Job summary
- Main area
- Community Occupational Therapist
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 6
- Contract
- Fixed term: 11 months (contract until 31st March 2027)
- Hours
- Part time - 30 hours per week
- Job ref
- 455-NLFT-0759
- Employer
- North London NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Chestnuts Community Centre
- Town
- London
- Salary
- £47,951 - £56,863 Per annum including HCAS (pro-rata)
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 28/04/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Occupational Therapist
NHS AfC: Band 6
Thank you for your interest in the North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT). This is an exciting time to join us and be part of our journey to improve mental health care across North London and deliver excellent services to our local people. We will achieve this through the North London Way, as we:
- Collaborate at every level by living our values to create the right conditions for us all to work together.
- Develop our new Trust culture, to help make our new Trust a great place to work and to receive great care.
- Empower our teams to lead the planned improvements in our services, by skilling them and giving them the tools to make the changes.
- Focus on delivering excellence at every level to improve our performance and ensure consistently high-quality care across all our services.
- Ensure that research, quality improvement, and technology lead the way and are embedded in our services.
- Take a trauma informed approach to everything we do
We proactively welcome diversity in our workforce and pride ourselves on being an inclusive employer. We aim to recruit from our local communities and provide opportunities to all including apprenticeships, veterans, care leavers and more.
The North London Way to deliver: Better Mental Health, Better Lives, Better Communities.
Our trust website is: https://www.northlondonmentalhealth.nhs.uk/
As a values‑driven Trust, we recruit through our values. Our selection processes focus on behaviours, attitudes, and examples that reflect our organisational values and commitment to compassionate, high‑quality care.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a set of technology that can perform various tasks that typically required human intelligence. Your application is your opportunity to demonstrate to us how you meet the requirements of the role.
We recognise that AI tools can support accessibility, equity and confidence for applicants. However, it’s important that examples and responses genuinely reflect your own experience and abilities, as these will be explored further during the selection process. AI must not be used to provide misleading or false information during any stage of the application journey.
Further guidance can be found in the NLPSS Applicant Toolkit https://royalfree.pagetiger.com/cuuomnr/1.
North London NHS Foundation Trust is committed to fair and transparent recruitment and requires applicants to provide accurate information, as misleading details may affect their application or employment and may be verified in line with the Fraud Act 2006. For further information please visit https://royalfree.pagetiger.com/cuuomnr/1.
Job overview
We are seeking a motivated and community‑focused Occupational Therapist to join the Tottenham Talking project, an innovative partnership between the NHS and the voluntary sector. Tottenham Talking provides safe, creative and inclusive community spaces for adults effected by mental health to build confidence, develop skills and connect with others. The project supports individuals to better manage their mental health and to move towards meaningful activity, work and wider community participation.
Main duties of the job
The successful applicant will deliver both individual and group interventions within community settings, working closely with colleagues across NHS and voluntary sector teams to ensure a safe, effective and person‑centred service. You will play an active part in designing and facilitating a varied programme of groups that reflect the needs, identities and interests of local residents. As the project continues to grow, you will also contribute to ongoing service development, evaluation and quality improvement, helping to shape the future direction of the programme and strengthen its impact.
We are looking for an Occupational Therapist with experience in community and mental health settings who is confident working with both adults and young people. You will bring creativity, flexibility and a genuine passion for community‑based practice, along with an interest in co‑production and partnership working. Experience in developing or delivering group programmes will be valuable, as will a commitment to reducing inequalities and improving access to mental health support for diverse communities.
This role offers the opportunity to be part of a unique and evolving community mental health initiative. You will join a supportive multidisciplinary environment and have the chance to contribute meaningfully to a project that is making a real difference to wellbeing and opportunity across Haringey.
Working for our organisation
North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.
Our Five-Year Strategy:
- We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.
- With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all
- We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.
Why NLFT?
- We develop and retain our staff through leadership behaviours and managers programme and many more opportunities.
- We promote flexible working and support staff with a range of health and wellbeing initiatives.
- NHS Discounts, generous annual leave and NHS pension scheme
- Excellent internal staff network
In order to meet the needs of the Trust you may be required from time to time to work at different locations to your normal place of work. This may mean that you are required to work at any location that fall under Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey or Islington. The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Group Facilitation and Support:
- Co-Facilitate Groups: Lead and co-facilitate therapeutic and activity-based groups, such as arts & crafts, movement groups, community access, self-care and life skills sessions.
- Specialised Groups: Develop and lead groups tailored to specific needs, including those for neurodiverse adults and young people transitioning from CAMHS.
Individual Support:
- One-to-One Sessions: Provide up to 6 one-to-one peer support sessions for participants, focusing on sensitive issues and helping individuals who may be anxious about group settings and wanted to achieve a specific goal in relation to their engagement with Tottenham Talking and personal mental health needs.
- Goal Setting and Safety Planning: Assist participants in setting personal goals and creating safety plans during the welcome chats and ongoing check-ins.
- Self-Management and Skill Building:
- Teach Self-Management Tools: Support participants in using apps and tools for mindfulness, recovery, yoga, and healthy eating.
- Employment Support: Collaborate with organisations like Twining & Hestia to provide employment support and help participants gain work experience through the volunteer programme.
This is not an exhaustive list, please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification for more information on the role requirements and duties.
Person specification
Qualifications /registration
Essential criteria
- • Dip. COT/ BSc/ MSc Occupational Therapy
- • Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
- • Evidence of participation in continued professional development
Desirable criteria
- • Qualifications in specific activities e.g. craft, gym etc
- • Experience of working in Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations
Skills and Abilities
Essential criteria
- • Ability to apply and develop core OT skills
- • Effective verbal communication skills and Maintains professional standards of communication
- • Proactive team member and willingness to contribute towards project service development
- • Commitment to working within a diverse and inclusive organization
Desirable criteria
- • Ability to work autonomously as sole Occupational Therapist in the team.
- • Ability to provide assessment and consultation to team which contribute to the global understanding of a participants needs
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of working autonomously
- Experience of offering groups and individual interventions to service users in a community setting
- Experience of applying OT Models into Practice
Desirable criteria
- • Experience of using MOHO assessments i.e. MOHOST, ACIS.
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
- Camilla Cox
- Job title
- Head of AHP Community Care Group
- Email address
- [email protected]
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