Senior MH Occupational Therapist

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; Basford; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare organization in England is seeking a Senior Mental Health Occupational Therapist to assess patient needs and implement effective therapy plans. You will manage a defined caseload, working in a team to deliver high-quality, person-centred services. Applicants should have a BSc or MSc in Occupational Therapy and relevant experience in mental health environments. This role offers a salary range of £38,682 to £46,580 per annum.

Qualifications

• Working experience of assessing and managing a complex caseload in mental health.
• Knowledge of Risk Assessment and effective risk management strategies.
• Experience in clinical and professional development of others.

Responsibilities

• Assess patient needs and implement occupational therapy plans.
• Manage a defined caseload with clinical responsibilities.
• Communicate effectively with multidisciplinary colleagues.

Skills

Empathetic and psychologically minded

Excellent written and oral communication skills

Well organised and able to prioritise

Excellent clinical reasoning skills

IT skills

Education

BSc or MSc Occupational Therapy

HCPC Registered

Job description

Go back Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Senior MH Occupational Therapist

The closing date is 23 November 2025

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Occupational Therapist within a City Local Mental Health Team providing and enabling support to people requiring secondary mental health services who are centrally based. The successful candidate will be working as part of a small OT team within the wider community Multidisciplinary team based on the Highbury Hospital grounds.

Main duties of the job

To provide specialist assessment, formulation, requiring sound clinical reasoning, critical thinking, reflection and analysis, and subsequent therapeutic intervention programmes. Provide supervision to the B5 and OT assistants within the team. Provide preventative information and guidance working to empower carers/family members.

The post holder will work as part of the wider multi‑disciplinary team providing a high quality, effective, accessible, person and family‑centred services.

About us

#TeamNottsHC comprises over 11,000 dedicated colleagues who #MakeADifference every day. We deliver intellectual disability, mental health, community health, forensic, and offender healthcare services across Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and South Yorkshire. Our care is provided from over 200 sites, spanning community locations, acute settings, and secure environments, including prisons.

We are one of the largest mental health and community Trusts in the East Midlands and one of Nottinghamshire's biggest employers. We also host national and regional services, such as the National High Secure Deaf Service and the Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health.

We offer a variety of employee‑led staff networks, including Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) groups, the Green Champions network, the Freedom to Speak Up network, the Health and Wellbeing Champions network, and the Menopause Champions network. These networks play a vital role in supporting our diverse workforce and promoting a culture of inclusivity.

The health and wellbeing of colleagues is a top priority. We invest significantly in this through our in‑house occupational health and staff counselling services, supported by a dedicated Health and Wellbeing team.

The Trust is committed to reducing its carbon emissions, with a specialised Energy and Environmental team working to ensure compliance with environmental legislation, enhance our environmental performance, and achieve our net‑zero commitment.

Job responsibilities

This role requires the post holder to be able to assess patient needs, identify effective occupational therapy plans and implement these well. The occupational therapist will manage a defined caseload, which will include clinical responsibilities, travel, and administration. In order to do this, they will need an understanding of the complex needs and treatment approaches relevant to adults with mental ill‑health. The post holder will need to communicate effectively with a wide range of multi‑disciplinary colleagues and agencies. This role requires working with individuals with complex needs, therefore the post holder is required to prioritise their caseload and provide effective guidance to junior members of staff. The post holder will actively work to continually develop the service in a patient‑centred and evidence‑based context.

Delivery is a 5 day, Monday to Friday service 09:00‑17:00.

Service provision may be in the patient's own home or local environment; it could be in a clinic setting whichever is deemed the most appropriate for that individual.

A full UK driving licence and vehicle for business use is required for this post; however reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled individuals in line with the Equality Act 2010.

Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £26.40 (standard) or £54.40 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first 2 months of employment.

You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. An annual fee of £16 per year applies.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• BSc or MSc Occupational Therapy.
• HCPC Registered.
• Professional body registered.

Contractual requirement

• A full, current UK driving licence and access to a vehicle fit and insured for business use are required for this post. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled staff in line with the Equality Act 2010.

Training

• Further specialist knowledge/post registration experience or training of specialist professional interventions and evaluations.
• Leadership experience or training.
• Clinical educator.

Experience

• Working experience of assessing and managing a complex caseload with adults with profession specific needs in mental health.
• Knowledge of Risk Assessment and ability to ensure effective risk management strategies within specialism.
• Experience of the clinical and professional development of others including students.
• Experience in evaluation / audit as part of profession/multi‑professional team.
• Experience of delivering different learning and development opportunities for staff teams.
• Experience of effective multi‑disciplinary/agency working.
• Identifies clinical risks and carries out MDT/Trust Risk assessments and formulation for individuals, groups or services highlighting needs.
• Experience of collaboration across teams, services, and other stakeholders outside of the Trust.
• Experience of research, audit, service evaluation and/or quality improvement projects - setting up, evaluating, reporting and application.
• Experience of leading / managing project work.

Values and behaviours

• All colleagues are expected to demonstrate at interview that they act in line with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Values: Trust Honesty Respect Compassion Teamwork.
• All colleagues are expected to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and how it applies to their role. The Trust's expectations are highlighted within our EDI Policy, and associated EDI and Human Rights legislation.

Physical requirements

• Has the ability to perform the full range of duties.
• Physical skills in line with MVA Breakaway where applicable.

Knowledge

• Specialist clinical knowledge.
• Applied knowledge of risk assessment within field of clinical practice.
• Knowledge of National Policy and guidance.
• Knowledge of how mental and physical health contribute to risk assessment and support management.
• Applied leadership knowledge.

Skills

• Empathetic and psychologically minded.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills for a variety of audiences, and in situations.
• Well organised and able to prioritise a high turnover caseload.
• Excellent clinical reasoning skills.
• Experience of supporting other staff and students.
• Motivated and a motivator.
• Team builder and team member.
• Autonomous and able to work without direct supervision.
• Ability to manage own wellbeing with access to supervision to sustain this.
• IT skills - to support clinical and service needs and developments.
• Experience of managing a project or service initiative.

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.

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

£38,682 to £46,580 a year (pro rata for part time)