Job summary
- Main area
- Occupational Therapist
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 6
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Weekend working)
- Job ref
- 153-SP05987-A
- Employer
- University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Poole Hospital
- Town
- Poole
- Salary
- £39,959 - £48,117 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 21/06/2026 23:59
- Interview date
- 29/06/2026
Employer heading
Senior Occupational Therapist Trauma Orthopaedics
NHS AfC: Band 6
As University Hospitals Dorset we are a three site acute trust with ‘university hospital’ status through our partnership with Bournemouth University, working with an annual budget of £730m.
We offer highly regarded health services, employing some 10,000 staff. Our ambitious £500m transformation programme is well on the way to delivering state-of-the-art facilities over the next two years to meet the current and future healthcare needs of the populations we serve.
In an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with over seven miles of sandy beaches you’ll find inspirational opportunities to achieve your perfect work/life balance. With the New Forest and the Purbecks on our doorstep, we’re also less than three hours from London by road or train. The thriving towns of Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch give way to idyllic villages and unspoilt landscapes just minutes from our hospitals.
We believe that having a diverse workforce, and allowing people to be themselves, is essential in ensuring we offer an inclusive, welcoming and productive place to work.
We especially welcome applications from minority groups in the community who may be underrepresented in our workforce.
At UHD our active staff network groups are the Women's Network, Black Asian Minority Ethnic Group (BAME), Pride Network, European (EU), Pro Ability Staff Network, and the Armed Forces Support Group.
As a Trust we are proudly signed up to the Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant guaranteed interview schemes.
We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support the preparation of their application. While this is not discouraged, we kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of your own experience and suitability. Personal integrity is an important part of the recruitment process.
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for you to join our Trauma and Orthopaedic Therapy Team as a Senior Occupational Therapist.
This post is based at the Poole site, which is the main Orthopaedic Trauma site for University Hospitals Dorset. This is a fast-paced and dynamic
working environment and you will be based within a well-established collaborative, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy service, with a Band 7 Clinical Specialist OT to support you. You will receive regular supervision and training and have responsibility for the supervision of others and contribute to the team training programme.
This post will also provide you with opportunities to develop managerial skills and contribute to and lead on service development within the team
and wider services.
This role required HCPC Registration
Base - Poole Hospital
Interview Date - 29th June 2026
Main duties of the job
You will have the opportunity to develop specialised skills including high-level assessments; moving and handling; cognitive assessments and interventions; capacity assessments; admission avoidance, and complex discharge planning.
You will have responsibility for a caseload of patients with wide ranging injuries and complexity. Alongside your own caseload you will support other less experienced team members with their caseload. University Hospital Dorset works in partnership with health and community providers within the county to enable the Discharge to Assess and Home First principles.
This role will provide you with the opportunity to support patients within the acute hospital and within their own homes to ensure they receive the right service in the best place for them.
Working for our organisation
UHD are investing, developing and transforming Trust services in line with the New Hospital Programme. As part of this, some services may move site this year or next, either temporarily or permanently. Recruiting Managers will be happy to answer any service-specific questions at interview.
This service has a planned move from Poole site to RBH site with the possibility of some ongoing cross site working.
If a role or service relocates as part of a planned move, excess mileage will not be reimbursed. Travel from home to the new work base will be classed as a normal commute. Any other changes will be managed under Trust or national terms and conditions.
UHD has active networks including Women’s, Diverse Ethnicity Network, Pride, European, Pro Ability, and Armed Forces Networks. We support Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant interview schemes.
AI tools may be used, but applications must honestly reflect your own skills and experience. Integrity is key to our recruitment process
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To understand the role in more detail please read the full job description and person specification documents which are attached to this advert.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Evidence of CPD maintained in a portfolio
- HCPC registration
Desirable criteria
- Member of RCOT
- Involvement in RCOT Special Interest Group
- Completion of in-house: Leadership & motivation Managing performance Time management Appraisals skills
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of a range of rotations including medicine, orthopaedic, older people & rehabilitation, providing examples/case studies.
- Experience of discharge planning, providing examples/case studies
- experience as a Band 5 in the NHS.
Desirable criteria
- Involvement in audit, research & understanding of quality issues.
Technical Skills Competencies
Essential criteria
- Contribution to the clinical education of less experienced staff, students or assistants.
- Up- to-date with professional practice and new research
- Able to present information, written and verbal, in a clear & logical manner.
- Ability to organise, prioritise & delegate
- Understanding of clinical governance & its implications
- Able to carry out moderate to intense physical effort
- Able to cope in a stressful environment and with emotional or aggressive patients & carers
- Able to work well across teams to meet patient and service priorities
Desirable criteria
- Supervision & appraisals of juniors, assistants or students
- IT skills
- Presentation skills
- Able to demonstrate leadership skills in the operational management of staff
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Comprehensive knowledge of the occupational therapy assessment & treatment of a range of clinical conditions.
- Awareness of the occupational therapist’s role in the Discharge to Assess/Home First model of care
Other requirements specific to the role
Essential criteria
- Possession of a clean UK driving licence and access to a car for work purposes.
Personal attributes
Essential criteria
- Able to work as a team member
- Flexible
- Empathic
- Reliable
- Problem-solving
- Act professionally and responsibly at all times
Language requirement
Essential criteria
- Able to speak English as necessary to undertake the role
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Hannah Rapley
- Job title
- Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0300 019 8179
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