Job summary
- Main area
- Mental Health
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 6
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 383-ACA-6432-25-B
- Employer
- Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Carsington Unit
- Town
- Derby
- Salary
- £38,682 - £46,580 per annum, pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 23/02/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Senior Occupational Therapist
NHS AfC: Band 6
Want to make a real difference and have a truly rewarding career? Join 'Team Derbyshire Healthcare' and become part of a talented, compassionate and enthusiastic workforce committed to a vision of ‘making a positive difference in people's lives’.
We’ve been rated ‘good’ overall by the CQC, with some outstanding services. The CQC commented at our most recent inspection on how our colleagues “treated patients with compassion and kindness” and “felt positive and proud about working for the trust.
We are passionate about making equality, diversity and inclusion part of our DNA. We take pride in our “People First Culture” which creates a workplace where everyone feels a genuine sense of belonging, difference is celebrated, and people are comfortable to bring their whole selves to work. We value the richness that comes from having colleagues that are fully representative of the local community. We welcome people who identify as Black, Asian or from a Minority Ethnic background, protected characteristics, and with all backgrounds and experiences.
Job overview
Join our acute inpatient mental health Occupational Therapy service and make a real difference.
We are seeking a Senior Occupational Therapist to play a key role in delivering high-quality, recovery-focused care within a compassionate and therapeutic environment.
As a Senior Occupational Therapist, you will:
- Provide strong clinical leadership, working closely with the Clinical and Operational Lead Occupational Therapist.
- Champion evidence-based practice to enhance service quality and responsiveness.
- Support the Service Manager in developing operational and clinical mechanisms, including deputising in their absence.
- Collaborate with ward-based Occupational Therapists, ensuring effective oversight of OT provision and smooth transition to the Shared Therapies team.
Our service is committed to promoting recovery and enabling sustainable transitions from inpatient care to community support. You will help create safe, therapeutic spaces for individuals at an acute stage of their illness, ensuring compassionate treatment and care throughout their journey.
Main duties of the job
- Maintain a strong clinical presence by delivering individual interventions and overseeing the full range of therapeutic activities within the team.
- Demonstrate advanced expertise in acute mental health care and share this knowledge effectively, promoting recovery-focused practice and social inclusion.
- Proactively manage your own caseload, prioritising tasks efficiently to meet competing demands.
- Assess complex service user needs using professional judgement and evidence-based approaches, ensuring accountability for clinical decisions.
- Ensure every service user has a current, collaboratively developed Occupational Therapy plan tailored to their individual needs.
- Apply leadership principles adapting strategies to meet changing service requirements.
- Work closely with ward-based Occupational Therapists to ensure the delivery of high-quality, needs-led Occupational Therapy services.
- Contribute to clinical development through mentoring, coaching, and supporting student education and fieldwork placement
Working for our organisation
Join 'Team Derbyshire Healthcare' and become part of a talented, compassionate and enthusiastic workforce committed to a vision of ‘making a positive difference in people's lives’.
CQC rated us as 'GOOD’ overall, commenting on how our colleagues “treated patients with compassion and kindness” and “felt positive and proud about working for the trust.”
Benefits include:
-
Commitment to flexible working where this is possible
-
27 days annual leave/year plus bank holidays, increasing to 29 days after 5 years & 33 days after 10 years’ service
-
Yearly appraisal and commitment to ongoing training
-
Generous NHS pension scheme
-
Good maternity, paternity and adoption benefits
-
Health service discounts and online benefits
-
Incremental pay progression
-
Free confidential employee assistance programme 24/7
-
Access to our LGBT+ network, BAME Network and Christian Network
-
Health and wellbeing opportunities
-
Structured learning and development opportunities
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
If you would like further detailed information about the position and person specification, please refer to full details within the job description.
Person specification
Education
Essential criteria
- Degree or diploma in OT
- Evidence of ongoing, CPD, Reflection, Team Leadership skills and EBP
Desirable criteria
- Field work educators qualification
Skills and Experience
Essential criteria
- Demonstrate post registration experience and expertise of mental health
- Evidence of specialised Occupational Therapy Assessments
- Analytical skills involving skilled interpretation, comparison and reasoned judgement in complex situations
- Supervision of Junior staff
- Evidence of leadership skills
- Evidence of risk assessment and management
- Evidence of application of theoretical models of practice.
- Evidence of working in an adult acute mental health setting and complex cases
- Evidence of group work experience
Desirable criteria
- Demonstrate knowledge of research techniques and experience of clinical audit
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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.
Application numbers
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Karen Sangha
- Job title
- Operational and Clinical Lead
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01332 310455
If you have problems applying, contact
- Address
-
Recruitment Team
- Telephone
- 01332 564856, option 1, option 1
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