Job overview

Would you like to work in a forward thinking Occupational Therapy service? We have exciting career development opportunities and the added benefit of being in the vibrant and diverse town of Luton.

A fantastic opportunity has arisen for a dedicated and self-motivated Band 6 Occupational Therapist to join our friendly and innovative Complex Medicine team within the Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. This full time post is permanent and involves late shift and weekend working on a  rota basis. You will have the chance to work across our four major ward areas which include Cardiology, Haematology, General medicine and Elderly care. 

Occupational Therapy plays an instrumental role in the exciting developments in the Trust and our team is growing. You will be responsible for providing a high standard of assessment, advice, treatment and evaluation of patients referred to the acute inpatient service. This includes patients with diverse presentations and complex physical and psychological conditions. You will also have the opportunity to support students and apprentices alongside managing Band 5 Therapists and support staff. 

Our Trust highly respects and values the importance of Occupational Therapists in the healthcare industry. As a result, we invest time in your training and development which includes our ‘OT Aspiring to Excellence’ sessions to share best practice.

Main duties of the job

• To perform advanced occupational therapeutic assessment of patients with diverse presentations and complex physical and psychological conditions, to determine a diagnosis, formulate and deliver an appropriate, individualised treatment programme.
  
  
• To hold responsibility for own caseload and be responsible for a defined area of the service/particular patient group, working without direct supervision. Access to advice and support from a more senior therapist is available if required. Clinical work is evaluated through regular clinical supervision with a specialist occupational therapist but day-to-day clinical work is not routinely reviewed.
  
  
• To undertake all aspects of clinical duties as an autonomous practitioner.
  
  
• To plan, supervise, educate and assess the performance of occupational therapy students on placement within the complex medicine wards. To work closely with the university and comply with all the standards required for the degree level qualification.
  
  
• Supported by the specialist occupational therapist, to design and undertake evidence-based audit and research projects to further own and team’s clinical practice and improve service delivery with the specialist therapist. Make recommendations and occasionally implement changes to practice or service protocols, as agreed with the specialist occupational therapist.
  
  
• To deputise for the specialist occupational therapist in their absence, taking the lead role in the day-to-day operational management of the team.

Working for our organisation

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton.  Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity and creating a culture that values differences.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.

It is an exciting time to join the newly formed Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. We run two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Our 7,500 staff provide high quality care for a growing population of around 700,000 across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas.

 

You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. Travel between hospital sites may be required. We have state-of-the art facilities placing us at the heart of cutting edge health care. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.