Occupational Therapist Clinical Specialist – Adaptations Service
Contact
Debbie Masterson – 07810 657 959
dmasterson@wakefield.gov.uk
Heather Bloomfield – 07747 455507
hbloomfield@wakefield.gov.uk
About The Role
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Adaptations Service as a highly motivated Band 7 Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist within Mid‑Yorkshire NHS Trust, to be seconded to Wakefield Metropolitan District Council Adaptations Service. The Adaptations Service is a busy multidisciplinary team incorporating Occupational Therapists, Disability Officers, and Disabled Facilities Grants Officers, with NHS and Council staff working together to deliver major adaptations within the community. Our aim is to help people remain independent by providing suitable adaptations within the home environment, or by carrying out housing needs assessments to recommend moving to a property that better suits their current and long‑term needs.
The service covers functional assessments for the environmental needs of both adults and children with complex ranges of disabilities and will provide experience with specialities, adaptations, and equipment including major extensions to people’s homes. The successful candidate will work together with the person and their families, carers, and contracted external companies and building contractors to help prevent unnecessary admissions to hospital or residential settings and allow people to remain in their own homes – a priority that is high on the government agenda and supported by substantial budgets.
We encourage our senior staff to develop service delivery through NHS and Council mandatory training, and to provide support and supervision for junior staff and students. Opportunities to develop clinical and non‑clinical skills are available. Both full‑time and part‑time applications will be considered.
Key Responsibilities
* Be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of own work, including the management of Service Users in your care.
* Ensure a high standard of clinical care for the Service Users under your management.
* Accept sole clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of Service Users, and organise this effectively and efficiently with regard to clinical priorities and use of time.
* Allocate caseloads to all other staff, ensuring the complexity of the Service Users’ condition is reflected by the competencies of the staff member.
* Undertake specialty and needs‑lead assessment of Service Users referred to the team, including those with complex medical conditions that could be life‑limiting and progressive, using investigative and analytical skills.
* Formulate individualised Care Plans and recommendations for major works to their home, using clinical reasoning and utilising a wide range of adaptations and specialist equipment solutions, including rehousing where appropriate in conjunction with service users and their carers.
* Take lead responsibility for cases involving liaison with other professional staff within the MDT, Social Care, Education and Housing.
* Provide specialist clinical expertise around adaptations, building and specialist equipment to colleagues within the team and the wider social care, health, housing and private sector.
* Communicate effectively with service users and carers to ensure understanding of their condition and the most suitable solutions for their home environment. Use persuasive, motivational, and explanatory communication to encourage engagement with treatment plans and recommendations.
* Use verbal and non‑verbal communication skills to gain informed consent with service users where there may be barriers to effective communication (e.g., loss of hearing, altered perception, expressive or receptive dysphasia, pain, fear, non‑verbal).
* Assess capacity, gain valid informed consent, and work within a legal framework with service users who may lack capacity to consent to treatment.
Qualifications
Essential person specification requirements
* Degree in Occupational Therapy or equivalent.
* Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council.
Training
* Evidence of CPD maintained in a portfolio, including attendance at recent and relevant postgraduate courses.
* Portfolio evidence of information learning.
Experience
* Evidence of comprehensive clinical Band 6 experience.
* Experience with work within adaptations in the community setting.
* Experience working with Service Users across all age ranges and disabilities.
* Supervision of more junior and support staff and students.
Other
* Access to a vehicle with the ability to travel around the Wakefield District as required.
Be part of MY Team
We are an acute trust caring for over one million people in Wakefield and Kirklees. Our 10,000 staff work in patients’ homes, the community, and our three hospitals in Pontefract, Dewsbury, and Pinderfields (Wakefield). We prioritise our people and values so we can deliver the best possible care to patients. Our team is friendly, passionate, and innovative, always seeking better ways to work.
We support work‑life balance and foster a diverse, inclusive environment where everyone belongs. Our staff networks offer safe spaces to share ideas and concerns so we can increase awareness and appreciation of equality, diversity, and inclusion. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and especially encourage members of the LGBTQ+ community, ethnic minority groups, and people with disabilities or neurodivergence to apply, as they are currently underrepresented in the Trust.
If you value caring, high standards, improvement, and respect, join the MY team to make a difference every day.
Application Guidance
We understand that many applicants are using AI technology to help with their applications. While these tools can be useful, they cannot fully capture your skills, knowledge, and experience. It’s important that you personalise your application. Relying solely on AI is not recommended, as it may reduce your chances of success. Our screening process is thorough, so if you have used AI, please disclose this on your application form.
Our Benefits
* Access to the NHS pension plan.
* Generous holiday allowance of 27 days plus bank holidays, increasing with 5 and 10 years of service.
* Exceptional employee health and wellbeing services.
* Extensive benefits and support, including:
* Onsite nurseries and childcare salary sacrifice scheme.
* Cycle to work scheme.
* Home electronics scheme.
* Car lease salary sacrifice scheme.
* Working carers support and advice, carers network and carers passport.
* Flexible working options and family and carer‑friendly policies.
* Established staff networks, including LGBTQ+ and Race Equality.
* Career progression, training and support.
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