Senior Occupational Therapist

NHS; Retford; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare provider in England seeks a dynamic Senior Occupational Therapist to lead an established team in mental health. Responsibilities include providing clinical leadership, developing therapeutic programs, and supervising junior staff. The ideal candidate is a compassionate individual with clinical skills in occupational therapy and experience in secure settings. This role offers a competitive salary with an additional £7,000 high secure allowance.

Benefits

Additional £7,000 high secure allowance

In-house counselling services

Flexible work schedules

Qualifications

• Significant experience in mental health occupational therapy.
• Must have supervisory experience with students and staff.

Responsibilities

• Develop specialist occupational therapy programs.
• Provide clinical leadership and support to junior staff.

Skills

Ability to motivate patients and staff

Good communication skills

Ability to work independently

Experience in occupational therapy assessments

Education

Degree in Occupational Therapy or equivalent

Current HCPC Registration

Job description

Overview

Go back Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Senior Occupational Therapist

The closing date is 14 January 2026

Are you looking at taking the next step in your clinical career? We are seeking to recruit a dynamic Occupational Therapist with proven clinical skills, knowledge and experience to provide clinical leadership to an established team of Occupational Therapists, OT Assistants, Apprentices and support staff in the Mental Health and Personality Disorder Teams at Rampton High Secure Hospital.

The post holder will support the Clinical Lead OT of the service, hold a patient caseload, deliver therapeutic groups as part of a wider OT programme including Vocational, Health and Fitness and Day Unit activities and professionally supervise junior OT staff and students.

We are looking for an enthusiastic compassionate and motivated OT with excellent communication skills to make a difference to the lives of our patients. An OT interested in Forensic Mental Health and the Physical Health needs of this population is desirable.

In return we can offer an additional £7,000 high secure allowance to successful applicants.

Main duties of the job

Develop and provide effective programmes of specialist Occupational Therapy for a specific patient group and contribute to the overall OT service development. The role involves deputising for senior staff as required. The post is situated within the Forensic Care Group and located in the Care Unit high secure setting at Rampton Hospital. The post holder will develop and provide a variety of specialist individual and group occupational therapy interventions to a population of mentally disordered offenders. Liaise effectively and be an active member of the relevant multidisciplinary teams, providing clinical reports as necessary and actively contribute to the Care Programme Approach process.

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

Develop and provide a patient needs led specialist occupational therapy programme using a range of assessments, treatment approaches and evaluation based on best available evidence, to a specific patient group. Be actively involved in the clinical risk assessment and development of risk management plans for patients and adhere to these. Communicate effectively within own service and with other colleagues. Be actively involved in Clinical Governance and quality assurance activities as required. Provide effective clinical leadership with the Occupational Therapy service. Co-work with Occupational Therapy staff and members of other professions. Accurately record statistical information. Keep accurate, appropriate, and contemporaneous patient records in accordance with the Forensic Information Governance Group and Trust Policy. Lead in assigned specific clinical activities as determined by the line manager. Lead on specific service developments as required.

Additional notes

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

Physical Requirements

• To undertake relevant mandatory training and engage in the management of violence and aggression.
• Ability to respond to serious and emergency incidents

Qualifications

• Degree in Occupational Therapy or equivalent
• Current Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Registration.
• Fieldwork Educators qualification and APPLE accredited/prepared to undertake training as necessary.
• Supervision and appraisal training
• Accredited training in standardised OT assessments and outcome measures.

Experience

• Significant experience in occupational therapy assessment, treatment planning, delivery and evaluation in a mental health setting with minimal supervision.
• Significant experience of planning and facilitating a variety of individual and group occupational therapy interventions in a variety of environments.
• Experience of supervising OT students as well as qualified and unqualified staff.
• Experience of working in a secure setting, e.g. prison, young offenders institution or forensic unit.
• Experience of research and/or clinical audit
• Experience of service development and/or leading on clinical initiatives.

Skills

• Ability to motivate patients and staff.
• Ability to function effectively within a multi-professional team and develop cohesive working relationships.
• Ability to maintain clear professional boundaries when working with a challenging patient group.
• Ability to work independently and prioritise own workload
• Good communications, negotiation and liaison skills (both oral and written).
• Presentation and training skills.

Contractual Requirements

• Ability to work flexible to meet the needs of the service, including occasional evenings and weekends on a rotational basis.

Values & Behaviours

• All colleagues are expected to demonstrate that they act in line with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Values:
• 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

Knowledge

• Knowledge and application of occupational therapy evidence-based practice and outcome measures.
• Detailed knowledge of treatment models and approaches used in mental health and personality disorder services.
• Knowledge of patient focused approaches and user/carer involvement initiatives.
• Knowledge of Rampton Hospital and its purpose.

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 Per annum (pro rata for part) extra allowance currently £7000