Senior Occupational Therapist | Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust; Worthing; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A community-focused health trust in Worthing is seeking a Band 6 Therapist to manage a complex caseload and provide high-quality therapy interventions in patients' homes. As a leader within the multidisciplinary team, you will develop tailored treatment plans, supervise junior staff, and engage in continuous professional development. This role offers flexible working options and a chance to make a significant impact on patient recovery and independence.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Excellent training and development opportunities

Cost-effective workplace nurseries

Supportive diversity and wellbeing networks

Qualifications

• Proven experience delivering evidence-based therapy interventions in community settings.
• Ability to manage a complex caseload effectively.
• Commitment to continuous professional development.

Responsibilities

• Manage and deliver high-quality therapy interventions in patients' homes.
• Plan patient pathways and promote independence.
• Support student education and contribute to team development.

Skills

Holistic assessments

Clinical reasoning

Leadership

Rehabilitation interventions

Supervising colleagues

Education

Relevant healthcare degree

Job description

The Home First service brings together therapists, nurses, and health and therapy assistants to work in close partnership with acute hospital teams and Transfer of Care Hubs, supporting safe and timely discharges back home.

Our multidisciplinary team provides a 7-day service, 365 days a year from 8am to 8pm, delivering step-down intermediate care to patients in their own homes. As a therapist, you will carry out community-based assessments and rehabilitation interventions that promote recovery, monitor health, and reduce the risk of re-admission in the crucial early days post-discharge. Where required, Home First offers up to 10 days of acute reablement, helping patients regain function and independence in daily living.

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a wraparound recovery-focused service, where therapists play a central role in enabling individuals to achieve their goals and maximise independence. If you're passionate about delivering high-quality, person-centred care in the community and want to work as part of a supportive and innovative team, we’d love to hear from you!

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.

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.

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 2023 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.

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


This advert closes on Monday 21 Jul 2025