Senior Occupational Therapist

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust; Preston; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in the UK is seeking a Senior Occupational Therapist to join their motivated team. The position demands experience in mental health care and involves delivering interventions for clients with complex needs. Applicants should possess relevant qualifications and be committed to client-centred practice. The role offers a salary ranging from £38,682 to £46,580 per annum.

Qualifications

• Commitment to client-centred, non-discriminatory practice.
• Two years post-registration experience in mental health care.
• Ability to devise specialist interventions for occupational dysfunction.

Responsibilities

• Deliver group and individual interventions for mental health clients.
• Mentor and supervise junior practitioners and support staff.
• Engage with service users to promote recovery through meaningful activities.

Skills

Client-centred practice

Mental health interventions

Sophisticated reasoning skills

Team collaboration

Education

Diploma/BSC (Hons) in Occupational Therapy

State registered with Health Care Professionals Council

Post Graduate training relevant to mental health

Job description

Go back Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

Senior Occupational Therapist

The closing date is 22 October 2025

An opportunity has arisen for a senior Occupational Therapist to join our well established, forward thinking, highly motivated team.

Band 5 applicants would be required to have 2 years experience post graduate, however if you have less experience we would consider your application within a band 5-6 development post.

We are looking for an individual who is enthusiastic, compassionate and motivated. There is great team work within Guild Lodge and you will be working alongside staff and service users to promote the importance of occupation and meaningful activities as part of an individual's recovery journey.

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust is an exciting place to be an Occupational Therapist. We have sound professional structures to lead and inspire our substantial Occupational Therapy workforce. We are committed to delivering excellent services, putting occupation at the centre of our work and championing peoples' rights for occupational needs to be recognised and addressed.

For enquiries please contact:

Main duties of the job

The post holder will deliver a range of group and/or individual interventions drawn from relevant frames of reference, demonstrating sophisticated clinical reasoning skills. They will prioritise planning and delivering interventions for people whose mental health problems have a marked impact on their occupational functioning and who have complex occupational needs. This senior position requires achieving an appropriate balance between the provision of specialist occupational therapy and taking on shared roles that contribute to the efficient functioning of the team.

As an emergent leader and skillful communicator, the post holder will liaise and negotiate across service boundaries and in varied settings. They are research aware, and use evidence to support and develop practice. The post holder will provide regular fieldwork opportunities for occupational therapy undergraduates, and contribute to the learning of other team members or students from other disciplines. They have responsibilities for mentoring and/or developing others and supervise more junior practitioners and support staff, delegating work to add to the effectiveness and efficiency of the team.

About us

The post holder represents a specialist clinical resource with whom other team members can consult on the complex and very idiosyncratic impact mental health problems can have on peoples' occupational performance, and advises the team with regard to the relationship between mental health and occupation. They champion social inclusion and employment issues, and are a key contributor to meeting the team's objectives concerning promoting its service users' greater social inclusion, health promotion and quality of life.

The post holder will be working alongside vulnerable adults who experience a range of mental health and challenging behaviours (including on occasions physical health difficulties) within the Men's Service (medium, low & step down secure environments). They will be involved in the maintenance and development of the occupational therapy services providing assessment and treatment for such individuals as part of the overall programme of activities for Guild Lodge.

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health and forensic services including low and medium secure care.

The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area.

Job responsibilities

Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust encourages flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, flexi-time and career breaks. We encourage applicants to state clearly on their application forms this request and discuss these options at interview.

For more information please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT

Please see attached the job description and person specification for more information about this role.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Diploma/BSC (Hons) in Occupational Therapy (OT)
• State registered with Health Care Professionals Council.
• Documented evidence of continuing professional development (CPD)
• Practice Placement Qualification (Undergraduate OT student educator) within 1 year of appointment
• Post Graduate training relevant to mental health work in appropriate speciality

Knowledge

• Detailed knowledge of how mental & physical health problems impact on occupational performance and how occupational therapy theory informs practice within low and medium secure mental health setting.
• Knowledge of current best practice in low and medium secure settings , and awareness of relevant government directives and legislation
• Specialist knowledge and application of OT assessments and interventions using expert level clinical reasoning.
• Ability to devise specialist interventions to address occupational dysfunction to improve occupational performance.
• Sophisticated reasoning skills to analyse professional and ethical issues.

Experience

• Two years post registration experience with at least six months in setting which has developed directly transferable skills relevant to mental health care.
• Familiarity with audit processes
• Use of evidence-based practice
• Extensive clinical experiences including individual and group work in mental health specialties

Personal

• Commitment to client-centred, non-discriminatory practice.
• Commitment to life long learning.
• Able to work in a changing environment

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.

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

£38,682 to £46,580 a year per annum (subject to confirmation)