Occupational Therapist - Intake Team

Leicestershire County Council; Leicester; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 44,000; Full time

Job summary

Leicestershire County Council is seeking an experienced Occupational Therapist to join the OT Intake and Response Team. You will triage referrals, provide timely expert clinical oversight, and deliver urgent, proportionate interventions to enable people to live independently.

You may conduct remote assessments and escalate to face-to-face visits when immediate risks are identified. You will support colleagues, manage a varied caseload, and work with health, housing, and social care partners to

Qualifications

• Occupational Therapy qualification and HCPC registration maintained.
• Experience in social care or community OT settings with safeguarding and mental capacity knowledge.
• Ability to triage referrals, assess remotely when appropriate, and determine urgent needs.

Responsibilities

• Triage referrals into the OT Service and determine appropriate pathways.
• Deliver urgent and targeted OT interventions based on risk and need.
• Conduct 'see and solve' visits for equipment, minor adaptations, and safety concerns.
• Provide expert clinical advice to Community Support Workers and colleagues.
• Safeguarding, mental capacity assessment, and multi-agency collaboration.

Skills

HCPC registration

OT clinical reasoning

triage & assess referrals

risk management

multi-agency working

communication & negotiation

training & supervision

Education

Occupational Therapy degree

Job description

Organisation: Leicestershire County Council

Work Location: County Hall, Leicestershire LE3 8RA

Salary: £33,129 - £44,109 per annum (pro rata for part-time)

Working Hours: 37 Hours Per Week

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing Date: 20th September 2026

Interview Date: 28th/29th September 2026

Join us in making a difference to the lives of adults and children in Leicestershire. Bring your Occupational Therapy expertise to deliver timely, high-quality interventions that enable people to live safely and independently.

We are developing a new OT Intake and Response Team to triage referrals and provide a responsive 'see and solve' service. In this role, you will use your professional expertise to triage referrals effectively and, where appropriate, complete assessments remotely via telephone, delivering timely and proportionate responses. You will also identify when urgent needs require face-to-face intervention and undertake visits to address immediate risks, ensuring people receive the right support at the right time.

About the Role

As an Occupational Therapist in our OT Intake and Response Team, you will work within a fast-paced, supportive environment, providing expert clinical oversight and direct intervention in response to new referrals. You will be responsible for triaging referrals into the OT Service, using your professional judgement to determine appropriate pathways and ensure timely, proportionate responses.

A key aspect of the role will be delivering urgent and targeted Occupational Therapy interventions, where there are significant risks or immediate needs. Where necessary you will undertake 'see and solve' visits to address short-term issues such as equipment provision, minor adaptations and functional difficulties, ensuring people are supported to remain safe and independent at the earliest opportunity.

You will also play an important role in supporting the wider team, providing expert clinical advice and guidance to Community Support Workers and colleagues, helping to inform decision-making and promote best practice. Alongside this, you will identify and respond to safeguarding concerns, mental capacity issues and wider risks, taking appropriate action to ensure safety and compliance with statutory responsibilities.

The role requires you to manage and prioritise a varied caseload, including complex and high-risk situations. You will work collaboratively with colleagues across health, housing and social care to deliver coordinated, person-centred outcomes, and ensure that cases requiring longer-term or more complex intervention are progressed appropriately to the relevant teams.

Dependent on skills, abilities and relevant experience, our salary structure is as follows:

• G9 Occupational Therapist: £33,129 to £35,493
• G10 Occupational Therapist: £36,621 to £40,458
• G11 Occupational Therapist: £41,259 to £44,109 plus £3,200 market premia

About You

1. A recognised Occupational Therapy qualification and current HCPC registration
2. Experience of working within a social care or community Occupational Therapy setting, with a strong understanding of relevant legislation and practice
3. Advanced knowledge of Occupational Therapy interventions, including moving and handling, equipment provision, minor and major adaptations. Evidence of effective assessment and risk management delivery
4. Proven ability to undertake complex assessments, risk management and decision-making, including safeguarding and mental capacity and the ability to respond effectively in urgent situations, delivering timely and proportionate interventions
5. Strong clinical reasoning and professional judgement, with the confidence to work autonomously and prioritise a varied and fast-paced workload. Experience of multi-agency/multidisciplinary working and/or of hospital discharge processes
6. Excellent communication, negotiation and partnership working skills, with the ability to influence outcomes and work across multi-disciplinary teams
7. Experience of supporting and developing others, providing guidance, sharing expertise and contributing to high-quality team practice

Additional Information

A DBS enhanced check for a regulated activity is required for this post.

You will require a valid full driving licence or access to a vehicle for this position.

In addition, we also expect you to share our commitment to our values and to delivering accessible and inclusive services which meet the needs of all of our residents. You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of these commitments as part of the selection process.

Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability. We are a Disability Confident Employer.

Interested in Flexible Working?

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which may include part time working, job sharing, term-time working, flexible start and finish times, and hybrid working, depending on the requirements of the role and the service. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below.

For more information or an informal discussion, please contact:

Lauren Taylor - Team Manager, OT Intake and Response Team.

Telephone: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]