Specialist Community Occupational Therapist

Transformationunitgm; Royal Leamington Spa; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 55,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in Royal Leamington Spa is seeking a dedicated Specialist Occupational Therapist to join their multi-disciplinary team. This part-time position offers a flexible work schedule and focuses on supporting patients with neurological conditions. Candidates should possess advanced clinical skills, flexibility, and the ability to provide safe, functional solutions. The role emphasizes community rehabilitation and requires a valid driver's license for travel to patients' homes.

Qualifications

• Diploma / Degree in Occupational Therapy.
• State Registration with Health Professions Council.
• Evidence of Post graduate Continuous Professional Development.

Responsibilities

• Manage complex patients to prevent hospital admissions.
• Attend multi-disciplinary meetings and case discussions.
• Communicate related complex condition information effectively.

Skills

Advanced skills in assessment and treatment

Ability to apply core occupational therapy skills

Advanced communication skills

Clinical reasoning

Education

Diploma / Degree in Occupational Therapy

State Registration with Health Professions Council

Tools

Microsoft Word

PowerPoint

Excel

Outlook

Job description

Main area Specialist Occupational Therapist Grade Band 7 Contract Permanent Hours Part time - 26.25 hours per week (Hours can be flexible across the week. Monday to Friday) Job ref 203-SS1163

Employer South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Leamington spa Rehabilitation Hospital, Heathcote Lane, Warwick Town Warwick Salary £47,810 - £54,710 pro rata (Dependent on experience) Salary period Yearly Closing 16/01/2026 23:59

Specialist Community Occupational Therapist

Band 7

South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust is one of the top performing organisations within the NHS. Our staff think this is a great place to work and we hope you will agree. We have recently been rated as 'Outstanding' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following our most recent inspection.

We provide services across Warwickshire and beyond ranging from Hospitals in Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Royal Leamington Spa and Shipston-on Stour to Community Services across the whole county. This includes our Community Teams in North Warwickshire.

We are a progressive, expanding organisation with great ambition around improving quality, integrating pathways and delivering high levels of productivity. Over 6000 people work for the Trust and many of them have been here a long time. People find they don’t need to go elsewhere to find a fulfilling career in healthcare.

The first thing you will notice about us is how we take our values seriously. We believe that our values underpin everything we do. If you are interested in a role with us you need to make sure our values match your own.

Our values can be summed up in one sentence. We are ‘Trusted to provide inclusive, safe, effective and compassionate care’. Throughout the recruitment process you will be asked to think about how you demonstrate these values and how they impact on your work. It doesn’t matter what role you do, whether it is patient facing or not, we are all working in the same way with our values at the core.>

Job overview

A rare opportunity has arisen to join our friendly, patient-centred, effective multi-disciplinary team as a band 7 Occupational Therapist. The team treat patients in the community with a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, supporting them to live full and active lives. Are you flexible and happy to work in a small Team? Do you have knowledge and experience of community based neurological, long-term conditions? We are looking for someone with an empathic approach who can think outside the box in supporting patients to find safe, functional solutions. This is a community role so a car driver with access to your own car is essential.

Main duties

To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work and to ensure that work meets professional standards and clinical guidelines.

The post holder manages complex patients who require specific Therapy care to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions.

Following the principles of Governance, to develop and maintain a high quality service, through recognised professional standards, evidence based practice, and effective clinical audit programme.

To be responsible for gaining valid, informed consent for assessment and treatment interventions, and sharing of information following legal and professional guidelines.

To establish impairments and disabilities where conflicting evidence is present following assessments.

Following specialist assessment, to use advanced clinical reasoning, analysis, assessment and re assessment skills, and using a client centered approach provide individual treatments and programmes. These may include manual treatment techniques, patient education, neuro specific facilitatory techniques and the use of specific equipment.

To prescribe equipment and educate staff, patients, and their families in the safe use of this equipment in order to maximise client’s independence and safety.

To work closely with other members of the multidisciplinary team to provide a comprehensive, seamless service aiming to improve and maintain the functional ability of patients whilst preventing hospital admission.

Working for our organisation

Come and join a Trust rated Outstanding by the CQC. South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust have been rated as outstanding following our latest inspection by the CQC and we are recruiting new staff to come and help us improve even further. In addition our staff survey results have placed us 4th in the country for recommended place to work.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main Duties

Professional/Clinical Responsibilities

• Attend multi-disciplinary meetings, case meetings and family meetings.
• Motivate others through advanced communication skills and to be able to gain cooperation for treatment where there may be significant barriers to understanding such as cognitive deficits.
• Communicate information related to complex conditions from assessment to treatment.
• Provide clinical teaching to members of the multidisciplinary team.
• Ensure that patients are actively engaged in their treatment through the use of goal setting and that all patients have goals and that treatments are individualised to these goals.
• Ensure that therapy is clinically effective and evaluated as such by outcome measures and the use of evidence based practice.
• Ensure that quality is at the root of all treatment and provide leadership to ensure this is the case.
• Manage care of patients with the aim of preventing unnecessary hospital admissions, in line with the commissioner’s objectives. This includes ongoing support and expertise through comprehensive specialist Therapy assessments, individualised care plans, delivery, evaluation and coordination of care between other agencies involved in the patients’ care.
• Communicate with other professionals and agencies, participating in regular meetings, to plan care and plan advanced treatment that reduces the risk of inappropriate hospital admissions.
• Demonstrate and maintain clinical credibility through the provision of high standards on clinical care using current evidence-based practice. Apply clinical leadership to continuously review and change practice demonstrating good and efficient clinical care.

Managerial Responsibilities

• Provide OT leadership for the team on a day to day basis through effective implementation of all Organisational Policies and Procedures.
• Participate in the development and maintenance of a clinical learning environment within the integrated team that is appropriate for the development needs of all members.
• Facilitate an environment where health promotion and informed patient choice is encouraged and developed to its maximum potential, within the available resources.
• Evaluate clinical practice within the area by monitoring standards of care, undertake audits and support staff in the delivery of evidence-based care.
• Work with the Therapy Professional Lead and Locality Manager to ensure safe, efficient, and effective clinical pathways for patients using the service.
• Work with the Therapy Lead and Manager to develop and implement clear processes for the promotion and maintenance of patient safety through Central Alert Systems, Serious Untoward incidents and Root Cause Analysis.
• In conjunction with the manager ensure robust action plans and learning from incidents are cascaded and embedded into clinical practice.
• Review, develop and implement policies and procedures to support delivery and development of service provision.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Diploma / Degree in Occupational Therapy
• State Registration with Health Professions Council
• Health Needs Assessment
• Evidence of Post graduate Continuous Professional Development
• Member of Specialist Interest Group or equivalent

Experience

• Substantial postregistration experience, equivalent to master’s level, with significant experience at a band 6 senior level.
• Evidence of recent post registration experience working at a senior level in community rehabilitation and longterm conditions
• Rotations at both band 5 and band 6 level in a wide range of clinical areas in both inpatient and community settings including elderly care, neuro- rehabilitation, musculoskeletal, falls and orthopaedics
• Experience of working with people with complex needs
• Experience of co-ordinating and delivering care for people with complex, long term conditions

Skills

• Advanced skills in the assessment and treatment of people with neurological; respiratory; orthopaedics conditions; and complex multi pathologies.
• Advanced knowledge and understanding of the NSF for Long Term Conditions, Falls and other relevant NICE guidelines.
• Advanced knowledge and understanding of the community rehabilitation process.
• Ability to apply core occupational therapy skills across a range of clinical conditions within a client centered, goal setting approach.
• Knowledge of outcome measures and evidence-based practice associated with community rehabilitation.
• Ability to problem solve and demonstrate advanced clinical reasoning.
• Knowledge of current health care policy and relevance to the delivery of healthcare services.
• Knowledge and understanding of clinical governance and its application to clinical practice.
• Knowledge of managing difficult situations and conflict resolution.
• Advanced communication and report writing skills, in both verbal and written format.
• IT skills – Microsoft word, power point, excel and outlook.
• Able to identify learning and development needs and actively seek ways to meeting those needs.
• Knowledge and understanding of NICE and COT Fallers Guidelines.
• Knowledge and understanding of the role of Social Services and voluntary agencies.
• Knowledge of recent Government NHS directives.
• High levels of precision for the manual treatment of patients.

Personal Qualities

• Ability to build effective working relationships within multidisciplinary team and with other professionals.
• Willingness to work flexibly to meet service needs.
• Willingness to assist in change.

Other

• Independent means of travel.
• Ability to deal with distressing & emotional circumstances on a frequent basis.
• Ability to impart unwelcome news regards to prognosis and treatment.
• Ability to concentrate & work with frequent interruption.
• Able to support and manoeuvre patients at regular intervals.
• Commitment to lifelong learning.
• Presentation and training skills.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Sometimes we get a lot of applications for our roles. On those occasions we might close the job early. If you don’t want to miss out we recommend submitting your application as early as possible.

The Trust use an Applicant Management System called TRAC which helps us manage the recruitment process. All communications regarding your application will come via TRAC (even if you applied via NHS Jobs).

Please check your TRAC account regularly and ensure your email is set up to accept messages so they don't go into your junk/spam folder.

We aim to shortlist all vacancies within 2 days of the vacancy closing, we will get back to all candidates ASAP.

Please ensure all sections of the application form are completed fully. Please particularly ensure that you provide full details of all referees including business email address, telephone contact details and postal address.

South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust is an equal opportunities employer who is committed to Equality and Diversity and does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the grounds of any protected characteristic as defined by the Equality Act 2010.

All South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust sites are smoke free. We feel it’s a great way to help our patients, visitors and staff stay healthy.

The Trust is part of a ‘Foundation Group’ through a strategic alliance with Wye Valley NHS Trust, George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. This partnership is great for the sustainability of all four organisations and allows us to share learning and maximise opportunities to ensure the delivery of high quality health and care services for our local populations.

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.