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Job summary

Main area
Senior Occupational Therapist
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 6
Contract
Permanent
Hours
  • Full time
  • Part time
  • Job share
  • Flexible working
37.5 hours per week
Job ref
395-ET240-25
Employer
NELFT NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
thurrock community hospital
Town
Grays
Salary
£38,682 - £46,580 p.a. (plus HCAS) pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
11/09/2025 23:59

Employer heading

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust logo

Senior Occupational Therapist

NHS AfC: Band 6

Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.

The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for three consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.

Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video

Job overview

The role of the UCRT Occupational Therapist is to carry out rapid response functional assessments and interventions to support patients to remain safe and independent in their own home and support recovery.  The role involves urgent, unplanned, crisis care and admission avoidance planning where appropriate.  This post requires an experienced OT to deliver clear clinical justification and reasoning and quick assertive decision making for patients in acute crisis which may be attributed to a variety of physical, mental and social care needs.     

This is a 7 day service with work patterns of 8am to 8pm

Main duties of the job

  • Undertake comprehensive, holistic OT assessments for patients in urgent, crisis need including those with a complex presentation.
  • Undertake functional assessments for patients
  • Collaborate and liaise with other health and social care professionals and affiliated services.
  • Utilise quick development of the 'therapeutic relationship' to gain the individuals cooperation in their treatment plan.
  • Be responsible for ensuring workload for self and others is planned and prioritised according to service targets and needs.
  • Ensure patient held records are completed for each visit, and that SystmOne inputting is completed on a daily basis.
  • Where safe care is not able to be sustained to liaise with the wider community services and care coordination centre to plan and implement appropriate actions.

Working for our organisation

Our Values 2025 - 2030

Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.

They are:

  • We are kind. 
  • We are respectful.
  • We work together with our communities.

These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period. 

NELFT place great importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust.  All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks, including mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment.  As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop in sessions focussing in engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes.  The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.

High Cost Area Supplement - Fringe

This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 5% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £1,303 to a maximum of £2,198 p.a. pro rata for part time).

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Job Description

The role of a UCRT Senior Occupational Therapist is to carry out rapid response functional assessments and interventions to support patients to remain safe and independent in their own home and support recovery. The post holders will need to have a high degree of professional autonomy and be able to make critical/clinical judgements using expert knowledge, skills and experience in order to provide a gold standard of holistic care including complex case management.

The post holder will work autonomously and in collaboration with other health care professionals, statutory and voluntary agencies to deliver excellent standards of patient care for patients requiring support in planned and unplanned care.

Clinical Responsibilities

  • Undertake comprehensive, holistic assessments of individuals, including those with a complex presentation, using investigative, analytical & clinical reasoning skills, and formulate a treatment plan.
  • Undertake functional assessments for patients, by using investigative and analytical skills for those with acute/complex/rehabilitation or palliative care needs
  • Liaise with GPs, Social Services, inpatient teams, other allied health care professionals and the voluntary sector, to ensure identified needs are met and care co-ordinated appropriately.
  • Communicate effectively with individuals and their carers to maximise potential, and to aid motivation and understanding throughout the treatment process.
  • Empower/enable patients and carers to maximise potential for self-care.
  • Required to use tact and persuasive skills in order to gain the individuals cooperation in their treatment plan.
  • Be responsible for ensuring workload for self and others is planned and prioritised according to service targets and needs.
  • Ensure patient held records are completed for each visit, and that SystmOne inputting is completed on a daily basis.
  • Where safe care is not able to be sustained to liaise with the wider community services and care coordination centre to plan and implement appropriate action

Certificates of Sponsorship
Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles.  Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points based system.

Use of AI
Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.

Person specification

Active HCPC Registration as Occupational Therapist

Essential criteria
  • Active HCPC Registration as Occupational Therapist
Desirable criteria
  • evidence of clinical skills

Degree or equivalent

Essential criteria
  • Degree or equivalent

2yrs+ post qualified OT experience

Essential criteria
  • 2yrs+ post qualified OT experience

UK driving licence & car owner

Desirable criteria
  • UK driving licence & car owner

Available for 7 day shift pattern

Desirable criteria
  • Available for 7 day shift pattern

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Employers for CarersApprenticeships logoAge positiveDisability confident employerHappy to Talk Flexible WorkingDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - GoldEmployers Network for Equality & InclusionTop Employers for Working Families 2021Top 10 Employer 2023

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

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Barbara Spinns
Job title
Operational Lead UCRT
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07858689116
Additional information

Ben Robertson-Tselepis - Clinical Lead OT UCRT 

07738977028

[email protected]

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