Occupational Therapy Team Lead - Frailty

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Bedford, Luton; On-site; GBP 49,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced Lead Occupational Therapist to join the Acute Frailty Therapy Team and provide professional leadership across services. The role focuses on delivering high-quality, patient-centred care for older adults with frailty during acute hospital stays.

You will lead service development, supervise staff, support complex discharge planning, and drive quality improvement initiatives to optimise patient outcomes and efficiency across

Qualifications

• Degree or Diploma in Occupational Therapy (HCPC registered).
• Leadership course or equivalent management training preferred.
• Experience in acute hospital settings with older adults/frailty.
• Strong team leadership and mentorship capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Provide professional leadership and operational oversight for the Occupational Therapy service within the Acute Frailty Team.
• Lead on advanced occupational therapy assessments and interventions for frailty and complex cases.
• Oversee discharge planning, risk management, and capacity assessments.
• Support workforce planning, staff supervision, and professional development.
• Drive service development, quality improvement, and multidisciplinary collaboration.

Skills

Leadership

Clinical reasoning

Discharge planning

Team collaboration

Education

Degree or Diploma in Occupational Therapy

HCPC Registration

Leadership Course

Job description

Occupational Therapy Team Lead - Frailty

NHS AfC: Band 7

Main area Therapies - Occupational Therapy Grade NHS AfC: Band 7 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Occasional weekend working) Job ref 418-AHP79765-CW

Site Bedford Hospital - South Wing Town Bedford Salary £49,387 - £56,515 per Salary period Yearly Closing 23/11/2026 23:59

Job overview

We are seeking an experienced, innovative, and compassionate Lead Occupational Therapist to join our Acute Frailty Therapy Team. This is an exciting opportunity to provide professional leadership within a dynamic multidisciplinary team, delivering high-quality, patient-centred care for older people living with frailty during their acute hospital stay.

As the Lead Occupational Therapist, you will play a key role in shaping and developing the occupational therapy service within the Acute Frailty Team. Working collaboratively with colleagues across the multidisciplinary team, you will lead the delivery of evidence-based interventions that promote independence, prevent functional decline and deconditioning, support timely and safe discharge, and enhance patient outcomes. You will also contribute to service development, quality improvement initiatives, staff supervision, and the continued advancement of frailty care pathways.

This role offers the opportunity to make a significant impact on the patient experience by reducing unnecessary admissions and length of stay, while ensuring that individuals receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time. We are looking for a motivated and forward-thinking clinician with excellent leadership, communication, and clinical decision-making skills who is passionate about improving outcomes for older people and driving excellence in frailty services.

Main duties of the job

The Team Lead Occupational Therapist will provide expert clinical leadership, specialist advice, and professional supervision to Occupational Therapy staff working across the Acute Frailty wards. Working collaboratively with medical, nursing, therapy, and discharge planning colleagues, you will play a key role in developing and delivering integrated, patient-centred services that achieve the best possible outcomes for older people with complex health and social care needs.

The post holder will lead the ongoing development of the Occupational Therapy service within Acute Frailty, ensuring that high standards of clinical practice, patient safety, and quality of care are maintained. You will champion evidence-based practice, support service improvement and transformation initiatives, and contribute to the development of innovative care pathways that promote independence, prevent deconditioning, and facilitate timely discharge.

In addition, you will provide mentorship and support to staff and students, contribute to workforce development, and foster a culture of continuous learning, clinical excellence, and multidisciplinary collaboration across the service.

Working for our organisation

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Provide professional leadership and operational oversight for the Occupational Therapy service within the Acute Frailty Team.
• Deliver advanced Occupational Therapy assessments and interventions for patients with frailty, complex multi-morbidity, cognitive impairment, and functional decline.
• Lead on complex discharge planning, risk management, capacity assessments, and clinical decision-making.
• Ensure the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care that promotes independence and supports safe, timely discharge.
• Work collaboratively with medical, nursing, therapy, social care, and discharge planning teams to optimise patient flow and improve outcomes.
• Provide clinical supervision, mentorship, appraisal, and professional support to Occupational Therapists, Therapy Support Workers, and students.
• Support workforce planning, caseload management, and service capacity to ensure effective and efficient service delivery.
• Lead and contribute to service development, quality improvement projects, clinical audits, and research activities.
• Champion evidence-based practice and support the implementation of national and local frailty initiatives.
• Monitor service performance, quality standards, and patient outcomes to drive continuous improvement.
• Act as a professional role model, promoting excellence in clinical practice and multidisciplinary working.
• Represent Occupational Therapy at operational, divisional, and strategic meetings, contributing to the development of integrated frailty services.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Degree or Diploma in Occupational Therapy
• HCPC Registration as an Occupational Therapist
• Practice Educator qualification or willing to achieve
• Leadership Course

Experience

• Significant post registration experience within acute hospital services
• Experience working with older adults and patients living with frailty
• Experience of complex discharge planning and integrated working
• Experience leading service improvement or quality improvement projects
• Member of specialist interest group relevant to the post

Knowledge and skills

• Advanced knowledge of frailty, aging and rehabilitation principles
• Comprehensive understanding of discharge planning and community pathways
• Excellent clinical reasoning and decision making skills
• Ability to analyse service data and drive improvements
• Experience of service redesign and transformation programmes
• Experience working across acute and community pathways

Personal skills

• Team focussed
• reliable, adaptable and dependable

It is an exciting time to join Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. We run two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Our 7,500 staff provide high quality care for a growing population of around 700,000 across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas.

You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. Travel between hospital sites may be required. We have state-of-the art facilities placing us at the heart of cutting edge health care. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering their first six months in post.

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.

Name Emily Cox Job title Therapies Service Manager - Occupational Therapy Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 07407110632