Specialist Occupational Therapist

East London NHS Foundation Trust; City Of London; On-site; GBP 46,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in London seeks a motivated Band 5 Occupational Therapist to join their Community Health Services team. The role offers a structured development pathway to transition to Band 6, focusing on managing complex cases in a supportive environment. Ideal candidates will have clinical experience and a commitment to professional growth. Salary range is £46,419 to £55,046 annually.

Qualifications

• Minimum 18 months clinical experience in various specialties.
• Participation in professional development and clinical education.

Responsibilities

• Assess and coordinate admission avoidance and discharge.
• Provide follow-up in the community.
• Specialist assessment and treatment for patients.

Skills

Patient assessment

Team collaboration

Clinical reasoning

Risk management

Communication skills

Education

Diploma or Degree in Occupational Therapy

HCPC Registration

Job description

Are you a Band 5 Occupational Therapist looking to take the next step in your career, but want the right support to build your confidence and clinical skills? An exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated and dynamic Occupational Therapist to join our Community Health Services team in Tower Hamlets.

We are offering an exciting developmental B5 to Band 6 opportunity, where you will start in a Band 5 role and be guided through a structured bespoke development plan tailored to your learning needs. This role is ideal for someone who is motivated and ready to grow but would benefit from a supportive pathway to develop competence in managing more complex cases in the community. You will have access to regular supervision, protected time to learning, and competency-based assessments to ensure you feel confident and capable in your progression. You will be supported by experienced senior clinicians and encouraged to develop your clinical reasoning, risk management, and decision making in a safe, nurturing environment. Once all agreed competencies are successfully completed and signed off, you will transition into an autonomous Band 6 role.

For further details and informal visits contact: [e-mail] (Deputy Head Unplanned Care and Therapies) and Ayo Ajibade [e-mail] (Clinical Lead, UCR)

Main duties of the job

This is a developmental Band 5 to Band 6 Occupational Therapist role within the Admission Avoidance & Discharge Service currently includes an Admission Avoidance Team based in the Emergency Department, In-reach nurses, Rapid Response and an Intermediate Care Team that uses a "discharge to assess model". The main aim of the team is to reduce hospital stay and admissions by supporting clients in their own homes.

The successful candidate will start as a B5 position and be supported through a structured, personalized development plan designed to build confidence and competence in managing patients with complex needs. Once all agreed competencies are successfully completed and signed off, you will transition into an autonomous Band 6 role.

The Urgent Community Response Service currently includes an Admission Avoidance Team based in the Emergency Department, Rapid Response and an Intermediate Care Team that uses a "discharge to assess model". The main aim of the team is to reduce hospital stay and admissions by supporting clients in their own homes.

The post holder will be required to work with partners across the health and social care interface to ensure a joined up and integrated approach to the provision of services. All staff are expected to work across traditional boundaries of both community and acute services, to deliver truly holistic care.

About us

At ELFT, we are committed to improving lives and reducing health inequalities through innovative and integrated care. Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve and provide a supportive and inclusive workplace culture. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive - so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.

Job responsibilities

The post holder will work as a part of the multi-disciplinary team and will rotate across the service pathways. In the Admission Avoidance Team, the role is to identify, assess, and coordinate admission avoidance and discharge for patients in the Emergency Department (ED) and Clinical Decision Unit (CDU) at The Royal London Hospital. In the Urgent Community Response which covers Rapid Response, Falls Pick up, and Intermediate Care Teams, the role involves providing follow up in the community.

The post holder will provide specialist assessment and treatment for patients with a wide range of complex physical, sensory, perceptual and cognitive problems within the ED or patients home in order to prevent unnecessary admission to hospital. A response is made to patients referred to the service within 24 hours. Part of the post would be working within the Rapid Response Team which aims to reduce unplanned hospital admissions by responding to referrals from community practitioners, for example GPs, and supporting clients in their own homes. The post holder would work as part of the multidisciplinary team, providing specialist client-centered intervention, to enable clients to maximise their independence and return to their own home safely and in a timely way

Please see attached JD and PS for full details

Person Specification

Education/ Qualification/ Training

• Diploma or Degree in Occupational Therapy
• HCPC Registration
• Evidence of CPD maintained in a portfolio including attendance at recent post graduate courses/training relevant to clinical specialty.
• Involvement in a relevant Occupational Therapy clinical interest group

Experience

• 18 months minimum clinical experience in a broad range of specialties relevant to the post on an inpatient and / or community basis
• Knowledge of a broad range of clinical conditions
• Equipment provision and assessment
• Working within a multidisciplinary team
• Contributing to professional development and clinical education of more junior staff, students and assistants

Knowledge and Skills

• Understanding of Clinical Governance and its implications for occupational therapy and client care
• Ability to prioritise, organise and delegate
• Ability to communicate and present information, orally and in writing, in a clear and logical manner
• Understanding of the legal responsibilities of the profession
• Ability to keep accurate and legible patient notes in line with local and national standards and policies
• Ability to carry out moderate to intense physical effort throughout the working day and manage competing demands and interruptions
• Ability to cope working in a fast paced and stressful environment and with emotional and/or aggressive patients and carers
• Ability to work autonomously, acting decisively on behalf of self and others, setting own priorities.
• Ability to assess and act against risks to self, clients as a consequence of exposure to clients and environments which may be highly distressing, antagonistic, open to aggression and/or unpleasant.
• Ability to assess, advise and educate clients and carers about safe manual handling techniques (including use of equipment and adaptations)
• Ability to assess for/review medical devices & other rehabilitative equipment for patient/clients, carers and others. This includes safe handling, fitting and

Personal and People Development

• Ability to work flexibly, including working out of core hours i.e. evenings and 7 day working as required.
• Self-motivated
• Ability to treat people with respect, irrespective of age, gender, culture, religion & sexuality.
• Proactive, self-directed with innovative approach.
• Acceptance of responsibility for self and others.
• Commitment to lifelong learning.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

£46,419 to £55,046 a yearPer Annum Inc HCA