Band 7 Highly Specialised Occupational Therapist
At a glance
- Band
- Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Pattern
- Full-time
- Posted
- 27/08/2026
- Closes
- 10/09/2026
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 an exciting opportunity for an experienced Occupational Therapist to join the therapy team at Royal Free Hospital. The role involves providing clinical leadership and operational management, managing a complex patient caseload to facilitate early discharge, and promoting independence. The post holder will focus on admission avoidance and efficient patient flow, working on a 7-day roster with extended hours.
Key responsibilities
- Provide clinical leadership and operational management to the team.
- Manage a clinical caseload of patients requiring complex case management.
- Facilitate early discharge, promote independence, and improve patient health outcomes.
- Promote a Homefirst mindset with a passion for admission avoidance.
- Utilise rapid response and discharge to assess pathways to ensure safe and timely patient discharge.
Essential criteria
- Demonstrable ability to meet the Trust Values
- Degree or equivalent in Occupational Therapy
- HCPC Registration in OT
- Completed relevant post registration specialist courses for example: oOT assessments of specific conditions oOT treatment approaches oOutcome measures oSupervision Skills Training for staff and students oOT Practice Educator course
- Substantial post-graduate work experience as an Occupational Therapist, predominately working with patients with physical and cognitive disabilities
- Experience of working as an OT at a senior level with a variety of medical presentations e.g. Respiratory, Cardiac
- Experience of working with elderly patients
- Experience of working with Bariatric patients
- Considerable experience of being a Band 6 OT
- Experience and ability of working in an acute setting
- Experience of teaching and supervising less experienced staff.
- Experience of teaching and supervising OT students.
- Demonstrated ability to work autonomously and use own initiative.
- Knowledge and experience in the use of occupational therapy models of practice
- Demonstrate effective communication skills to a range of audiences e.g. users, carers and other professionals
- Experience of working effectively and efficiently as part of an MDT.
- Demonstrated clear understanding of clinical governance and its application to the work setting.
- Knowledge of quality assurance and audit programmes in line with requirements for Clinical Governance
- Knowledge of research and development process, Evidence of Continuing Professional Development
- Ability to lead a small team
- Highly effective interpersonal skills, including assertiveness in a range of situations
- Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
- Physically fit and able to comply with trust manual handling guidelines
Desirable criteria
- Member of Specialist OT Section group
- Motivational Interviewing/ Behaviour Change training (CBT or facilitation skills)
Useful to know
Agenda for Change 2024/25 pays Band 7 at £46,148 – £52,809 a year, across England.
This advert: £58,133 – £65,261 — outside the standard scale; check for HCAS/London weighting.
Posted 4d ago · Closes in 11d
Plenty of time to prepare a strong application.
Full advert · preview
Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and committed individual to join our unique and vibrant therapy team at the Royal Free Hospital, Hampstead, part of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.
We are looking for an experienced Occupational Therapist with an extensive range of clinical and leadership skills to work across our emergency department, adult and medical assessment units.
Main duties of the job
You will be expected to provide clinical leadership and operational management to the team and manage a clinical caseload of patients requiring complex case management in order to facilitate early discharge, to promote independence and improve patient health outcomes. The post holder will promote the Homefirst mindset with a passion for admission avoidance and will utilise rapid response and discharge to assess pathways to ensure that patients leave hospital in a safe and timely way and that there is safe and effective patient flow. The role will require you to work on a 7 day working roster with extended hours (inclusive of bank holidays).
About us
The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK's biggest and most innovative trusts. Across three main hospitals, our dedicated army of staff care for over 1.6million patients, treat more than 200,000 in A&E, deliver over 8,000 babies and carry out more than 17million test
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