Senior Occupational Therapist for Adult Autism Service | NELFT NHS Foundation Trust

North East London NHS Foundation Trust; Greater London; On-site; GBP 4,000 - 6,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in Greater London is seeking an experienced registered occupational therapist. This role requires effective patient care, specialist assessments for autistic adults, and the ability to work collaboratively with team members. The ideal candidate should have a strong professional background in occupational therapy and be proficient in promoting health and wellbeing. The position offers a supportive induction process and a salary that includes a High Cost Area Supplement.

Benefits

High Cost Area Supplement

Comprehensive induction and training

Qualifications

• Must be a registered occupational therapist with experience.
• Ability to assess and manage patients with autism.
• Strong communication skills and teamwork are essential.

Responsibilities

• Assess and manage care for patients with autism.
• Provide specialist assessment services and interventions.
• Lead education and supervision of junior staff.

Skills

Specialist occupational therapy assessments

Understanding autism

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Education

Registered Occupational Therapist

Job description

The post holder will be an experienced registered occupational therapist, responsible for patients allocated to them and will assess, manage, plan and deliver care while being professionally and legally accountable. They will take a key role in the development and implementation of high standards of clinical care ensuring the service provided is needs‑led, compliant with national guidance and is viewed positively by service users.

The post holder will support the team in understanding and valuing others’ roles and contributions. They will enable others to contribute effectively, acknowledging the nature of and context of their work, sharing and taking account own and others’ knowledge and skills, and differences in working and professional practice.

Responsibilities

• To provide a range of specialist occupational therapy assessments and one‑to‑one/group interventions for autistic adults, taking into consideration the individual’s physical, cognitive, sensory and psychological abilities and needs, to identify their abilities and areas of difficulty.
• To lead on providing pre‑ and post‑diagnostic support, in particular specialist occupational therapy assessments and interventions, including those addressing clients’ sensory needs and their impact on daily living.
• To provide specialist assessment services to individuals referred to the adult autism service.
• To be responsible for organising and prioritising own caseload in the day‑to‑day allocation of work, whilst being able to work flexibly to meet the needs of clients, their relatives and carers and the service.
• To promote the empowerment and education of clients in relation to their holistic health. This focuses on the promotion of social inclusion, health promotion and relapse prevention.
• To deputise when required in the absence of the team clinical/service lead(s).
• To have organisational knowledge relating to Trust protocols and procedures and adhere to them.
• To be responsible for providing accurate records of information required by the Trust for audit purposes.
• To ensure effective risk management at team level by accident/incident reporting, assessing and controlling risk and ensuring residual risks are added to the Trust register.
• To provide specialist clinical advice to other team members on the suitability of various assessments and intervention methods where appropriate.
• To provide consultation and liaison to other professionals working with autistic adults in the Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge and Waltham Forest localities, both community and in‑patient based.
• To take a lead role in the education, supervision and training of more junior members of staff, support workers and occupational therapy students.
• To act as a role model for occupational therapy, raising the profile and value of the role within the service.

Our Values 2025‑2030

Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co‑produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT. They are:

• We are kind.
• We are respectful.
• We work together with our communities.

These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.

Starting with NELFT

NELFT places a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers, and attend a number of drop‑in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period.

High Cost Area Supplement – Outer London

This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (minimum payment of £4,714 and a maximum payment of £5,941 – per annum, pro rata for part time).

Additional Notes

Use of AI – Please see attached document regarding acceptable use of AI during the recruitment process.

Certificates of Sponsorship – Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points‑based system. When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High‑Cost Area Supplement) is not included to ensure fairness and consistency within our Trust.

Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer to this when completing your application.

This advert closes on Wednesday 10 Dec 2025.