Specialist Occupational Therapist (Community Respiratory)

Wrightington Wigan & Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Wigan; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 30,000; Part time

Job summary

A regional healthcare organisation in Wigan is seeking a compassionate Occupational Therapist for their Community Respiratory team. This permanent part-time role involves delivering therapeutic services, managing patient caseloads, and contributing to team training. Ideal candidates will have NHS Band 5 experience and be committed to providing high-quality patient care.

Qualifications

• Significant NHS experience at Band 5 is essential.
• Pre or postgraduate experience of working in a variety of clinical settings.

Responsibilities

• To provide high standard occupational therapy services to patients.
• To hold responsibility for own case load.
• To participate in the education and training of occupational therapists.

Skills

Able to utilise a range of OT interventions

Effective interpersonal skills

Effective communication skills

Able to manage a caseload

Able to work alone and within a multidisciplinary team

Education

Diploma/degree in Occupational Therapy

HCPC registration

Job description

Specialist Occupational Therapist (Community Respiratory) – Wrightington, Wigan & Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 10 November 2025

We are looking for a skilled and compassionate Occupational Therapist (OT) to join our dynamic and motivated Community Respiratory team.

The OT will plan, implement and execute a therapeutic programme for respiratory patients to ensure they keep their independence and quality of life.

This is a permanent part-time post (22.5 hours) to be worked across Monday to Friday. Signficant NHS experience at Band 5 is essential.

Please note: This post is part-time and does not meet the minimum salary threshold required for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route. Therefore, not all applicants who require sponsorship will be eligible. We encourage all interested candidates to apply, and eligibility will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Applicants who may require sponsorship are advised to check the current visa requirements on the GOV.UK website before applying.

Main duties of the job

• To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your own workload.
• To ensure high standards of clinical care for the patients under your management.
• Post holders are required to work independently. Access to a more senior member therapist is available when necessary.
• To take delegated responsibility from a senior therapist for managing patients with respiratory conditions and be responsible for providing occupational therapy assessments and treatment plans for patients.
• Formulate and deliver an individual occupational therapy treatment programme based on a sound knowledge of evidence-based practice and treatment options using clinical assessment, reasoning skills and knowledge of treatment skills e.g. graded occupational therapy techniques, patient education, exercises, and other alternative options.
• To accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients, and to organise this effectively and efficiently with regard to clinical priorities.
• To assist the team in developing policy and procedures within therapy.
• To contribute to the provision of advice, teaching and training to other members of the respiratory team regarding the management of patients.
• To assess capacity, gain valid consent and have the ability to work within a legal framework with patients who lack consent to treatment.

About us

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are the proud providers of acute hospital and community services to the people of the Wigan Borough and surrounding areas. At WWL, we value our staff believing that 'happy staff, makes for happy patients'. We have a recognised track record in staff engagement, and living our values 'the WWL Way'.

WWL are committed to placing the patient at the heart of everything we do, and in the provision of safe, effective care that acknowledges and ensures dignity. With this in mind we are seeking to recruit people who share our values and beliefs.

At WWL we value the benefits a rich and diverse workforce brings to our community and therefore welcome applications from all sections of society.

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose

To provide a high standard occupational therapy services to patients within the Community Respiratory Team.

To take a role in the assessment and treatment of patients and to maintain records as an autonomous practitioner.

To hold responsibility for own case load.

To participate in the education and training of occupational therapists, other health professionals and OT students in the management of Respiratory conditions as appropriate.

Duties and Responsibilities

• To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your own work including the management of patients in your care.
• To ensure high standards of clinical care for the patients under your management, and support therapy assistants to do likewise.
• Post holders are required to work independently, guided by defined clinical & professional guidelines. Access to a more senior member therapist is available when necessary. Clinical work is evaluated on a regular basis.
• To interpret and analyse clinical and non-clinical facts to form accurate diagnosis and prognosis in a wide range of respiratory conditions, to recommend the best course of intervention, and to develop comprehensive treatment and discharge plans.
• To take delegated responsibility from a senior therapist for managing patients with respiratory conditions and be responsible for providing occupational therapy assessments and treatment plans for patients.
• Formulate and deliver an individual occupational therapy treatment programme based on a sound knowledge of evidence-based practice and treatment options using clinical assessment, reasoning skills and knowledge of treatment skills.
• To accept clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of patients, and to organise this effectively and efficiently with regard to clinical priorities and use of time.
• To accept partial responsibility for any tasks delegated to unqualified staff.
• To demonstrate appropriately developed knowledge for the co-ordination of a comprehensive OT plan relevant to the individual being treated.
• To assist the team in developing policy and procedures within therapy.
• To provide spontaneous and planned advice, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers and other professionals, to promote understanding of the aims of occupational therapy and to ensure a consistent approach to patient care.
• To contribute to the provision of advice, teaching and training to other members of the respiratory team regarding the management of patients.
• To assess capacity, gain valid consent and have the ability to work within a legal framework with patients who lack consent to treatment.

Planning and Organisational Duties

• To be responsible for and to plan and organise efficiently and effectively with regard to patients management and use of time.
• To decide priorities for own work load, balancing other patient related and professional demands, and ensure that they remain in accordance with those of the section as a whole.
• To maintain accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date documentation, in line with legal and departmental requirements and communicate assessment and treatment results to the appropriate disciplines in form of reports and letters.
• To be actively involved in the collection of appropriate data and statistics as required.
• To undertake any other duties that might be considered appropriate by the team leader or senior therapist.

Communications and Key Working Relationships

• To communicate effectively with patients and carers and to ensure adequate understanding of their respiratory condition. Use communication skills such as persuasion, motivation, explanation to encourage patients to undertake their management programme.
• To maintain up to date electronic records and statistical data, documenting these in line with professional and Trust requirements.
• To appropriately refer on to other health and social care professionals, also advocating appropriate self-management to promote independence when possible. To develop excellent professional relationships with local health and social care services as part of the integration, working closely with local services to ensure holistic care is provided.
• The post holder is required to overcome barriers to communication using a range of verbal, non-verbal and listening skills. This will include patients with hearing difficulties, visual difficulties, memory loss and confusion, behavioural problems, limited English and patients/carers unable to accept diagnosis.
• To use communication skills to motivate and encourage the patient to be responsible for their own health and wellbeing.

Responsibility for Health & Safety

• Compliance with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 the post holder is required to fulfil a proactive role towards the management of risk in all of their actions. This entails the risk assessment of all situations, the taking of appropriate actions and reporting of all incidents, near misses and hazards, and a statutory duty of care for their own personal safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions.

Responsibility for Teaching

The postholder must attend any training that is identified as mandatory to their role.

The range of duties and responsibilities outlined above are indicative only and are intended to give an overview of the range and type of duties that will be allocated. They are subject to modification in the light of changing service demands and the development requirements of the postholder.

Standard Duties & Responsibilities

The Trust operates a No Smoking Policy.

All Wrightington Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust staff employed within Clinical Environments and have contact with children, vulnerable adults; service users and their families must familiarise themselves, be aware of their responsibilities and adhere to Local Safeguarding Childrens Board, Local Safeguarding Adult Board and WWL Procedures for Safeguarding and Protecting Children which are available on the Trust Policy Library.

In accordance with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016, employees who are required to interact regularly with the public, both face to face, and by telephone, are required to be able to speak English to an appropriate standard relevant to their role, i.e. with confidence and accuracy, using correct sentence structures and vocabulary, and without hesitation.

Compliance with the General Data Protection Regulators 2016, Data Protection Act 2018 and Information Governance Principles the postholder is not entitled to use for their own benefit or gain, or to divulge to any persons, firm or other organisation whatsoever, any confidential information belonging to the Trust or relating to the Trusts affairs or dealings which may come to their knowledge during employment.

Compliance with the Health & Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice on the Prevention and Control of Infections and related guidance the post holder is required to fulfil a proactive role towards the reduction and management of healthcare related infection in all of their actions. This entails compliance with Trust Infection Prevention and Control policy and related Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs); along with risk assessment of all situations; as staff have a statutory duty of care for their own personal safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions. Staff must be fully compliant with Trust Infection prevention and Control eLearning policy.

All applicants to any post within the Trust are required to declare any involvement either directly or indirectly with any firm, company, relevant person or organisation which has any interest with the Trust, the services provided by the Trust or any element of patient care. Failure to do so may result in an employment application being rejected, or if it is discovered after appointment the omission of such information could lead to dismissal. This includes any form of private practice relating to medical care.

Compliance with Trust Policies and Procedures including the Code of Conduct.

Compliance with Standing Financial Instructions (SFIs) The SFIs identify the financial responsibilities which apply to everyone working for the Foundation Trust and its constituent organisations including trading units. Failure to comply with Standing Financial Instructions can in certain circumstances be regarded as a disciplinary matter that could result in dismissal. Compliance with the SFIs is monitored by the Finance Department and post holders are therefore required to understand their responsibilities outlined within this document and ensure compliance with its instructions.

Responsibility for all records (including patient health, financial, personal and administrative) that they gather or use as part of their work within the trust. The records may be paper, electronic, microfiche, audio or videotapes, x-ray images.

Any other duties appropriate to the grade. The range of duties and responsibilities outlined above are indicative only and are intended to give a broad flavour of the range and type of duties that will be allocated. They are subject to modification in the light of changing service demands and the development requirements of the postholder.

This document is also available in audio, large print, Braille and other languages upon request. For more information call 01942 773106.

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust

All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced in whole or in part without the permission of the copyright owner

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Diploma/degree in Occupational Therapy
• HCPC registration

Experience

• Pre or postgraduate experience of working in a variety of clinical settings
• Experience of treating a variety of conditions
• Experience of applying the OT process with a range of patients
• Experience of caseload management
• Band 5 NHS experience

Skills

• Able to utilise a range of OT interventions
• Effective interpersonal skills
• Effective communication skills - verbal, written and non-verbal
• Able to manage a caseload
• Able to work alone and within a multidisciplinary team
• Able to maintain judgement under pressure
• Able to reflect and critically appraise own performance

Knowledge

• Knowledge of a wide range of medical and surgical conditions
• Knowledge of OT management in a variety of conditions
• Knowledge of professional ethics in practice
• Knowledge of the principal elements of clinical governance

Additional

• Clear vision of role
• Clear interest in this area of practice
• Able to travel independently across Trust
• Speak English to an appropriate standard

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.

Wrightington Wigan & Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Entrance B, Long Term Conditions, Wigan Health Centre,

Entrance B, Long Term Conditions, Wigan Health Centre,