Senior Occupational Therapist
At a glance
- Band
- Band 6
- Contract
- Fixed-term
- Pattern
- Part-time
- Posted
- 08/09/2026
- Closes
- 22/09/2026
Sponsorship verdict
This contract type is not eligible for Skilled Worker sponsorship.
NHS Trusts cannot issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for part-time, bank, locum, zero-hours, job-share or short fixed-term (under 12 months) contracts under current Home Office rules. This applies even when the wider Trust holds a Skilled Worker licence.
Role summary
This role involves providing specialist occupational therapy assessment and intervention for adults aged 65 and over with cognitive impairment on Ward 4, a Discharge to Assess (D2A) ward. The Senior Occupational Therapist will support safe, timely, and person-centred discharge planning, ensuring patients return to the least restrictive environment with appropriate support. The position focuses on identifying and addressing occupational performance needs in self-care, productivity, and leisure to maximize independence, choice, and control for older persons with mental health or cognitive decline.
Key responsibilities
- Be a member of the Ward 4 Older Persons Team, demonstrating the ability to make decisions and influence the development of services.
- Participate in the development of an evolving Acute and Urgent Care service and the Older Persons Occupational Therapy role in North Staffordshire.
- Participate in the planning, development and evaluation of occupational therapy services within a designated area / team holding responsibility for a defined caseload and projects.
- Effectively manage and prioritise a designated caseload.
- Teach staff including both students and qualified and unqualified team members.
- Actively promote and maintain effective communication between multi-disciplinary/agency professionals to ensure co-ordinated and high quality care for patients and their families.
Essential criteria
- Diploma/Degree in Occupational Therapy.
- Hold Health and Care Professional Standards of Proficiency for Occupational Therapists (HCPC) Registration.
- Evidence of post registration training
- Post graduate experience within the role of Occupational Therapist.
- Knowledge of current best practice in older persons Occupational Therapy
- Ability to work single-handedly without direct supervision
- Experience of working in clinical practice and demonstrate ability to be responsible for own caseload.
- Use of functional assessment and activity analysis.
- Experience of supervising students and junior members of staff
- Demonstrate an ability to reflect and critically appraise own performance
- Demonstrates an understanding for the need to use evidence based interventions and how these relate to this post.
- Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS.
- Possess good written communication skills to maintain clear, concise, contemporaneous records and the ability to write reports
- Has received training (either formal or through experience) in carrying out risk assessments within scope of practice
- Computer literate
- Demonstrates an understanding and ability to evaluate using audit, research and outcome measures.
- Has a clear working knowledge of the application of the Royal College of Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, College of Occupational Therapy Professional Standards
Desirable criteria
- Evidence of an ability to implement a broad range of therapeutic interventions
- Experience of working with older persons and their families
- Experience of working with individuals with a complex mix of comorbidities
- Experience in facilitating group work and project management.
- Experience of working with clients who have a sensory impairment
- Awareness of national and local policies and how these impact on service provision
Useful to know
Agenda for Change 2024/25 pays Band 6 at £37,338 – £44,962 a year, across England.
This advert: £39,959 – £48,117 — outside the standard scale; check for HCAS/London weighting.
Posted 1d ago · Closes in 14d
Plenty of time to prepare a strong application.
Full advert · preview
North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust
Senior Occupational Therapist
The closing date is 22 September 2026
Job summary
North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust aims to provide accessible, non-stigmatising local services that contribute to the assessment, intervention, treatment, rehabilitation and enablement of Older Persons within the Acute and Urgent Care Directorate. To provide specialist assessment and interventions to identify and address occupational performance needs in self-care, productivity and leisure to support the safe and effective assessment and discharge of patients. The service is wholly committed to working with older people and their families and carers using Person Centred Planning approaches and affording older person's with mental health or cognitive decline the opportunities to maximize independence, choice and control. The Occupational Therapist has a lead role in promoting, enhancing and maintaining the health and wellbeing of older people with a mix of complex health needs.
Main duties of the job
To provide high-quality occupational therapy assessment and intervention for adults aged 65 years and over with cognitive impairment admitted to Ward 4, a 15-bedded Discharge to Assess (D2A) ward. The post holder will play a key role in supporting safe, timely, and person-centred discharge planning, ensuring patients are disc
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