Principle Occupational Therapist for Stroke

Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trust; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A reputable NHS Trust in the UK is seeking a skilled Stroke Occupational Therapist (Band 8a) to join its progressive rehabilitation team. This senior role focuses on delivering high-quality, patient-centred stroke care across acute units. You'll lead a multidisciplinary team, ensuring effective patient management and foster evidence-based practices for optimal outcomes. The role requires expertise in clinical reasoning, patient assessment, and providing training and support to staff alike. Join us in making a difference in stroke recovery management.

Qualifications

• Registered Occupational Therapist with experience in stroke rehabilitation.
• Proven ability to manage a stroke caseload independently.
• Demonstrated leadership in a multidisciplinary team.

Responsibilities

• Deliver inpatient stroke OT services.
• Provide clinical leadership to the multidisciplinary stroke team.
• Manage a designated caseload of patients.

Skills

Advanced communication skills

Clinical leadership

Therapeutic handling

Expertise in stroke rehabilitation

Education

Relevant healthcare qualifications

Registered Occupational Therapist

Job description

Stroke Occupational Therapist (Band 8a)

University Hospital Lewisham OT seeks a highly skilled Stroke Occupational Therapist (Band 8a) to join our progressive and friendly Stroke unit Rehabilitation team. This senior role is pivotal in delivering high‑quality, patient‑centred stroke care across the acute stroke units. You will provide expert clinical input, support service development and lead evidence‑based practice within a well‑established multidisciplinary team.

Interview date: 2nd February 2026.

Responsibilities

• Deliver inpatient stroke OT services for Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust.
• Act as a source of expertise in the management of stroke rehabilitation and provide an advisory and teaching role to patients, other therapists and healthcare professionals, GPs and consultants as required.
• Be an autonomous practitioner and an expert clinician in the assessment, diagnosis, treatment and management of patients referred for stroke rehabilitation at the Trust.
• Provide effective clinical leadership to the multidisciplinary stroke team incorporating physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists and support staff.
• Work with the Inpatient lead therapists, Head of Therapies and other relevant partners in developing the strategic and operational management of the stroke service.
• Use a highly advanced theoretical and evidence‑based knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology and clinical reasoning to assess and diagnose patients, often in situations where conflicting evidence is present.
• Accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients, and organise this efficiently and effectively with regard to clinical priorities and use of time, ensuring a high standard of clinical care for the patients under your management and under the management of the staff for whom you are clinically responsible.
• Demonstrate physical ability to carry out highly skilled therapy assessments and interventions including a wide range of therapy techniques and therapeutic handling.
• Coordinate intervention which may include other disciplines, including advising and educating patients, carers and relatives.
• Provide specialist advice and guidance regarding medical conditions relevant to falls to other health care professionals, both within and outside the Trust.
• Be responsible for ensuring that quality standards and effectiveness of patient care are continually improved by self and the designated team through formal and informal facilitation and staff development.
• Provide expert advice, guidance and support, both spontaneous and planned, to other therapists (physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists) in the management of patients following a stroke.
• Be responsible for the daily management, supervision and coordination of OT stroke team, including staff appraisal, performance management, informal grievance, and to be able to lead on staff recruitment.
• Provide an efficient and effective stroke service within the allocated budget by appropriate management of the resources.
• Use specialist knowledge to refer to other health disciplines, as appropriate.
• Work collaboratively with the stroke service pathway within University Hospital Lewisham (UHL), London Borough of Lewisham (LBL) and other relevant services to develop a seamless pathway for stroke patients.
• Act as a resource for consultants, other referring clinicians and multidisciplinary colleagues with regard to specialist knowledge and advice in relation to the therapy management of patients following a stroke.
• Be responsible for the maintenance of accurate written records to include comprehensive progress and discharge reports to medical referrers, and legal reports.
• Be able to motivate and persuade others through advanced communication skills, with the benefit of verbal and non‑verbal skills, using written and electronic information where needed.
• Demonstrate the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information.
• Clearly convey complex knowledge of techniques, biomechanics, anatomy and physiology to patients and staff where evidence underpinning practice may be conflicting, and ensuring sensitivity to the audience level of understanding and previous knowledge.
• Be able to manage potentially stressful, upsetting or emotional situations in an empathetic manner.
• Attend meetings and seminars, and liaise with and advise other disciplines to achieve comprehensive, effective and confidential patient management through to discharge.
• Represent the Therapy Department on various Trust and departmental groups and working parties, as needed.
• Be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your professional activities.
• Contribute to the managerial matters of the department, including development and implementation of departmental policies which will impact on the falls service and may influence other directorates concerning management of falls patients.
• Be familiar with all Trust and Therapy emergency and precautionary procedures both on and off site, and to respond as necessary.
• Maintain an accurate and evaluative record‑keeping system in accordance with Trust and departmental policies, which can be used for audit and legal purposes.
• Provide statistics and analyse reports regarding the designated services, using databases, in an accurate and timely manner.
• Assist the Head of Therapies, Head of Adult OT Therapies, Lead OT and other MDT colleagues in the resolution of complaints as required.
• Ensure that the agreed quality standards of service, based on professional guidelines and standards, are maintained.
• Participate in flexible working patterns as required including extended working hours and weekends.
• Lead and participate in any relevant research, writing clinical guidelines and protocols which are evidence‑based and ensuring that these are implemented in your practice.
• Ensure that the agreed quality standards of service are maintained by undertaking appropriate clinical / organisational audits.
• Participate in appropriate work‑related research / evaluation projects and be aware of current research relevant to stroke rehabilitation.
• Ensure good working knowledge of national and local standards and monitor quality as appropriate.
• Participate in appropriate work‑related research projects and in clinical trials as required.

EEO Statement

We encourage all suitable candidates to apply, including if you are Black, Asian or other ethnic minorities, live with a disability (visible or not), or are LGBTQ+. We have a number of active staff networks including Disability, LGBT+, Multicultural Inclusion and Women’s staff networks to bring staff together and celebrate diversity across our whole workforce.

Sponsorship

Please note that sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route is subject to Trust allocation and UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) approval.