Occupational Therapist

Esht; Eastbourne; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in East Sussex is seeking an enthusiastic Occupational Therapist to join their band 5 rotation. This position offers a chance to work within acute sites and community units, developing skills across diverse areas of care. Ideal candidates will have a degree in Occupational Therapy and be committed to delivering high-quality patient care. The role provides an extensive support system for training and professional growth, ensuring a rewarding career path within the trust.

Benefits

NHS pension scheme

Access to onsite nurseries

Regular supervision and appraisals

Qualifications

• Degree or diploma in Occupational Therapy.
• Current registration with HCPC.
• Experience in a variety of healthcare settings.

Responsibilities

• Work across various areas in acute sites and community settings.
• Provide patient care throughout the patient journey.
• Support staff development and offer supervision.

Skills

Communication Skills

Client-Centered Care

Teamwork

Education

Degree or diploma in Occupational Therapy

Current registration with HCPC

Post graduate qualification in relevant area

Job description

Extreme and sustained operational pressures

In light of extreme and sustained operational pressures both in our emergency departments and across our wards, we have declared a business continuity incident at Eastbourne DGH to ensure the safety and continuity of our services. See here for more details .

Main area CHIC Grade NHS AfC: Band 5 Contract Permanent Hours

• Full time
• Part time

37.5 hours per week (up to 37.5hrs per week) Job ref 374-KNED3

Site Cross site Town Eastbourne/Hastings Salary £31,049 - £37,796 per annum, pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 28/01/2026 23:59

We are proud to provide ‘Outstanding’ care and be a great place to work.

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust provides safe, compassionate and high quality hospital and community care to the half a million people living in East Sussex and those who visit our local area.

We are one of the largest organisations in East Sussex with an annual income of £700 million and we are the only integrated provider of acute and community care in Sussex.

Our extensive health services are provided by over 8,000+ dedicated members of staff working from two acute hospitals in Hastings and Eastbourne, three community hospitals in Bexhill, Rye and Uckfield, over 100 community sites across East Sussex, and in people’s own homes.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated us as ‘Good’ overall, and ‘Outstanding’ for being Caring and Effective. The Conquest Hospital in Hastings and our Community Services were rated ‘Outstanding’ and Eastbourne DGH was rated ‘Good’ Our two acute hospitals have Emergency Departments and provide 24 hour a day care, offering a comprehensive range of surgical, medical, outpatient and maternity services, supported by a full range of diagnostic and therapy services.

Job overview

We have an exciting opportunity for a enthusiastic and self-motivated Occupational Therapist to join our band 5 rotation. East Sussex Healthcare Trust is the largest combined acute and community trust in the South East of England. Our Band 5 rotation gives the opportunity to work within the acute sites in Eastbourne and Hastings, our intermediate care Units and within community rotations.

Main duties of the job

The band 5 rotation offers the post holder a fantastic opportunity to gain experience within a number of areas and throughout the patient journey, helping you develop as a confident and competent qualified practitioner. Each rotation area lasts 6 months and you will gain experience working with a multitude of conditions and opportunity to consolidate theory into practice whilst working through the OT Process.

We seek motivated and innovative practitioners, with excellent communication skills and the ability to work under pressure. In return we will help you to achieve your potential by providing supportive learning environments with a well -established training and development programme. We have a comprehensive preceptorship programme and an Occupational Therapy Development Lead to provide you with support with the transition from student to qualified practitioner. We offer regular supervision, appraisals and peer forums.

You will be fully supported to develop your occupational therapy and inter-professional clinical skills, and areas of special clinical interest. These posts are an excellent opportunity to develop clinically and as you progress, supervision, service development and leadership skills to effectively transition to a Band 6 OT role within ESHT.

We are committed to fostering a culture of equality, diversity, and belonging. We actively welcome and encourage applications from individuals belonging to marginalised communities.

Working for our organisation

A wide range of staff benefits are available to our staff including staff development, enrolment in the NHS pension scheme, auto-enrolment to our Temporary Workforce Service, access to onsite nurseries. staff restaurants and accommodation.

In addition to an internal Occupational Health department, all staff also have access to free psychological support through our confidential Employee Assistance Programme. Onsite parking is available from only £50 a year.

There has never been a better time to join East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, submit your application today.

Statement on the Use of AI

We value the individuality that each candidate brings to the application process. While we understand that AI tools are widely available, we strongly discourage applicants from using AI-generated content when applying for jobs with us. We believe that your application should reflect your true skills, experiences, and motivations, which are best conveyed through your own words and unique perspective.

Using AI for your application may not accurately represent your knowledge, skills, and experience and may result in a disconnect between your qualifications and our assessment of your application.

We encourage applicants to take the time to thoughtfully complete their applications; by doing so, you allow us to better understand your true potential and ensure a fair and transparent evaluation of your application. Over reliance on AI-generated content may diminish your chance of success.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the job description attached.

If you have any questions about this position please do not hesitate to contact us.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Degree or diploma in Occupational Therapy
• Current registration with HCPC
• Post graduate qualification in relevant area

Experience

• Experience within a variety of settings
• Full range of placements
• Experience of using client-centred goals
• Experience of working in Healthcare
• Experience of inter-professional working

Patients come first at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust.

Our vision is to be:

• The healthcare provider of first choice for the people of East Sussex.

Our mission is to:

• Deliver better health outcomes and an excellent experience for everyone we provide with healthcare services.

Our strategic objectives are to:

• Improve quality and clinical outcomes by ensuring that safe patient care is our highest priority.
• Play a leading role in local partnerships to meet the needs of our local population and improve and enhance patients’ experiences.
• Use our resources efficiently and effectively for the benefit of our patients and their care to ensure our services are clinically, operationally and financially sustainable.

Our aims are that all services delivered by the Trust are:

• Safe
• Effective
• Caring
• Responsive and
• Well led

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.

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. Please complete and submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment.

Name Emma Pope Job title Professional Lead OT and ESHT ICES Lead Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 07879474650 Additional information

Available on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.