Paediatric Occupational Therapist

West Suffolk Hospital; Ipswich; On-site; GBP 40,000 - GBP 60,000; Full time

Job description

Are you looking for an Occupational Therapy role working with children & families?

We are recruiting to a full‑time post in our Community Paediatric OT Service. The post holder will initially be based at the Thomas Wolsey Special School in Ipswich. Thomas Wolsey Ormiston Academy is a school for children, aged 3‑16 with physical, medical and / or sensory needs and associated learning difficulties. The school takes pupils from across Suffolk, and the ability to travel independently around a wide geographical area is essential for this role.

There are also opportunities to develop skills and see children with a wide range of difficulties and disabilities in other locations.

We work with children from birth to 19 years providing assessment, intervention and advice to promote inclusion and optimise the functional participation of children and young people in daily activities to enable them to achieve what they want, need and have the potential to do. We support and empower them and their families, and educate other professionals and agencies working with them.

As a member of the OT team the post holder will manage a caseload across nurseries, special and mainstream schools, the child’s home and clinics, working with children who have a range of disabilities and conditions.

The successful candidate will join our large and supportive Occupational Therapy team using a person‑centred, occupation‑based approach, committed to delivering high quality intervention.

The post holder will be based with other OTs in our busy and friendly office, and work with a multi‑disciplinary team and other therapy services to deliver OT pathways and packages of care.

The Post Holder Will

• Undertake Occupational Therapy assessments of children, and prioritise, plan and develop a programme of OT intervention using a client‑centred approach in accordance with our clinical pathways, and with supervision and support from an experienced therapist.
• Set clear functional goals in consultation with parents/teachers.
• Empower parents and carers in understanding the nature of their child’s disability or dysfunction, the impact it has on behaviour and function and the activities and strategies they can use in the daily routines at home to develop their child’s play and functional abilities.

The successful applicant must have an OT degree and be eligible for registration with the HCPC. The post is subject to a DBS check.

Frequent Travel across a rural area is essential for this role so you must either hold a full, current driving licence and have access to personal transport or meet the mobility requirements of the role through other reasonable and suitable means. Public transport is limited in some rural areas.

#BeKnown at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. By us. By our patients. By our community

We are a busy, friendly, rural NHS Trust providing high‑quality care and compassion to more than a quarter of a million people across west Suffolk. We care for, treat and support people in hospital, at home and in various community settings.

The West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds provides acute and secondary care services (emergency department, maternity and neonatal services, day surgery unit, eye treatment centre, Macmillan unit and children’s ward). It has 500+ beds and is a partner teaching hospital of the University of Cambridge.

Adult and paediatric community services, provided in collaboration with West Suffolk Alliance partners, include a range of nursing, therapy, specialist, and ongoing temporary care and rehabilitation, some at our Newmarket Community Hospital.

We do our utmost to achieve outstanding clinical outcomes for patients and our values of fairness, inclusivity, respect, safety and team work guide how we work and behave as a team.

With nearly 5,000 staff, from all over the world, we strive to make our organisation a great place to work. Whatever your role or ambition, we want to help you be the best you can be.

We promote a diverse and inclusive community where everyone's voice counts and you can #BeKnown for whoever you are.

Join us. What will you #BeKnown for?

For further details / informal visits contact:
Name: Jane Dolan
Job title: Team Lead Paediatric Occupational Therapy
Email address: [e-mail]
Telephone number: 01284 741714
Mobile: [phone]