Occupational Therapist – Trauma & Orthopaedics

Integrated Care System; London; On-site; GBP 46,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

An Integrated Care System in London seeks an experienced Occupational Therapist for its Trauma & Orthopaedics Department. Responsibilities include providing advanced therapy services, overseeing junior staff, and contributing to service development. Ideal candidates will possess a degree in Occupational Therapy and have NHS experience, particularly in orthopaedics. A competitive salary and opportunities for professional growth are offered in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• Experience as a qualified occupational therapist with NHS.
• Experience in orthopaedics and key relevant areas.
• Evidence of continued professional development.

Responsibilities

• Provide advanced assessment and treatment for Trauma & Orthopaedic patients.
• Work autonomously to deliver high-quality care.
• Supervise junior staff and contribute to team management.

Skills

Communication and interpersonal skills

Clinical knowledge

Evidence-based practice

Time management

Education

Degree/diploma in Occupational Therapy

Health Professions Council Registration

Job description

Go back University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Occupational Therapist – Trauma & Orthopaedics

The closing date is 03 August 2025

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced Occupational Therapist to join the multidisciplinary team within the Trauma and Orthopaedic (T&O) Department at University College London Hospitals (UCLH).

The T&O Department at UCLH provides a high-quality clinical service for both trauma and elective patients. Elective orthopaedic surgery has moved into a brand-new facility within the UCLH Grafton Way Building.

We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment. The successful candidate will contribute to the effective, efficient and evidence based orthopaedic therapy service. Supported by the T&O inpatient therapy lead, the post holder will provide an inpatient service driven by evidence-based practice and enhanced recovery principles.

There are numerous service development opportunities for you to participate in to demonstrate the value of occupational therapy within trauma and orthopaedics and expand your clinical interest.

You will have an opportunity to provide clinical supervision to other team members including junior Occupational Therapists, Therapy Assistants and students. Regular support and supervision for you will be available from the T&O inpatient therapy lead and senior occupational therapists in the trust.

Main duties of the job

o To provide advanced assessment, treatment & discharge planning for Trauma & Orthopaedic patients admitted to the wards under the care of orthopaedic consultants at UCLH, often with diverse, complex or multiple pathologies and presentations.

o To provide advanced assessment, treatment & discharge planning for elective patients prior to admission, and post-operatively to minimise length of stay and optimise patient rehabilitation; completing both telephone clinics and face to face clinics.

o To work as an autonomous practitioner to provide high quality, evidence-based care to service users.

o To provide experienced advice, guidance and information within this area to patients, health and social care professionals, carers, relatives and other non-professionals.

o To clinically supervise and guide the professional work of less experienced Occupational Therapists, support staff and students as appropriate, while complying with professional and departmental standards of practice.

o To be an integral member of the Trauma & Orthopaedic Therapy Team, contributing to the management of the service, with particular regard for all aspects of clinical governance, and to deputise for senior staff as required.

o To participate in weekend provision, working as an autonomous practitioner without supervision.

About us

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is one of the most complex NHS trusts in the UK, serving a large and diverse population. We provide academically led acute and specialist services, to people from the local area, from throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. Our vision is to deliver top-quality patient care, excellent education, and world-class research.

We provide first-class acute and specialist services across eight sites:

University College Hospital (incorporating the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing)

National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery

Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals

University College Hospital Grafton Way Building

Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine

University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre

The Hospital for Tropical Diseases

University College Hospital at Westmoreland Street

We are dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of many complex illnesses. UCLH specialises in women's health and the treatment of cancer, infection, neurological, gastrointestinal and oral disease. It has world class support services including critical care, imaging, nuclear medicine and pathology.

Job responsibilities

For the full Person Specification and more information regarding the main responsibilities of this role, please refer to the attached Job Description.

Come and be a part of the best NHS trust in England to work for, according to our staff*

* UCLH top trust to work at in England - In the most recent NHS staff survey UCLH had the highest percentage of staff who said they would recommend us as a place to work, out of all general acute or acute/community NHS trusts in England for the third year in a row.

UCLH recognises the benefits of flexible working for staff To find out more, visit: Flexible working.

To discover more about what makes UCLH a great place to work, visit: Why Choose UCLH?

Person Specification

Knowledge and Qualifications

• Degree/diploma in Occupational Therapy
• Health Professions Council Registration
• Evidence of continued professional development
• Member of relevant special interest group in orthopaedics
• Awareness of current evidence pertaining to occupational therapy interventions within an inpatient orthopaedic setting

Experience

• Experience of working as a qualified occupational therapist within the NHS: including experience in orthopaedics, and 3 or more of the following areas: -rehabilitation -hand therapy -elderly care -general medicine -surgery -neurology -acute assessment/accident & emergency
• Experience of working as a Band 6 occupational therapist in an NHS inpatient orthopaedic setting

Skills and Abilities

• Evidence of a clear understanding of the role of the Occupational Therapist in an acute hospital setting
• Evidence of clear understanding of core skills and OT processes
• Evidence of sound clinical knowledge and well established assessment and treatment skills
• Evidence of effective discharge planning skills, including liaising with MDT colleagues and appropriate support agencies.
• Evidence of an understanding of multi-disciplinary issues and knowledge of the skills required to work efficiently and effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary team
• Excellent time management and organisational skills, including prioritisation and delegation

Communication

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, both written and verbal, and can demonstrate a professional fluency in written & oral English

Personal and People Development

• Experience of teaching and supervising junior staff including the use of personal development plans/individual performance reviews
• Able to motivate self, colleagues and patients
• Has attended Practice Placement Educator's Course.
• Experience of teaching and supervising occupational therapy students

Quality & Service Improvement

• Knowledge of current issues and legislation regarding health and social services
• The ability to demonstrate an understanding of Clinical Governance and its application to the work environment
• Experience of the research and development process, including audit.

Specific Requirements

• Conducts self in a professional, confident and approachable manner
• Demonstrates a flexible approach to service delivery needs.
• Able to participate in service delivery on a rota basis, including weekend
• Able to exert moderate to intense physical effort throughout the working day
• Able to frequently cope with working in a stressful environment and with intense concentration for frequent periods throughout the day.
• Able to cope with daily exposure to highly unpleasant work conditions (i.e body fluids, sputum)
• Able to support, adapt and participate in working practice and service evaluation changes.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

£46,419 to £55,046 a yearPer annum inclusive of HCAS