Occupational Therapist - Directorate of Forensic Mental Health and Learning Disabilities

NHS Scotland; Glasgow; On-site; CAD 60,000 - 79,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee Assistance Programme

Cycle to Work Scheme

Study bursaries

NHS Pension Scheme

Holiday pay enhancements

Job summary

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) is advertising a 1.0 WTE Band 6 Forensic Occupational Therapist within the Forensic AHP Team. The role focuses on engaging service users in meaningful activities, promoting recovery and wellbeing, and supporting risk management in both clinical and community settings.

The post offers specialist practice, leadership opportunities, and the chance to mentor staff while contributing to service improvement within a large NHS system in Scotland.

Qualifications

• Specialist knowledge of Occupational Therapy practice within forensic mental health.
• Experience with risk assessment and risk management processes.
• Understanding of offender behaviour interventions and rehabilitation approaches.
• Knowledge of mental health legislation and MAPPA.
• Ability to apply specialist clinical reasoning and evidence-based practice in complex cases.
• Strong leadership, supervision, and mentoring skills.
• Experience working within multidisciplinary and multi-agency environments.

Responsibilities

• Deliver specialist Occupational Therapy assessments, interventions and evaluations for individuals and groups with complex needs.
• Act as an independent expert forensic practitioner and provide clinical leadership within a designated area.
• Identify and address physical, mental health, behavioural, and risk-related barriers impacting occupational performance.
• Utilise standardised clinical assessment tools based on MOHO.
• Provide specialist OT advice to multidisciplinary colleagues and partner agencies across security and community settings.
• Collaborate with the wider team and external agencies to deliver effective care packages.
• Contribute to service evaluation, development and quality improvement in line with governance and policy.
• Lead departmental and team projects to support service improvement.
• Support day-to-day management, supervision and development of junior staff.
• Supervise undergraduate and postgraduate OT students as required.
• Contribute to education and training of staff and partner agencies.

Skills

Forensic OT

Risk assessment

Offender rehab

MAPPA knowledge

Clinical reasoning

Leadership

Multi-agency work

Job description

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) is one of the largest healthcare systems in the United Kingdom, employing approximately 40,000 staff across a wide range of clinical and non-clinical professions and roles. We deliver acute hospital, primary, community and mental health services to a population of over 1.15 million people, and to a wider population of 2.2 million when regional and national services are included.

The Role

We are delighted to be advertising a 1.0 WTE Band 6 Forensic Occupational Therapist post within our highly motivated and innovative Forensic AHP Team. The Forensic Directorate includes the Medium Secure Unit, Low Secure Unit, and Forensic Community Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Team. Staff working within the Directorate may be required to work across any of these areas. The role focuses on supporting service users to engage in meaningful everyday activities, promoting recovery, improving health and wellbeing, reducing symptoms of mental illness, and supporting risk and offending behaviour management.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) may be able to provide visa sponsorship for certain roles, subject to the post meeting the relevant eligibility criteria. Sponsorship is not guaranteed and will be determined on a case-by-case basis following interview and during the pre-employment verification process. Applicants must state their current right to work in their application.

Please See Below For More Details

Skilled Worker visa and Health and Care Worker visa

Duration, Location, and Working Pattern:

Permanent, full-time 36 hours per week
Shift pattern: 5 days out of 7 – 8:30- 16:30
Base location: Rowanbank Clinic

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver specialist Occupational Therapy assessments, interventions, and evaluations for individuals and groups with complex and challenging needs.
• Act as an independent expert forensic practitioner and provide clinical leadership within a designated area.
• Identify and address physical, mental health, behavioural, and risk-related barriers impacting occupational performance.
• Utilise standardised clinical assessment tools, including those based on the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO).
• Provide specialist Occupational Therapy advice and guidance to multidisciplinary colleagues, carers, and partner agencies across all levels of security and community settings.
• Work collaboratively with the wider multidisciplinary team and external agencies to deliver effective care packages.
• Contribute to service evaluation, development, and quality improvement initiatives in line with clinical governance requirements, national policies, and best practice.
• Lead departmental and team projects to support service improvement.
• Support the day-to-day management, supervision, and development of junior staff.
• Supervise undergraduate and postgraduate Occupational Therapy students as required.
• Contribute to the education and training of staff and partner agencies.

Knowledge, training, qualifications and/or experience required to do the job:

• Specialist knowledge of Occupational Therapy practice within forensic mental health services.
• Experience of risk assessment and risk management processes.
• Understanding of offender behaviour interventions and rehabilitation approaches.
• Knowledge of mental health legislation and Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA).
• Ability to apply specialist clinical reasoning and evidence-based practice when managing complex cases.
• Strong leadership, supervision, and mentoring skills.
• Experience working within multidisciplinary and multi-agency environments.
• Commitment to service development, clinical effectiveness, and continuous professional learning.

What We Offer

We offer a wide range of supportive policies designed to enhance your employee journey, including a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme, Cycle to Work Scheme, bursary scheme and extensive learning and development opportunities.

As an NHS Scotland employee, you will be entitled to:

• A minimum of 27 days annual leave, increasing with length of service, plus public holidays
• Membership of the NHS Pension Scheme, including life insurance benefits
• Salary Sacrifice Car Benefit Scheme
• Development opportunities including study bursaries, e-learning and classroom-based courses
• Enhanced pay for working public holidays
• NHS discounts on a wide range of goods and services
• Confidential employee support and assistance, including counselling and psychological therapies

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, we would love to hear from you.

For An Informal Discussion, Please Contact

Julie Shaw, Lead OT - [e-mail] - 0141 2326650

Information for candidates

This vacancy may close early due to a high volume of applications. We recommend applying as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

This post may require a satisfactory PVG Scheme record check.

AI tools like ChatGPT or Copilot can be great for planning and preparing your application,

but your answers must be your own.

• Show us the real you: Your application should reflect your skills, experience, and motivations authentically.
• Use AI wisely: It’s fine to use AI for ideas or to check spelling and grammar, but don’t let it write your answers.
• Why this matters: Applications that rely on AI-generated content may be withdrawn. By applying, you confirm your responses are based on your own knowledge and achievements.

Tip:

Think of AI as a helper, not a substitute. We want to understand you, not an AI tool.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde encourages applications from all sections of the community

We are committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion and are proud of the diverse workforce we employ.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde recognises the importance of work-life balance and is committed to offering a range of flexible working options where service needs allow.

For roles where less than full-time hours can be accommodated, and where the tenure is listed as various, we encourage applications from individuals seeking flexible working arrangements. Flexible working will be included as a topic for discussion during the recruitment process.

Armed Forces Covenant

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde recognises the importance of the Armed Forces Covenant. We welcome applications from across the Armed Forces Community and recognise military skills, experience and qualifications throughout the recruitment and selection process.

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