Main area Occupational Therapist - Occupational Therapy Grade NHS AfC: Band 6 Contract Permanent: To work weekends and bank holidays as part of a 7 day ROTA and be part of working on the late shifts. Hours
* Full time
* Part time
37.5 hours per week (up to Full Time hours (part time considered)) Job ref 216-AH-DA7723902
Employer University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust Employer type NHS Site Derriford Hospital Town Plymouth Salary £38,682 - £46,580 Per Annum Salary period Yearly Closing 12//2026 23:59
Occupational Therapist
NHS AfC: Band 6
Job overview
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust are delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us in the Emergency Care Therapy Team (ECTT). ECTT are keen to recruit a motivated, forward thinking, and experienced Occupational Therapist. The post will involve managing a specialised clinical caseload whilst continuing to develop the well-established therapy service alongside senior staff. We are a friendly multi-professional team working in a fast paced and responsive service, focused on early assessment, providing alternatives to admission for patients and supporting Frailty care pathways. We work across the Emergency Department, Acute Medical Units, Short Stay Ward, Frailty Same Day Emergency Care and also conduct Community Outreach visits. Working closely with our community and hospital colleagues to support our patients.
We are committed to Continued Professional Development (CPD), allocating time for personal development, course attendance and involve all staff to in our In‑Service Training programmes. We are a inclusive team with a focus on wellbeing and offer flexible working to support individuals and service. The team is committed to providing regular clinical and non‑clinical support and supervision; and conducting yearly appraisals.
Main duties of the job
To undertake a specialist OT role within the ECTT, delivering assessments and interventions with a focus on early involvement, discharge planning, and admission avoidance, including promoting Virtual Wards. This includes equipment and care recommendations, cognitive assessments, and supporting staff and student training. The successful candidate will demonstrate strong clinical, communication, and interpersonal skills to work effectively with diverse patient groups, hospital teams, and community services. The role requires flexibility to work split shifts and participate in the weekend/bank holiday rota, supporting a 7‑day service.
The team includes Band 7 PTs/OTs (Team Leads), Band 6 & 5 PTs/OTs, Assistant Practitioners, admin staff, and a Band 8a clinical lead. The post holder will support OT Team Leads in coordinating daily operations, ensuring seven‑day coverage, supervising staff, and contributing to service development. Patients present with a range of complex acute and long‑term needs. Support will be given to develop clinical excellence in emergency care. The post holder is professionally and legally accountable for their practice and can work with minimal supervision.
***Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as ‘Priority’ and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.***
Working for our organisation
We are a people business – where every member of staff matters and can make a difference. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Joining University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust means becoming part of a team of dedicated staff, who are committed to leading the way through innovation, clinical excellence and great customer care. The Trust has great opportunities for career development in a highly progressive working environment. We offer all of this in a vibrant, modern city with a historic reputation for adventure.
PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY. If you have any issues with applying online and need additional support including reasonable adjustments with the application process please contact the recruitment team on 01752 432100. We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants around less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. Please contact the recruiting manager to discuss this prior to your application submission.
We commit to giving this full consideration in each case. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for our roles, as diversity strengthens our teams. It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
1. Ensure that patients, relatives and those coming into contact with the OT are aware of the role of the Occupational Therapist.
2. Obtain informed consent from the patient, and work within the current legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent, prior to commencing any intervention.
3. Responsible for the assessment, intervention, discharge and ongoing referral of patient’s within the Emergency Care setting. The assessments include, but not limited to mobility assessment, transfers assessment, personal care assessment, cognitive assessment and assessment of the home situation.
4. Responsible for in‑depth understanding of conditions and traumatic injuries affecting the elderly population and the effect on function, and through comprehensive assessment identify the most appropriate discharge option and facilitate discharge to this setting.
5. Responsible for assessing and provision of adaptive equipment, mobility aids and wheelchairs to increase / enable or compensate to facilitate independent function, teaching compensatory techniques as required to the patient and those involved with their care. Provide instruction for the safe use of the items provided.
6. Responsible for formulating and initiating care plans.
7. Sign‑off/authorise minor adaptations, on behalf of Social Services; OT equipment on behalf of the OT Department, Derriford Hospital, following assessment of needs.
8. Carrying out environmental home assessments, pre‑discharge home assessments, discharge home assessments and follow‑up visits, as required. Assess the patient carrying out functional tasks to maximise independent living, arranging equipment provision, adaptations and support services as required. Ensure access to community resources and assessing carer needs.
9. Responsible for carrying out falls risk assessments, promoting falls prevention education and referring on to specialist services as required. Demonstrate and apply a broad level of understanding of the effects of falls and trauma.
10. Provide highly specialist advice and hand therapy in the management of hand injuries / conditions within the Emergency Care setting.
For further details please see attached JD&PS.
Person specification
Knowledge & Experience
* To have good verbal and written English skills.
* To have extensive demonstrable experience as an Occupational Therapist in physical fields.
* To have worked with a wide range of conditions, e.g. falls, minor fractures and a range of medical and respiratory conditions.
* To have proven knowledge & demonstrable experience of a wide range of OT assessments and interventions relevant to these patient groups, demonstrated by advanced clinical reasoning.
* To have proven knowledge of a wide range of OT equipment and minor adaptation.
* To have demonstrable experience in liaising with community services.
* To have demonstrable experience in complex caseload management.
* To have good proven evidence of continuing professional development.
* To have completed clinical supervisor training.
* To have a good proven understanding of the wider issues surrounding the NHS.
* To have worked in the physical field and have demonstrable experience of pressure in Emergency Care.
* To have demonstrable experience in setting up care plans.
* To have demonstrable experience in mobility assessment.
* To have demonstrable experience of supervising staff of all grades.
* To have demonstrable experience of supervising a student occupational therapist.
* To have demonstrable experience in teaching other members of the MDT team both internal and external settings.
* To have demonstrable experience in delivering patient education.
* To have skills and demonstrable experience of staff appraisals.
* To have demonstrable experience in recruitment and selection process.
* To have demonstrable experience in conducting audits and research & development activities.
* Demonstrate awareness of the wider issues surrounding Emergency Care.
Qualifications
* To hold degree, or equivalent in Occupational Therapy.
* HCPC Registration
* To have relevant qualification.
* To be computer literate.
* To have a complete understanding of confidentiality.
* To be skilled in handling traumatized or anxious patients and families.
* To be interested in promoting independence.
* To have interest and skill in persuading, teaching and managing people of all age group, including children.
* To be skilled in helping people to problem solve.
* To have ability to attend to details.
* To have good time management skills.
PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY INCLUDING YOUR JUNK FOLDER.
If you need support with the online application process or require reasonable adjustments with the application and/or interview process please contact the Recruiting Manager for this post.
We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants about less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. We recommend contacting the manager of the role prior to applying and we commit to giving requests full consideration.
We welcome and encourage applicants who identify with all protected characteristics to apply for our roles. We believe that diversity strengthens our teams and improves our patients' experience. At UHP we aim to create an inclusive workplace and hospital where everyone feels they belong and included.
It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.
Providing false information is an offence & could result in the application being rejected or summary dismissal/police action if an applicant is successful.
Please note that if you are successful in your application & accept the position you agree that the Staff Health and Wellbeing Department can access your health records from your current/previous employer in order to check the status of your inoculations & screening tests. This is an automated process & the information will only be used for these purposes prior to your taking up the position with us.
For Doctors Roles:
Unsolicited CVs and Candidate Profiles/Details
University Hospitals Plymouth has a commitment to sourcing candidates directly and as such we do not accept speculative CVs from agencies.
We do, however, work with a defined list of preferred HTE Framework suppliers who may be invited to support us in sourcing candidates for particular roles.
In line with our preferred supplier list, we only pay agency fees where we have a signed agreement in place and an agency has been instructed by a member of the Trust’s Medical Workforce team.
We do not pay agency fees where speculative and unsolicited CVs are submitted to the Trust or Trust employees by any other means than the official route above. Where this is not observed the Trust reserves the right to contact these candidates directly and initiate discussions without payment of any agency fee.
Any candidate details (whether written or spoken) or CVs that are referred directly will not constitute an introduction. The Trust will under no circumstances be responsible for any recruitment fees in relation to these contacts.
Submission of any unsolicited CVs, candidate’s details and/or proposals to the Trust will not be considered further and will be deemed evidence of full and unlimited acceptance of this Agency Protocol.
In order to establish and maintain good working relationships with the Trust’s agency suppliers, we ask that this Protocol is adhered to and thank you for your co‑operation.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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.
Name Eleanor Perrett Job title Emergency Care Occupational Therapist Team Lead Email address eleanor.perrett@nhs.net Telephone number 01752431355
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