Senior Occupational Therapist - Prevention of Deconditioning

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; England; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional health service provider is seeking an Occupational Therapist to join the Prevention of Deconditioning Team. This role entails conducting complex assessments, training staff, and leading initiatives aimed at preventing patient deconditioning within acute hospital wards. You will work collaboratively with various teams to enhance patient care and contribute to transformational changes in healthcare delivery. This position requires strong communication and clinical reasoning skills and offers the chance to make a significant impact on patient recovery.

Qualifications

• Professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of work.
• Formulate individual treatment programmes based on evidence.
• Teach student occupational therapists.

Responsibilities

• Conduct complex assessments to support patients’ rehabilitation goals.
• Deliver training and education within the hospital.
• Build effective relationships to reduce the impact of deconditioning.

Skills

Complex assessments

Communication skills

Training and educational skills

Clinical reasoning

Relationship-building

Education

Degree in Occupational Therapy

Job description

Vacancy at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Join a pioneering role within the Allied Health Professions (AHP) specialty, focused on preventing deconditioning in acute hospital wards. This unique position offers the opportunity to make a significant impact on patient recovery by leading and supporting advanced assessments across a broad spectrum of clinical conditions.

As a key member of the Prevention of Deconditioning Team, you will spearhead patient care initiatives, guiding individuals through their reconditioning process and ensuring optimal outcomes.

Collaboration is central to this role. You will work closely with nursing, therapy, and medical teams, providing education and practical expertise to enhance their capacity in preventing deconditioning—whether directly on the ward or through targeted training programmes.

Furthermore, you will lead and champion innovative projects hospital-wide, addressing the increasing challenge of deconditioning. Through rigorous auditing and continuous service development, you will drive improvements that enhance patient care and support multidisciplinary teams.

This role offers a rewarding opportunity to contribute strategically and creatively to transformational change benefiting both patients and healthcare professionals.

Role Overview

The Prevention of Deconditioning Team is working across various wards at Bedford Hospital South Wing to understand how and why patients are deconditioning, and to develop projects that address the culture around immobility and inactivity in a hospital setting.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct complex assessments to support patients’ ongoing reconditioning and rehabilitation goals and assist with the use of our new Therapy Assessment Suite.
• Support Band 5 staff within the hospital and assist with patient discharges as needed.
• Work autonomously across multiple ward areas without constant direct supervision.
• Support ward teams with their clinical caseloads as required for ongoing rehabilitation.
• Build effective relationships with colleagues from different areas of the MDT to reduce the impact of deconditioning.
• Deliver training and education as part of a broader educational initiative within the hospital and to external partners where required.

Professional and Legal Accountability

• Be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of your work including management of patient caseloads.
• Formulate and develop individual treatment programmes underpinned by evidence-based practice and using a range of treatment options.
• Use clinical reasoning skills to evaluate outcomes of treatments and continually reassess and develop treatment programmes.
• Establish an accurate prognosis and recommend best course of treatments, and develop comprehensive treatment and discharge plans.
• Use a large range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to engage patients, including those with difficulties in understanding and communicating.
• Manage clinical risk of your own caseload.
• Work within Trust and Royal College of Occupational Therapy (RCOT) guidelines, maintaining knowledge of national and local standards, monitoring own and others' practices in liaison with Senior Occupational Therapists.
• Ensure safe and competent use of all equipment.
• Maintain own competencies through CPD activities.
• Teach student occupational therapists to graduate level on knowledge and skills within your department.

Additional Information

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people across Bedfordshire and surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. The Trust offers key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics.

All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering their first six months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required.

Please review all documents attached to this advert to ensure you familiarise yourself with all requirements of the job.

All vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. Please ensure you make your application as soon as possible.

We have state‑of‑the‑art facilities and are committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

This advert closes on Friday 28 Nov 2025.