Senior Specialist Occupational Therapist

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 52,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Senior Occupational Therapist for the Young People’s Home Treatment Team at Brookside Acute Services. The role combines advanced clinical assessments, complex case management and service development in inpatient and community settings.

You will provide expert leadership, supervise junior staff, and drive safeguarding and governance standards while collaborating with MDTs across NHS services.

Qualifications

• Minimum qualification: BSc (Hons) in Occupational Therapy with 4+ years post-graduate CAMH experience.
• Alternatively, Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy with 4+ years post-graduate OT experience.

Responsibilities

• Conduct specialist assessments using standardised tools and interviews.
• Develop and evaluate individual care plans focused on occupational science.
• Provide interventions for patients with complex mental health conditions.
• Lead and supervise junior staff and students.
• Lead quality improvement initiatives and ensure safeguarding compliance.

Skills

Child and adolescent mental health

Specialist assessments

Risk management

Clinical leadership

Education

BSc (Hons) in Occupational Therapy

Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy

Tools

Clinical documentation

Job description

An exciting opportunity is available for new position for those who are eager to develop their career and gain valuable experience in clinical leadership as the Young People's Home Treatment Team Senior Occupational Therapist within the Brookside Acute Services.

The minimum qualification required is either a BSc (Hons) in Occupational Therapy with a minimum of four years’ post-graduate experience specialising in child and adolescent mental health, or a Master’s degree (or equivalent postgraduate qualification) in Occupational Therapy with a minimum of four years’ post-graduate experience in occupational therapy practice.

Applicants must demonstrate evidence of highly specialist knowledge in; Child and adolescent mental health, specialist assessment, formulation, risk management, and the development and implementation of advanced OT intervention plans within child and adolescent mental health and/or inpatient settings. The Lead Occupational Therapist will play a key role in delivering high-quality, patient-centred care within inpatient and Young persons home treatment team services, undertaking advanced clinical assessments, managing complex and high-risk cases and leading service improvement initiatives. The post holder will provide clinical leadership, supervision and professional support to junior staff, contribute to service development, audit and quality assurance processes and ensure the highest standards of professional practice, governance, and safeguarding are consistently maintained.

Key Responsibilities:

Clinical Skills

• Conduct specialist/ comprehensive assessments using standardised tools, clinical observations, and patient interviews.
• Develop, implement, and evaluate individualised care plans with a focus on Occupational sciences.
• Provide specialist interventions for patients with complex mental health conditions.
• Facilitate group and one-to-one OT sessions, promoting recovery-focused approaches.
• Initiate referrals to other health professionals, specialist services, and external agencies.
• Ensure timely and effective discharge planning, linking with relevant community resources.
• Maintain accurate clinical documentation in compliance with professional and legal standards.

Leadership

• Supervise and mentor junior Occupational Therapists, students, and support staff.
• Lead team training, development initiatives, and performance appraisals.
• Act as a senior point of contact in the absence of the Clinical Lead.
• Support new staff members in their integration within the team.
• Implement quality improvement initiatives aligned with NHS priorities and Trust policies.
• Participate in audits, research, and evidence-based practice to enhance service delivery.
• Promote collaborative working across multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) and partner organizations.
• Ensure compliance with safeguarding protocols and risk management procedures.
• Support the development of policies and procedures relevant to occupational therapy services.

Working for Us

Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London and Essex. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.

The Trust has award-winning equality and diversity initiatives, along with staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest significantly in your development because when you feel valued and supported, we can deliver the highest quality care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been recognised in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and hold a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Through our staff networks and training opportunities, we strive to foster a just and compassionate culture at NELFT.

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 place 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 Goodmayes Hospital.

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 (with a minimum of £4,714 to a maximum of £5,941 p.a. pro rata for part time).

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.

Use of AI

We value applications that genuinely reflect each candidate’s own skills, experience and motivations. We therefore strongly discourage the use of AI-generated content in applications.

Applications should be written in your own words and accurately represent your knowledge, skills and experience.

We reserve the right to reject an application where we reasonably believe AI has been used to generate or materially contribute to its content.