-quality, patient-centred care across a range of specialties.

What sets the service apart is our strong multi-disciplinary team culture and collaborative working with other colleagues. You’ll benefit from excellent professional development opportunities, including access to structured supervision and educational frameworks, and the chance to be involved in innovative service improvement projects that shape the future of care.

By choosing Gloucestershire Hospitals Therapy Service, you are joining a team that truly values its people. We are proud of our supportive and inclusive culture through our compassionate leadership and our ongoing investment in staff wellbeing and development.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To consolidate and learn new skills and competencies to provide holistic care using competency frameworks. To develop clinical reasoning and treatment techniques through the active participation in training and development. To consolidate knowledge and skills learned through this process with the direction of senior staff, and deliver research-based presentations as part of in-service training. This will involve facilitating own learning opportunities, reflecting on practice and learning through this process.

To take on increasing responsibility for personal development and supporting the development and supervision of others by CPD (continuing professional development), linked to appraisal.

To participate in the supervision, caseload monitoring and clinical education of support workers, progressing to supervising students and less experienced staff with support of senior staff, as required. Providing support, guidance, training, and assessing and evaluating competence, in order to fulfil clinical governance requirements and retain a skilled workforce. To progress to participating in the student education process, as a clinical educator, involving the assessment of student’s competency to practice.

To work with senior staff undertaking audit and research projects, to further own and team’s clinical practice within each rotation. To be involved in making recommendations for changes to practice and procedures for the relevant clinical area, and the implementation of these changes.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Degree/Diploma in Occupational Therapy
• Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council

Experience

• Experience of working in the NHS in the UK

Knowledge

• Deliver evidence based Occupational Therapy assessment and treatment
• Apply a practical approach to problem solving.
• Demonstrate effective communication skills, both verbal, non-verbal and written when interacting with other team members, clients and other professionals.
• Demonstrate clear, concise and accurate communication when conveying written information
• Work flexibly in response to the changing demands of the service.
• Manage own workload and prioritise appropriately
• Valid full UK Driving License

Personal Attributes

• Take initiative, but seek help when required
• Demonstrate working effectively as a team member
• Demonstrate commitment to personal development and CPD
• Facilitate own learning opportunities and reflect on practice.
• Demonstrate an understanding of and interest in working for the Trust

We reserve the right to expire vacancies prior to the advertised closing date once a sufficient number of applications have been received.

You will only be contacted by the Recruitment Team via email if you are shortlisted for this post. Please ensure therefore that you check your e-mail account regularly.

IMPORTANT: If you require sponsorship in order to apply for this role, eligibility is subject to your individual circumstances ie. current/previous visa status and the relevant salary threshold. We cannot make that assessment for each individual at this stage, therefore we advise those that may require sponsorship to ensure they have self assessed and thoroughly understood their eligibility using the Home Office guidance here - UK Visas and Immigration - GOV.UK

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.