Senior Occupational Therapist | Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust; Haywards Heath; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 37,000; Full time

Job summary

A community health service provider is seeking a Band 6 Therapist in Haywards Heath, UK. The successful candidate will manage a complex caseload, delivering evidence-based therapy interventions in patients' homes. The role involves supervising junior staff, contributing to team evaluations, and promoting patient independence. Candidates should have advanced clinical reasoning skills and a relevant degree in Occupational Therapy. This position offers flexible working opportunities and a supportive multidisciplinary team environment.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Training and development opportunities

Supportive networks for diversity and inclusion

Qualifications

• Experience in managing complex caseloads.
• Ability to develop tailored treatment plans.
• Experience in service evaluation and audits.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high-quality therapy interventions at home.
• Supervise and support junior colleagues.
• Engage in continuous professional development through training.

Skills

Advanced clinical reasoning

Leadership and team support

Holistic assessment

Therapy interventions

Patient pathway planning

Education

Relevant degree in Occupational Therapy

Job description

The UCR Service provides urgent support, seven-days a week, to help prevent unnecessary hospital admissions. This is achieved by providing a two-hour crisis response delivered by a multi-skilled team of professionals. Support is provided at home or where they usually reside for people who are concerned their health or mobility is declining and are therefore at risk of admission to hospital. Our teams work closely with our local ambulance service to pull category 3 & 4 patients off the ambulance stack, supporting patients in receiving a rapid response in the community by teams with the skills to support them to remain at home.

The Mid Sussex & Wealden Team covers a large area and we have office bases in Haywards Heath & Lewes, along with a hub in Crowborough.

The UCR service also provides a general virtual ward service, supported by digital technology and remote monitoring. Our multidisciplinary teams ensure that patients receive hospital-level care at home safely and in familiar surroundings, helping speed up their recovery while freeing up hospital beds for patients that need them most. As well as home visits, digital remote monitoring is utilised.

Band 6 Therapist

As a Band 6 Therapist, you will manage a complex caseload, delivering high-quality, evidence-based therapy interventions to patients in their own homes. You'll use your advanced clinical reasoning to complete holistic assessments, develop tailored treatment plans, and monitor progress, adapting interventions as needed.

This is a leadership role where you'll supervise and support colleagues from Bands 2 to 5, contribute to student education, and support appraisals and team development. You’ll be actively involved in service evaluation, audits, and improvement initiatives, ensuring best practice is embedded across the team. You will be required to clinically co‑ordinate as part of the MDT.

Working as part of a responsive multidisciplinary team, you will play a key role in planning patient pathways, managing clinical risk, and promoting patient independence. You’ll also maintain accurate documentation, support equipment management, and engage in continuous professional development through training, reflection, and supervision.

The Team is made up of GPs, Advanced Clinical Practitioners, Nurses, Paramedics, Pharmacists, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, and Health & Therapy Assistants who work together to reduce hospital admissions. Patients are reviewed daily by a clinical team and the ‘ward round' may involve a home visit or take place through video technology.

We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.

Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.

Why work for us?

• Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeing
• Varied environments: community hospitals, patients’ homes, and bases across Sussex
• Flexible working options: part‑time, flexi‑time, annualised hours, and flexi‑retirement
• Excellent training, development, and research opportunities
• Cost‑effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brighton
• Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networks
• Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust
• Beautiful Sussex location near the South Downs and coast

Our values—Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence—guide everything we do.

We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.

This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.

Our multidisciplinary teams work flexibly to provide a 7‑day service, 365 days a year, between 8am and 8pm.

Are you committed to delivering an outstanding service which is fast‑paced and reliable? Do you want to work with a team of caring and dedicated staff? We are looking for an experienced Senior Occupational Therapist to join us, so if you’re an ambitious, proactive, and looking to take a role in a supportive and collaborative team that provides cutting‑edge, excellent community care, we’d love to hear from you!

For further information on the roles available please see attached Job Descriptions and Person Specification.

This advert closes on Sunday 4 Jan 2026