Job summary
- Main area
- Occupational Therapy
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time - 22.5 hours per week (12 hour shifts across a 7 day service)
- Job ref
- 193-7843382NCG
- Employer
- Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Royal Berkshire Hospital
- Town
- Reading
- Salary
- £47,810 - £54,710 pro-rata per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 29/03/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist in Emergency Department
NHS AfC: Band 7
At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust we put our patients at the heart of every element of health and care that we provide. The Trust works together as a community to deliver its vision which is “Working together to provide outstanding care for our community.”
Royal Berkshire Hospital are pleased to announce that following our CQC inspection we have been rated ‘Good’ with inspectors reporting that we have made significant improvements. The Trust’s overall rating has also improved to ‘good’.
We are Compassionate in our thoughts, words and actions
We are Aspirational and have a true desire to be dynamic and to innovate
We are Resourceful and responsible in the way we work and live
We are Excellent in our development, fairness and sharing best practice
At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, we value candidates who bring their unique personalities, skills, and experiences to the Trust. When completing your application, we encourage you to highlight your individual achievements and strengths, showing us how they align with the requirements outlined in the job description and person specification. While we recognise that some applicants may use AI tools during the process, please be mindful that AI-generated responses can often lack the personal detail and relevance needed to demonstrate your suitability for the role. AI generated content is discouraged by the Trust and may diminish the candidates chances of success.
Amazing things happen at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust; delivered by amazing people so why don’t you come and join us. We offer a range of learning and development for all employees may you be clinical or non-clinical.
Job overview
Band 7 Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist in Emergency Department
This is a part-time post for 22.5 hours per week.
We have an exciting opportunity for a clinical specialist Occupational Therapist to join our Occupational Therapy Department at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
This post will be mainly based in the Emergency Department and associated Front Door Services and will also include covering the Falls and Frailty Response service.
You will be a versatile and enthusiastic OT, clinically expert in the management of patients at the front door. We are a friendly, very supportive and proactive multidisciplinary team with fantastic links with our community and system partners.
If you are looking for a new leadership role using your clinical experience and opportunities to grow, develop and work with others, then this role will be ideal for you!
Main duties of the job
- To be an Occupational Therapist clinical expert in the management of patients in the Emergency Department for the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust (RBFT) supporting admission avoidance and safe, prompt return to the community.
- To work on the Falls & Frailty Response Service in the community alongside a Specialist Paramedic, providing a blue light response to older people who have fallen - providing rapid intervention, equipment and onward referrals to support people to remain at home.
- To be responsible for the operational management and clinical leadership of the Emergency Department Therapy (EDT) team in conjunction with the other Specialist Band 7 Therapists in the team and the Operational Lead for Front Door Service.
- To use expert occupational therapy knowledge and advanced clinical reasoning skills to provide specialist support and advice to the therapy team and other healthcare staff, and to manage own caseload of patients with highly complex discharge planning and admission avoidance support, as an autonomous practitioner.
- To ensure a high quality and effective therapy service at the front door to the hospital.
- To work with South Central Ambulance Service on the ‘Falls & Frailty Response Service’ on 12 hour shifts, as an autonomous practitioner, preventing conveyance to hospital and maximising independence and safety in the patient’s home.
Working for our organisation
The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest District General Hospitals in the country. The hospital achieved Foundation Trust status on 1st June 2006.
It was the first Foundation Trust in the South Central Strategic Health Authority.
The Trust has a successful track record of delivering high quality acute medical and surgical services for 500,000 patients across West Berkshire, an area extending from Newbury in the west to Henley-on-Thames in the east, and including Wokingham and parts of Hampshire to the south and parts of Oxfordshire to the north. The Trust is Reading's biggest employer.
The CQC rated the care provided by the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust as Good.
Our innovative Therapies Practice Education Team are an integral part of our staff's experience in their roles. Please follow this link to see more of what we do! https://youtu.be/dFeVzr_UqCw
Our "CARE" values: Compassionate, Aspirational, Resourceful, Excellent, reflect the type of Trust we aspire to be and you can join our dedicated and talented staff to make this happen.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please refer to the attached Job Description and Personal Specification for further details of the role.
Person specification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Substantial specialist experience at a senior level
- Extensive post-graduate experience
- Post-graduate training/qualification in the management of frail elderly patients and falls prevention
- Experience of teaching and presenting to other staff
- Experience of supervising and developing other staff and students
Desirable criteria
- MSc or equivalent training/experience in related area
- Management training
- Previous experience of a range of healthcare settings
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- In-depth understanding of a broad range of non-elective admissions, admission avoidance and work with frail, elderly patients
- Knowledge of current issues and policy relating to field of practice
- Registered OT with HCPC
- Advanced knowledge and experience of a wide range of approaches to the management of frail elderly patients & falls prevention, including advanced clinical reasoning & treatment skills
Desirable criteria
- Attendance at specialist courses relating to OT within the field of ED/admission avoidance
- Completion of relevant QI projects
- Evidence of CPD
Applicant requirements
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Josie Caffrey
- Job title
- Professional Lead for Occupational Therapy
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0118 322 5215
- Additional information
Ruth Chapman (Operational Lead Therapist for Front Door Services) [email protected]
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