Senior Occupational Therapist

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust; Crowborough; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare provider in Crowborough seeks a Band 6 Therapist to manage complex caseloads and deliver high-quality therapy interventions at home. This leadership role involves supervising junior colleagues, engaging in service evaluations, and ensuring patient independence through efficient care pathways. Candidates should hold a relevant therapy qualification and possess advanced clinical reasoning skills. The position offers a collaborative working environment with opportunities for continuous professional development and flexible working options.

Benefits

Excellent training and development opportunities

Flexible working options

Cost-effective workplace nurseries

Positive staff support networks

Qualifications

• Manage complex caseloads delivering high-quality therapy.
• Complete holistic assessments and develop treatment plans.
• Supervise and support colleagues and contribute to student education.

Responsibilities

• Plan patient pathways and manage clinical risks.
• Engage in service evaluation and improvement initiatives.
• Maintain accurate documentation and support equipment management.

Skills

Advanced clinical reasoning

Holistic assessments

Team leadership

Patient pathway management

Education

Relevant therapy qualification

Job description

The UCR Service provides urgent support, seven-days a week, to help prevent unnecessary hospital admissions. This is achieved by providing a two-hour crisis response delivered by a multi-skilled team of professionals. Support is provided at home or where they usually reside for people who are concerned their health or mobility is declining and are therefore at risk of admission to hospital. Our teams work closely with our local ambulance service to pull category 3 & 4 patients off the ambulance stack, supporting patients in receiving a rapid response in the community by teams with the skills to support them to remain at home.

The Mid Sussex & Wealden Team covers a large area and we have office bases in Haywards Heath & Lewes, along with a hub in Crowborough.

The UCR service also provides a general virtual ward service, supported by digital technology and remote monitoring. Our multidisciplinary teams ensure that patients receive hospital-level care at home safely and in familiar surroundings, helping speed up their recovery while freeing up hospital beds for patients that need them most. As well as home visits, digital remote monitoring is utilised.

As a Band 6 Therapist, you will manage a complex caseload, delivering high-quality, evidence-based therapy interventions to patients in their own homes. You'll use your advanced clinical reasoning to complete holistic assessments, develop tailored treatment plans, and monitor progress, adapting interventions as needed.

This is a leadership role where you'll supervise and support colleagues from Bands 2 to 5, contribute to student education, and support appraisals and team development. You'll be actively involved in service evaluation, audits, and improvement initiatives, ensuring best practice is embedded across the team. You will be required to clinically co‑ordinate as part of the MDT.

Working as part of a responsive multidisciplinary team, you will play a key role in planning patient pathways, managing clinical risk, and promoting patient independence. You'll also maintain accurate documentation, support equipment management, and engage in continuous professional development through training, reflection, and supervision.

The team is made up of GPs, Advanced Clinical Practitioners, Nurses, Paramedics, Pharmacists, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, and Health & Therapy Assistants who work together to reduce hospital admissions. Patients are reviewed daily by a clinical team and the 'ward round' may involve a home visit or take place through video technology.

We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.

Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.

Why work for us?

• Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeing
• Varied environments: community hospitals, patients' homes, and bases across Sussex
• Flexible working options: part-time, flexi‑time, annualised hours, and flexi‑retirement
• Excellent training, development, and research opportunities
• Cost‑effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brighton
• Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief network
• Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust
• Beautiful Sussex location near the South Downs and coast

Our values—Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence—guide everything we do.