Senior Occupational Therapist

Transformationunitgm; Norwich; On-site; GBP 38,000 - GBP 47,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional health service provider in Norwich is seeking a Senior Occupational Therapist for a 12-month maternity cover. The role involves working with a multidisciplinary team in a secure service for women, providing high-quality therapy. Candidates should hold a relevant degree and be registered with the Health and Care Professionals Council, with experience in mental health settings preferred. The position emphasizes professional development and creativity, supporting personal growth in a supportive environment.

Benefits

Ongoing training and development opportunities

Supportive team environment

Qualifications

• Post Registration experience in Mental Health.
• Experience of MDT working.
• Ability to work both independently and under supervision.

Responsibilities

• Conduct OT assessments and treatments with patients.
• Manage your own caseload effectively.
• Supervise students and contribute to team dynamics.

Skills

Good verbal and written communication skills

Ability to work under pressure

Leadership skills

Ability to deliver OT assessment/treatment

Experience in running therapeutic groups

Education

Degree, Masters or Diploma in Occupational Therapy

Registered with The Health and Care Professionals Council

Clinical supervisor course

Job description

Employer Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Whitlingham Ward, Hellesdon Hospital Town Norwich Salary £38,682 - £46,580 gross per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 16/02/2026 23:59

Senior Occupational Therapist 12months Maternity Cover

Band 6

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust provides child and adult mental health services, learning disability, wellbeing, older people's and eating disorder services across Norfolk and Suffolk.

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and want to reflect the diversity of our local communities within our teams. We welcome applications from all talented individuals with the relevant qualifications, skills, knowledge and experience

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Senior Occupational Therapist to join the multidisciplinary team providing services to our innovative integrated secure service for women based in Norwich. This is for 12months Maternity Leave cover

NSFT Secure Mental Health Services have been consistently rated "Good" by the CQC and we are looking for an enthusiastic, Recovery-focussed and compassionate Occupational Therapist to join Whitlingham Ward and the service on our journey to "Outstanding".

Main duties of the job

In this role, the post-holder will work alongside a full multidisciplinary team in a 16-bedded blended Low/Medium Secure ward for women.

Within this role you will be part of a therapy team with an Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner, Fitness Therapy Technical Instructor and a Teacher. This is a stand-alone unit, so the right candidate will be able to work autonomously and provide clinical leadership on the ward when needed. You will work under the umbrella of the wider, well-established NSFT Secure Services Occupational and Fitness Therapy Team, which is embedded not only at Whitlingham but at a further three wards in Norwich and one in Ipswich.

The Whitlingham Team is committed to trauma‑informed care, co‑production and positive risk management. You will have the opportunity to work with women with complex needs who are often motivated and have lots of talent and skills with which you can engage. No two days will look the same. You will be responsible for the day‑to‑day running of the Therapy program on the ward, and for ensuring you offer a high‑quality therapy service as part of the wider MDT. We are always looking for ways to improve outcomes for our service users and encourage creativity and innovation in all our staff. We support the development of all our staff and will work with you to ensure that you have all the skills you need for your role and to move forward in your career. Training in Sensory Integration/Modulation would be a bonus.

Working for our organisation

Here at NSFT we pride ourselves on being a welcoming, talented, friendly and supportive team who like nothing better than sharing experiences and learning from each other. In addition to ongoing training and development opportunities, we are committed to providing an environment in which you can thrive.

Why work for us? We have challenges as a Trust, but we have ambitious aspirations, are pushing ahead with exciting transformation work and we need dedicated individuals to support us on our journey. We have strong, established professional networks coupled with an exceptional leadership team who will ensure you are truly cared for and cared about.

Why Norfolk and Suffolk?The people here are warm and welcoming, you’ll never be far from the beautiful coastline or Broads National Park. We’re an hour and a half away from London and have an international airport in Norwich too. Our villages, towns and cities are packed full of history, independent cafes, shops and theatres. We have excellent shopping, eating out, top ranking schooling and affordable house prices too.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please find attached our Job Description and Person Specification for more detail on your Key Accountabilities, then if you feel you have what it takes to make a difference in your local communities, click APPLY!

Interview dates are yet to be set; you will be contacted via email and invited to book a time. These emails may go to your SPAM, so please keep checking all your emails if applying.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Degree, Masters or Diploma in Occupational Therapy
• Registered with The Health and Care Professionals Council
• Clinical supervisor course

Experience

• Post Registration experience in Mental Health
• Experience of MDT working
• Experience of working with groups of people
• Ability to work both independently and under supervision
• Experience of working in a range of mental health settings
• Supervising students/staff
• Familiarity of audit procedures

Skills

• Ability to deliver OT assessment/treatment with designated client group
• Ability to work under pressure managing own caseload and effective prioritisation
• Ability to assess and perform Manual Handling techniques
• Good verbal and written communication skills
• Effective working with the wider MDT
• Demonstrate leadership skills
• Data inputting
• Experience in running therapeutic groups
• Experience of assessing and prescribing equipment

Other

• Ability to travel independently including rural areas
• Willingness to work flexibly
• Understanding of team dynamics
• Commitment to professional development and lifelong learning
• Fitness to undergo PMA training and perform full duties of post
• Ability to undertake Manual Handling Training and utilise these skills in clinical practice

Please be aware that, due to the high number of applications for certain roles, this vacancy may close earlier than the advertised closing date. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible.

YOUR APPLICATION

We can provide all our job application materials in alternative formats so that these are accessible to everyone. Should you require any documents within this job pack in an alternative format, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected] .

PLEASE NOTE: If you use a hotmail, msn or yahoo e‑mail account, you will need to check your "junk" mail regularly as these email providers will divert any communication from this Trust/NHS JOBS straight into your "junk" inbox.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

Apart from its legal duties in relation to equality and diversity, the Trust recognises and actively promotes the benefits of a diverse workforce and is committed to treating all employees with dignity and respect regardless of race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, religious or belief.

As a part of the Disability Confident Employer Guaranteed Interview Scheme we interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job vacancy (outlined in the Person Specification).. We encourage you to indicate your eligibility through TRAC jobs when applying.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post may be 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.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Please do call/email to have a friendly, informal chat about this role.

Alternative contact; [email protected] (Senior Occupational Therapist, Whitlingham ward)