Senior Occupational Therapist

Gmmh; Salford; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) is recruiting an enthusiastic Senior Occupational Therapist for the Adults of Working Age Inpatient OT Service at Meadowbrook Unit, Salford. You will work in a multidisciplinary team to assess, plan and deliver recovery-focused OT interventions on Eagleton Ward, a male acute inpatient mental health ward.

You will manage a varied caseload, supervise staff and contribute to ward activities, care planning and discharge planning, while

Qualifications

• Registered OT with HCPC, post-registration experience.
• Experience in mental health settings, preferably acute inpatient.
• Experience supervising, supporting and developing staff.
• Knowledge of evidence-based OT assessment and intervention.
• Ability to manage and prioritise a complex caseload.

Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of service users with complex mental and physical health needs.
• Complete Occupational Therapy screening, assessment, intervention and evaluation.
• Deliver recovery-focused interventions to promote participation, independence and discharge planning.
• Support planning, delivery and evaluation of therapeutic activity programmes within the ward.
• Provide supervision, support and guidance to staff and students.
• Contribute to service development, quality improvement and audit.

Skills

Caseload management

MDT collaboration

Supervision

Therapeutic activity programmes

Communication with service users

Standardised OT assessments

Leadership

Education

Diploma/Degree In Occupational Therapy

HCPC registration

Post-registration training in mental health

Post-registration qualification in relevant area

Model of Human Occupation training

Leadership/management training

Job description

We are looking for an enthusiastic, compassionate and motivated Occupational Therapist to join the Adults of Working Age (AOWA) Inpatient Occupational Therapy Service within Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH). This post is currently based at Meadowbrook Unit, Salford, providing Occupational Therapy input to Eagleton Ward, a male acute inpatient mental health ward.

This is an exciting opportunity to work within a multidisciplinary team supporting individuals experiencing acute mental health difficulties to engage in meaningful occupation, maximise independence and achieve their recovery goals. You will provide specialist Occupational Therapy assessment, formulation and intervention for individuals with complex mental and physical health needs, using evidence-based and recovery-focused approaches to support occupational participation, wellbeing and discharge planning.

As a Senior Occupational Therapist, you will manage a varied caseload, contribute to the therapeutic environment of the ward, provide supervision and support to staff, and play an active role in service development and quality improvement initiatives.

This role offers the opportunity to develop specialist skills in acute inpatient mental health while working within a supportive Occupational Therapy network committed to high-quality, person-centred care.

Please note: all interviews for this post will be conducted face-to-face.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will play a key role in delivering high-quality Occupational Therapy provision within an acute inpatient mental health setting. Key responsibilities include:

• Managing a caseload of service users with complex mental and physical health needs.
• Completing Occupational Therapy screening, assessment, intervention and evaluation.
• Using occupational formulation and evidence-based assessment tools to inform clinical reasoning and care planning.
• Delivering recovery-focused interventions that promote occupational participation, independence and successful discharge planning.
• Supporting the planning, delivery and evaluation of therapeutic activity programmes within the ward environment.
• Contributing to multidisciplinary team working, ward rounds, care planning and discharge planning processes.
• Providing supervision, support and guidance to staff and students.
• Contributing to service development, quality improvement, audit and professional development activities.
• Maintaining accurate clinical records and working in accordance with HCPC, RCOT and Trust standards.

Please refer to the full Job Description and Person Specification for further details regarding the responsibilities and requirements of this role.

Working for our organisation

Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) Foundation Trust employs over 7,000 members of staff, who deliver services from more than 120locations.

We provide inpatient and community-based mental health care for people living in Bolton, the city of Manchester, Salford,Trafford and the borough of Wigan, and a wide range of specialist mental health and substance misuse services across Greater Manchester, the north west of England and beyond.

Greater Manchester is one of the world's most innovative, original and exciting places to live and work. From the beauty of the surrounding countryside to the heart of the vibrant inner city with great shopping, entertainment and dining options.

Wherever you go you will experience a great northern welcome with people famed for their warmth, humour and generosity.

Our people enjoy their work, have opportunities to learn and develop their skills and are encouraged to generate new ideas that improve care for our service users.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached job description and person specification

• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays rising to 29 after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years

Person specification

Experience

• Post-registration experience of working as a qualified Occupational Therapist
• Experience working within a mental health setting
• Experiencing managing a clinical caseload
• Experience supervising, supporting and developing others.
• Experience of providing 1:1 or group therapeutic activity
• Experience of developing and evaluating activity programmes and ward based activity provision
• Experience of working in a range of mental health settings
• Experience working in acute inpatient services.
• Experience of audit, quality improvement or service development

Education

• Diploma/Degree In Occupational Therapy
• Registration with HCPC
• Post-registration training relevant to mental health practice
• Post registration qualification in clinically relevant area
• Model of Human Occupation training
• Leadership or management training/qualification

Knowledge

• Knowledge of evidence based OT assessment and intervention relevant to setting
• Knowledge of risk assessment and risk management
• Knowledge of Mental health legislation, safeguarding and best practice guidance
• Knowledge of recovery-focused and person centred approaches.
• Knowledge of the Model of Human Occupation
• Knowledge of occupational formulation
• Knowledge of trauma informed care and neurodiversity- informed practice
• Knowledge of quality improvement, clinical governance and service evaluation processes.

Skills

• Ability to assess, plan, implement and evaluate OT interventions
• Ability to manage and prioritise a complex caseload
• Ability to communicate effectively with service users, carers and MDT
• Ability to work autonomously and contribute effectively within an MDT
• Ability to use standardised OT assessment and outcome measures
• Ability to lead, coordinate and evaluate therapeutic activity programmes
• Ability to support and develop others
• Ability to contribute to service development, audit and quality improvement

Important Information about working for GMMH:

All positions within the Trust are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks, for further information on the checks required please visit the NHS Employers website www.nhsemployers.org

The Trust mandates all post holders who require a DBS for their role to subscribe to the DBS Update Service. You will be required to enrol for this service for a fee of £16 per year and maintain registration throughout your employment with GMMH.

The Trust is also committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and requires all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We are aspiring to ensure our workforce is representative of the diverse communities that we serve, and we are strongly committed to removing barriers to employment for candidates from under-represented groups, for example BAME, Disabled and LGBT+ communities.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when writing job applications

A candidate may utilise the help of AI when writing job application.The assessment of an application is made on its entirety and most times AI-generated content does not fully grasp the context and requirements of the job one applies for thus producing inaccurate and misleading information, especially in the supporting statement section of an application that can lack real life examples of one’s achievements, success and challenges.

We have added a disclaimer to our application process advising that the use of AI is monitored. GMMH reserves the right to follow up with a candidate at the interview on specific responses and those examples used in the supporting statement to explore it further.

Sponsorship

We are proud to be an approved sponsor for the Skilled Worker visa. Applications from individuals who require sponsorship will be considered alongside all other applications. Please be aware that not all roles are eligible for sponsorship. You can review the list of eligible roles and salary requirements on the UK Government’s website – click here .

If you are offered a role with us and you require sponsorship, we will check your eligibility in line with the information on the above website. Your offer of employment could be withdrawn if the role is not eligible for sponsorship, and you are not otherwise able to evidence your right to work in the UK.

The Home Office introduces new changes from 22/07/2025 that impact the health and care sector, you may wish to familiarise with it here .

Do you have experience outside the NHS?

We want to attract and retain people with diverse skills and experience, to deliver inclusive healthcare services to our communities.

**Please note, this vacancy may be closed at any time if sufficient applications have been received**

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

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