Specialist Occupational Therapist

Mersey And West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Nhs Trust; St Helens; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in St Helens Hospital invites applications for a Band 6 Specialist Occupational Therapist in the Seddon Suite. The role supports a seven-day rehabilitation service within a multidisciplinary team, delivering advanced OT assessment, intervention and discharge planning.

The post emphasizes training rotational staff and students, with opportunities to contribute to service development and education. UK-wide DBS checks apply.

Qualifications

• HCPC registration and UK registration required.
• 2–3 years post-qualification experience.
• In-depth OT knowledge of OT processes and rehab.
• Experience in Neurology / Rehabilitation.
• Commitment to training rotational staff and students.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist rehabilitation OT services within the unit.
• Collaborate in an MDT with therapies staff and medical team.
• Support training and supervision of rotational therapists and students.
• Lead service development and drive evidence-based practice.
• Manage caseload and deliver patient-centred rehabilitation.
• Maintain accurate records and effective communication.

Skills

Motivate team performance

Prioritise & meet deadlines

Effective communication

Record keeping & IT skills

Time management

Education

Degree in Occupational Therapist

HCPC registration

Postgraduate study (MSc)

Job description

Band 6 - Specialist Occupational Therapist

Seddon Suite Specialist Rehabilitation Unit - St Helens Hospital

Full time 37.5 hrs pw (part time considered)

Are you a confident Occupational Therapist who would like to explore a more rewarding clinical challenge in a highly specialist rehabilitation service? Are you ready to further develop your clinical and leadership skills?

We have a fantastic opportunity for a Specialist Occupational Therapist to join our team at Seddon Suite Specialist Rehabilitation Unit, St Helens Hospital.

Seddon Rehab Unit offers a dedicated seven-day rehabilitation service as part of the Cheshire and Merseyside Rehabilitation Network, providing specialist assessment, treatment and rehabilitation for adults following traumatic injury or serious illness. Rehabilitation is active and is provided at a level of intensity and duration that can be tolerated by the patient to enable the achievement of optimum functional potential. Our team work closely with patients and families to achieve the best possible level of independence and quality of life. In addition to the inpatients service, the unit also offers out-patient therapy services.

The JD & PS are currently under AfC review and are subject to change.

Please note- it is the applicant's responsibility to seek authorisation from their current manager to be released for the secondment before a formal application is made

Main duties of the job

We are looking to recruit an exceptional Occupational Therapist to this specialist post. The successful applicant will be part of a motivated, forward thinking, close interdisciplinary team of Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Dietitians, Rehabilitation Assistants, Clinical Psychologists, a Rehabilitation Coordinator, Social Worker and Rehabilitation Nurses. The medical team is led by a Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine.

You will be joining an established OT team and will have access to support and supervision from a Clinical Lead (Band 7) Occupational Therapist. We have an excellent staff supervision system enabling our staff to develop both the service and themselves. The appropriate candidate will also demonstrate a strong commitment to training rotational therapists, rehabilitation assistants and undergraduate staff.

Continuous evidence-based practice and service development is fundamental to the team, and you will be passionate in identifying, leading and driving forward new projects.

About us

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 10,500 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.

Our services:

Acute Care

Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.

Primary Care

Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.

Community Services

Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.

Specialist Regional Services

We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.

Achievements:

• Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
• National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme.

Job responsibilities

• be a registered Occupational Therapist with the HCPC (Health Care Professions Council)
• have a minimum of 2-3 years post-qualification experience
• have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of Occupational Therapy process / interventions and an ability to apply these skills
• have experience in the field of Neurology / Rehabilitation
• have experience of continued professional development
• have experience of service development, audit and research
• be able to effectively work as part of a team
• have excellent communication and time management skills
• be passionate about student education

All posts are subject to an Enhanced DBS check with barred lists for both adults and children.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree in Occupational Therapist
• HCPC registration

Desirable

• Clinical Educators Certificate
• Post Grad accredited study e.g. MSc in relevant health studies

Our Values

Essential

• We are Kind
• We are Open
• We are Inclusive

Experience

Essential

• Advanced clinical knowledge relevant to the care environment and evidence of evidence-based practise in relevant health setting
• Awareness of own strengths and limitations
• Knowledge of relevant national policies and guidance and relevant assessment tools
• Experience of line managing a team including setting objectives, conducting appraisals and effective delegation and co-ordination
• Evidence of effective working within an MDT
• Experience of Service development
• Demonstrate experience of problem-solving approaches
• Demonstrates continuous Professional Development

Desirable

• Audit and research in a clinical area

Skills

Essential

• Demonstrates ability to motivate team performance to achieve objectives
• Ability to prioritise and work to deadlines
• Ability to communicate effectively in a variety of settings
• Accurate record keeping, report writing and IT skills including presentation skills
• Have a flexible approach to working with good time management

Desirable

• Mentorship skills

Other

Essential

• Ability to travel various hospital locations by own car/ assisted driver

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name: Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Address: St Helens Hospital, Marshalls Cross Road, St Helens, WA9 3DA, United Kingdom
Employer's website: Apply through our website

Contact: Clinical Lead Occupational Therapist / Team Lead, Ian Rotheroe, [e-mail], 01744646185

Reference number: 409-8282778
Contract: Fixed term, 12 months, Full-time
Closing date: 04 November 2026