Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner

NHS; West Malling; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in West Malling is seeking a full-time Occupational Therapist Assistant Practitioner to support individuals with Learning Disabilities and complex needs. You will work within a multidisciplinary team, perform assessments, and provide interventions to enhance the quality of life for clients. The role requires excellent communication skills, the ability to work collaboratively, and a full UK driving licence. This is an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact in a rewarding specialist area.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Opportunities for CPD

Qualifications

• Experience as a Senior Healthcare worker.
• Experience of working as part of a team.
• Experience working with people with a learning disability.

Responsibilities

• Develop knowledge on falls assessments and interventions.
• Independently manage a clinical caseload under supervision.
• Promote effective collaborative working with stakeholders.

Skills

Sound communication and interpersonal skills

Ability to use own initiative

Ability to cope with change

Ability to organise own work

Education

Foundation Degree Level study (Level 5)

Functional Skills at Level 2 in English and Maths

Tools

Microsoft Office

E-Pay

E-roster

Rio

Job description

Job summary

If you are passionate to working with people with a Learning Disability and have an enthusiastic approach to support them to lead a meaningful life.

We have a wonderful opportunity to offer a full‑time position for a band 4 Occupational Therapist Assistant Practitioner to join our specialist Multi‑Disciplinary Team based in West Kent. We would welcome you to come and join our community‑based team, who work closely alongside Local Authority and specialist Mental Health services to support adults with Learning Disabilities and complex needs.

This is an excellent opportunity to work in an extremely rewarding specialist area where you will use your Occupational Therapy skills to support personalised interventions for the clients and support Occupational Therapy colleagues within a well‑established and friendly team.

We believe in treating the whole person, not just the condition, so we provide flexible and holistic care in a range of community settings. You must have a full, valid UK driving licence and have the ability to travel within the West Kent locality and also where required, across locations within the wider service, in a timely manner to ensure completion of role.

Main duties of the job

• Develop and increase knowledge about people with a Learning Disability who fall or are at risk of falling and how this can impact their lives. Completing falls assessments and carrying out interventions including falls prevention work.
• Develop and increase knowledge on standard stock equipment, which may be required for people with a Learning Disability and coexisting conditions. Complete the trust training and gain competencies to become a Supplementary Assessor, to be able to assess and prescribe standard stock equipment.
• Independently manage a clinical caseload providing assessment and interventions for people with a Learning Disability under supervision from an Occupational Therapist.
• Work towards maximising a person's quality of life by providing clinical expertise, behavioural and/or engagement support.
• Measure progress and ensure effective outcomes for the individual with a Learning Disability.
• Possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and the ability to work well as part of a team. You will be required to work closely with all stakeholders and promote effective collaborative working with all those involved in the person's life.
• Contribute to the development of multi‑disciplinary best practice, service development and quality improvement.
• Engage with regular supervision, annual appraisal and identified CPD opportunities as required/available.

About us

Rated 'outstanding' by the CQC, we've got a passion for delivering high standards of patient care and excellent services to improve the health of our communities. To do this we need outstanding people who share our values compassionate Aspirational Responsive Excellent.

We know a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion leads to better patient care and a happier workforce. We pride ourselves in being diverse and welcome applications from people with varied backgrounds, perspectives and experiences.

We ask for information about your protected characteristics on our application forms. This isn't visible to anyone involved with shortlisting or interviewing you, except when you choose to be considered under the guaranteed interview scheme due to disability. Short listers will see two ticks alongside your application to ensure they apply the principles of the scheme to your submission.

The data we collect helps us to ensure we are attracting diversity in our applicants, that all our colleagues have equitable access to career opportunities and supports us on our journey to being a Great Place to Work.

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want you to be able to work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you. Talk to us about a flexible working arrangement that won’t involve sacrificing time for personal interests or family commitments. We'll support you to work flexibly in a way that will suit us both.

Employment details

Date posted: 18 December 2025
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 4
Salary: £27,485 to £30,162 a year per annum
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full‑time
Reference number: 846-7655940-EP
Job locations: Worrall House / Montague House, West Malling / Tunbridge Wells, ME19 4AE

Additional information

As a community Trust many of our roles require individuals to be able to drive to perform their duties. As such you will be asked to confirm you have a full UK driving licence where driving is a requirement of the role to be able to proceed with your application. We are committed to supporting candidates with disabilities into employment, if you are unable to drive due to a disability, please contact the Recruitment Team via [e-mail] quoting the vacancy reference number so we can support you further.

At KCHFT we strongly encourage colleagues in clinical and non‑clinical roles who have direct or social contact with patients to be fully vaccinated. In this way we will be doing all we can to ensure your safety and that of your colleagues and the patients we serve.

If you have any further questions, the recruiting manager would love to hear from you. Please see the job advert for contact details. We can get a lot of applications for some roles so to be in with the best chance of being shortlisted please make sure you apply as soon as possible. A vacancy may close early if there is a lot of interest in the job.

Good luck! We can't wait to meet you and welcome you to #teamKCHFT, #cometocommunity.

Person specification

Qualifications (Essential):

• Evidence of Foundation Degree Level study (Level 5) or be able to demonstrate the equivalent level of experience
• Functional Skills at Level 2 (Literacy and numeracy/ GCSE grade A-C or equivalent in English and Maths)

Qualifications (Desirable):

• Mentorship / Coaching qualification Trusted Assessor/ Supplementary Assessor Care Certificate

Experience (Essential):

• Experience as a Senior Healthcare worker
• Experience of working as part of a team
• Experience with the use of Microsoft Office and a variety of IT packages (E-Pay / E-roster / Rio)

Experience (Desirable):

• Experience of assessing and prescribing standard stock equipment
• Experience of working with people with a learning disability
• Experience of working in a community setting
• Experience of working with people who fall or at risk of falls

Knowledge (Essential):

• Awareness of professional issues and recent developments in the NHS and Primary Care including Clinical Governance, NICE, Essence of Care Knowledge of up to date clinical practice in relation to Learning Disabilities and Occupational Therapy
• A full understanding of the role and remit of an Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner

Knowledge (Desirable):

• Knowledge of the Occupational Therapist role within a community Learning Disabilities team

Skills and abilities (Essential):

• Sound communication and interpersonal skills (verbal and written)
• Ability to use own initiative
• Ability to cope with change
• Ability to organise own work

Personal attributes (Essential):

• Ability to motivate and organise others to ensure best practice
• Ability to work under pressure

Ability to manage (Essential):

• Able to support the implementation of local and national agenda's for health under the guidance of the Occupational Therapist
• Have a full, valid UK driving licence and have the ability to travel within the West Kent locality and also where required, across locations within the wider service, in a timely manner to ensure completion of role
• Ability to manage own time effectively
• Ability to prioritise care delivery in a professional manner, taking into account Trust policies and procedures

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit https://www.ukvisasandimmigration.gov.uk/.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.

Employer details

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

Worrall House / Montague House

West Malling / Tunbridge Wells

ME19 4AE