Specialist Occupational Therapist (development post considered)
At a glance
- Band
- Band 5
- Contract
- Permanent
- Pattern
- Full-time
- Hours / week
- 37.5
- Posted
- 20/08/2026
- Closes
- 03/09/2026
Sponsorship verdict
Candidates needing sponsorship are encouraged to apply.
HiveMind found a sponsorship-friendly statement in the source advert welcoming applicants who require a visa. Always confirm on the source before applying.
“Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.”Quoted verbatim from the source advert
Role summary
This is a full-time Band 6 Specialist Occupational Therapist role, with a Band 5-6 development post also considered, within the acute team at West Cumberland Hospital. The post holder will manage a defined caseload, using evidence-based principles to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate interventions in hospital and community settings. They will work with the multidisciplinary team, provide leadership and supervision to junior staff and students, and facilitate safe discharge planning. The role offers professional development opportunities and clinical supervision within a strong Occupational Therapy network.
Key responsibilities
- Manage a defined caseload of patients, using evidence based/client centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions in hospital and community settings.
- Work alongside the wider MDT members and community services, providing specialist assessment and treatment and facilitating safe and efficient discharge planning.
- Provide leadership and supervision to occupational therapists and support staff within the team.
- Prioritise and co-ordinate the daily workload of their own and more junior staff members, to ensure rehabilitation is optimised.
- Regularly supervise occupational therapy students on practice placement.
- Support the Clinical Team Lead of the service, deputising to certain aspects of the role as required.
Essential criteria
- Degree in occupational therapy or equivalent
- Registered as an occupational therapist with the Health Care Professions Council
- Relevant development to postgraduate certificate or equivalent
- Practice Placement Facilitator qualification
Desirable criteria
- Relevant postgraduate diploma or equivalent
- Essential IT skills (EITS) or equivalent.
- Accredited wheelchair prescriber
- Rotation within the key acute areas as a band 5 occupational therapist, e.g. elderly, medical, orthopaedics, surgery, neuro rehabilitation and stroke rehabilitation
- Working with specialised occupational therapy equipment
- Assessing for, designing and following cross boundary procedures for provision of adaptations.
- Audit and resultant changes in practice
- Evidence of publications
- Supervision of other staff member.
- Research
- Care pathway development
- Continuing professional development with portfolio
- Current health and social policies, NHS modernisation agenda and how these affect OT services
- Up to date knowledge and awareness of the area of specialist practice
- Relevant national and service guidelines and their application.
- Evidence based practice
- A wide range of models of occupational therapy and their application in a range of clinical settings
- Use of standardised assessment tools
- Quality improvement
- Professional ethics, their use & application
- Risk management
- Multidisciplinary team working
- Leadership development or management training
- Relevant training within the specialist area
- Clinical supervision
- Appraisal
- Skills and Aptitudes
- Organisational ability & time management
- Effective communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to reflect and critically appraise performance
- Effective negotiator
- Ability to work independently and set priorities
- Problem solving skills
- Able to prioritise work to meet deadlines
- Ability to work across other OT specialities to maintain staffing levels
- Ability to gather and analyse information on occupational performance components of patients functioning as part of OT intervention
- Presentation and training skills.
- Personal Circumstances
- Team player
- Willing to participate in planned movement at specialist OT (band 6) level.
- Commitment to research
- Able to travel independently around the area served by the Trust
- Driving licence
- Member of BAOT and specialist interest group
- Commitment to service development
- Degree in occupational therapy or equivalent
- Registered as an occupational therapist with the Health Care Professions Council
- Relevant development to postgraduate certificate or equivalent
- Practice Placement Facilitator qualification
- Relevant postgraduate diploma or equivalent
- Essential IT skills (EITS) or equivalent.
- Accredited wheelchair prescriber
- Rotation within the key acute areas as a band 5 occupational therapist, e.g. elderly, medical, orthopaedics, surgery, neuro rehabilitation and stroke rehabilitation
- Working with specialised occupational therapy equipment
- Assessing for, designing and following cross boundary procedures for provision of adaptations.
- Audit and resultant changes in practice
- Evidence of publications
- Supervision of other staff member.
- Research
- Care pathway development
- Continuing professional development with portfolio
- Current health and social policies, NHS modernisation agenda and how these affect OT services
- Up to date knowledge and awareness of the area of specialist practice
- Relevant national and service guidelines and their application.
- Evidence based practice
- A wide range of models of occupational therapy and their application in a range of clinical settings
- Use of standardised assessment tools
- Quality improvement
- Professional ethics, their use & application
- Risk management
- Multidisciplinary team working
- Leadership development or management training
- Relevant training within the specialist area
- Clinical supervision
- Appraisal
- Skills and Aptitudes
- Organisational ability & time management
- Effective communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to reflect and critically appraise performance
- Effective negotiator
- Ability to work independently and set priorities
- Problem solving skills
- Able to prioritise
Useful to know
Agenda for Change 2024/25 pays Band 5 at £29,970 – £36,483 a year, across England.
This advert: £32,073 – £48,117 — outside the standard scale; check for HCAS/London weighting.
Posted 10d ago · Closes in 5d
Plenty of time to prepare a strong application.
Full advert · preview
Job summary
Band 6 Specialist Occupational Therapist / Band 5-6 development post would also be considered
We are seeking to recruit a Band 6 Occupational Therapist to work within the acute team at the West Cumberland Hospital, Whitehaven. The post is full time, 37.5 hours per week
The post holder will manage a defined caseload of patients, using evidence based/client centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions in hospital and community settings.
The post holder will work alongside the wider MDT members and community services, providing specialist assessment and treatment and facilitating safe and efficient discharge planning.
They will provide leadership and supervision to occupational therapists and support staff within the team.
They will be required to prioritise and co-ordinate the daily workload of their own and more junior staff members, to ensure rehabilitation is optimised.
They will regularly supervise occupational therapy students on practice placement.
Main duties of the job
They will use evidence based/client centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions. Provide leadership and supervision for occupational therapists and support staff within the team, regularly supervising occupational therapy students on practice placements as appropriate.
The post holder will support the Clinical Team Le
Join the community to read the full pack, responsibilities and person-specification in one place.
Your seat is reserved — activate it
CareerHive is included with your CareerHive Skool community membership. If you haven't claimed your account yet, join the community (or sign in with the same email you joined with) to unlock the full advert, the apply link, HiveMind AI interview & application suite, your private vault, and daily sponsorship alerts.