Occupational Therapy Professional Lead

Hpft; Welwyn Garden City; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 67,000; Full time

Job summary

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced Mental Health Occupational Therapist to lead the Experts at Hand (EaH) service. You will shape the MH OT offer, provide professional leadership, and drive evidence‑based assessment and intervention across educational settings for 0–25s.

You will collaborate with OT colleagues, SLPs, EPs, teachers, and partners, and oversee service development and workforce capability to improve participation and wellbeing for

Qualifications

• Registered OT with HCPC
• Post-qualification experience with children and families in mental health context
• Specialist knowledge in Model of Human Occupation or equivalent tools
• Experience with AMPS and other OT assessment tools
• Experience in mental health and/or learning disabilities settings
• Band 8A level experience (desirable)

Responsibilities

• Lead and embed the Mental Health OT offer within EaH
• Provide professional leadership to the MH OT team
• Ensure evidence‑based assessment and intervention
• Collaborate with OTs, SLPs, EPs, teachers and wider partners
• Contribute to service development and workforce capability

Education

BSc/MSc/PG Dip Occupational Therapy

Tools

AMPS/ESI/SI training

Solution Focused Brief Therapy training

Job description

Site Rosanne House, Parkway, Welwyn Garden City, Herts , AL8 6HG Town Welwyn Garden City Salary £59,798 - £67,020 per annum, pro rata (Inclusive of 5% HCAS) Salary period Yearly Closing 05/11/2026 23:59

Values Based Screener

At Hertfordshire Partnership Foundation Trust we are looking for people to join us who share our values and those of the NHS. Before your application can be considered please take part on our online values questionnaire, which you can find below. When you have finished you will be sent a 'completion code' by email, which will be valid for 6 months and required to submit your application form.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and innovative Occupational Therapist to join HPFT as the Mental Health Occupational Therapy Professional Lead for our new Experts at Hand (EaH) service.

EaH is a jointly delivered early‑help model funded by Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) and developed in partnership with HCT. The service is evolving to provides structured, consistent support to children, young people, staff and systems across mainstream educational settings (0–25), bringing together OTs, SaLTs, EPs and specialist teachers.

We are seeking a highly skilled Mental Health OT with strong leadership capability and substantial experience in CYP mental health. You will shape and embed the Mental Health (MH) OT offer within EaH, lead the MH OT team, and ensure high‑quality, evidence‑based assessment and intervention.

You will thrive in a collaborative, multi‑agency environment and be passionate about improving participation, emotional wellbeing and functional outcomes for children and young people.

This is a rare opportunity to lead a new, high‑impact model that will shape early‑help support across Hertfordshire. If you are ready for a strategic leadership role and want to make a meaningful difference, we would welcome your application.

Main duties of the job

The postholder will play a key role in shaping and embedding the Experts at Hand (EaH) model, leading the development of the Mental Health Occupational Therapy offer and providing professional leadership to the MH OT team to ensure service priorities are delivered effectively.

Working as part of the EaH team, the postholder will ensure that Occupational Therapy assessment and intervention are well‑managed, evidence‑based and delivered in line with professional standards and best practice. The role includes supporting high‑quality clinical delivery across mainstream educational settings and contributing to service development, quality improvement and workforce capability.

The postholder will work closely with HPFT Mental Health OTs, HCT Sensory and Functional OTs, SaLTs, EPs, specialist teachers, assistants, MHSTs and mainstream education settings, as well as wider system partners across health, education and social care.

This role provides a unique opportunity to lead a new, funded, system‑wide model that strengthens early intervention and improves outcomes for children and young people across Hertfordshire.

Working for our organisation

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of ‘Outstanding’ from theCare Quality Commission.

Our family of over 4,500 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. E verything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:

Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the full details of the JD/PS attached. The word limit here is capped at 100 characters so I am unable to copy and paste it.

Person specification

Qualifications

• BSc/MSc/PG Dip Occupational Therapy
• HCPC registration
• Evidence of clinical post registration training
• Membership of RCOT, including specialist section
• Solution Focussed Brief Therapy training
• AMPS/ESI/SI training

Experience

• Post registration experience working with children, young people and their families with occupational performance challenges and sensory needs at clinical B7 level
• Understanding and knowledge of English school systems and the SEND reforms.
• Highly Specialist knowledge and experience of using and applying the Model of Human Occupation assessment tools, or others appropriate to area.
• Experience of other specialist Occupational Therapy assessment tools, e.g. AMPS, Pool Activity Levels
• Experience of working with people with mental health problems and/or learning disability in a variety of health and social care settings
• Previous experience of having worked at Band 8A level

Please note, we do not charge fees for job applications, recruitment processes, sponsorship arrangements, or employment offers. Please see the Trust careers vacancy webpage and Trac as the only authorised routes for recruitment communications, applications and verification of job offers.

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.