Principle Occupational Therapist for Stroke

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust; Greater London; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

A trusted healthcare provider in Greater London is looking for a skilled Principle Occupational Therapist for Stroke to join their stroke rehabilitation team. The role involves leading the stroke therapy service, providing expert clinical input, and supporting service development. Candidates should have extensive experience in stroke rehabilitation and possess leadership skills to guide junior staff. A competitive salary of £55,690 to £62,682 per annum is offered, along with opportunities for professional development.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in stroke rehabilitation.
• Experience of teaching/supervising staff.
• Knowledge of current national and local healthcare issues.

Responsibilities

• Lead the stroke therapy service within inpatient therapy services.
• Provide expert clinical input in stroke rehabilitation.
• Support the inpatient Lead OT in operational management.

Skills

Advanced clinical reasoning

Interpersonal skills

Team leadership

Expert knowledge of stroke rehabilitation

Education

Degree in Occupational Therapy

HCPC registration

Relevant clinical post-grad courses

Job description

Principle Occupational Therapist for Stroke

University Hospital Lewisham OT seeking 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.

The postholder will provide advanced clinical assessment and intervention for patients across the stroke pathway, leading service development initiatives to enhance rehabilitation effectiveness and improve patient flow.

They will offer specialist advice, education, and supervision to junior therapists, students and members of the wider MDT, while supporting quality improvement, audit, and research activity within the stroke service. The role also includes contributing to strategic planning to strengthen occupational therapy provision across the trust.

The postholder will actively engage with South East London stroke network, contributing to collaborative pathways, shared learning and regional service development initiatives. They will support the trust's ongoing commitment to delivering high-quality stroke care by ensuring practice aligns with SSNAP standards, participating in data review, and driving improvements that enhance performance across key SSNAP domains.

Interview date: 2nd February 2026

Main duties of the job

Job Summary:

To lead a high quality, effective and efficient stroke therapy service within inpatient therapy services

To utilise highly specialised and expert clinical reasoning skills and Occupational Therapy knowledge to manage an autonomous caseload and provide support to the stroke therapy and neuro outliers OT team

To be the lead Occupational therapist for the stroke units at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

To support the inpatient Lead OT in the operational management of the stroke OT team. Ensuring development of the service in line with evidence based practice and working across the whole stroke and neuro pathway

About us

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

• Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
• Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
• Improving the experience of staff with disability
• Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
• Making equalities mainstream

"This is what a therapist looks like"

Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trust - AHPs Inspire 2024

Working in therapies

We are TeamLGT

Star Awards 2024 - TeamLGT Magic Moments

Job responsibilities

Key Result Areas & Performance:

1 CLINICAL

1.1 To be responsible for the delivery of Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust inpatient stroke OT services.

1.2 To 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.

1.3 To be an autonomous practitioner and an expert clinician in the assessment, diagnosis, treatment and management of patients referred for stroke rehabilitation at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

1.4 To provide effective clinical leadership to the multidisciplinary stroke team incorporating physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists and support staff.

1.5 To work with the Inpatient lead therapists, Head of Therapies and other relevant partners, in developing the strategic and operational management of the stroke service.

1.6 To 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.

1.7 To accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients, and to 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

1.8 To demonstrate physical ability to carry out highly skilled therapy assessments and interventions including a wide range of therapy techniques and therapeutic handling

1.9 To co-ordinate intervention which may include other disciplines, including advising and educating patients, carers and relatives

1.10 To provide specialist advice and guidance regarding medical conditions relevant to falls to other health care professionals, both within and outside the Trust.

1.11 To be responsible for ensuring that quality standards and effectiveness of patient care are continually improved by self and designated team through formal and informal facilitation / staff development

2 WORKFORCE

2.1 To 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.

2.2 To be responsible for the daily management, supervision and co-ordination of OT stroke team, including staff appraisal, performance management, informal grievance, and to be able to lead on staff recruitment.

3 FINANCIAL

3.1 To provide an efficient and effective stroke service within the allocated budget by appropriate management of the resources

4 PARTNERSHIPS, COMMUNICATION AND RELATIONSHIPS

4.1 To use specialist knowledge to refer to other health disciplines, as appropriate

4.2 To work collaboratively with the stroke service pathway within University Hospital Lewisham (UHL) and London Borough of Lewisham (LBL) and other relevant services to develop a seamless pathway for stroke patients.

4.3 To 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.

4.4 To be responsible for the maintenance of accurate written records to include comprehensive progress and discharge reports to medical referrers, and legal reports.

4.5 To 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

4.6 To demonstrate the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information.

4.7 To 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

4.8 To be able to manage potentially stressful, upsetting or emotional situations in an empathetic manner

4.9 To attend meetings and seminars, and to liaise with and advise other disciplines, to achieve comprehensive, effective and confidential patient management through to discharge

4.10 To represent the Therapy Department on various Trust and departmental groups and working parties, as needed

5 GENERAL

5.1 To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your professional activities

5.2 To 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

5.3 To be familiar with all Trust and Therapy emergency and precautionary procedures both on and off site, and to respond as necessary.

5.4 To maintain and accurate and evaluative record keeping system in accordance with Trust and departmental policies, which can be used for audit and legal purposes

5.5 To provide statistics and analyse reports regarding the designated services, using databases, in an accurate and timely manner

5.6 To assist the Head of therapies, Head of Adult OT Therapies, Lead OT and other MDT colleagues in the resolution of complaints as required

5.7 To ensure that the agreed quality standards of service, based on professional guidelines and standards are maintained.

5.8 To participate in flexible working patterns as required including extended working hours and weekends.

6 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AND AUDIT

6.1 To 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

6.2 To ensure that the agreed quality standards of service are maintained by undertaking appropriate clinical / organisational audits

6.3 To participate in appropriate work related research / evaluation projects and be aware of current research relevant to stroke rehabilitation..

6.4 To ensure good working knowledge of national and local standards and monitor quality as appropriate

6.5 To participate in appropriate work related research projects in clinical trials as required

Person Specification

Qualifications and Training

• Degree in OT
• HCPC registration & Member of RCOT>
• Relevant clinical post-grad courses completed
• MSC
• Management training
• Special interest group membership

Experience

• oBroad experience post-qualification, with significant experience in stroke rehabilitation
• oExperience of team leadership and effecting change
• oAcute stroke rehabilitation experience
• oWorking knowledge of current national and local health care issues
• oExperience of teaching / supervising under-and post- graduate staff
• oResearch experience
• oExperience of working in the community

Knowledge

• oProblem solving approach
• oKnowledge and experience of standard setting, quality issues and clinical audit, and an understanding of clinical governance
• oAbility to undertake evaluation of the service
• oAdvanced communication skills
• oKnowledge of service activity measures and clinical outcome measures
• oAbility to keep clear, precise records which meet legal requirements, and in the English language
• oAbility to communicate clearly with all staff disciplines and the public, and to represent the profession appropriately
• oKnowledge of wide range of approaches to the management of stroke
• oExperience of supervising more junior staff, assistants and/or students
• oEvidence of advanced clinical reasoning skills
• oEvidence of excellent interpersonal skills
• oAbility to work independently and also collaboratively within the multidisciplinary team
• oKnowledge of NHS structure

personal

• oGood interpersonal skills and ability to work in a team
• oPersonality that can stimulate, build and maintain relationships
• oEnthusiastic and flexible and able to work across 7 day working pattern and unsociable hours as required
• oAbility to demonstrate confidence in own professional field and inspire confidence in others
• oAbility to use own initiative and to work independently
• oAbility to manage time, prioritise and organise own workload
• oCalm, reliable and approachable, able to work under pressure and to manage change

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.

£55,690 to £62,682 a yearper annum plus HCAS (pro rata if part-time)