Social Inclusion and Occupational Therapy Lead Barking and Dagenham Community Mental Health (Band 8a)
If you’re looking for a role where you can genuinely shape services, this is it.
Mental Health Services in Barking & Dagenham are undergoing a period of transformation. Pathways are being redesigned, models of care are evolving, and there is real appetite within the senior leadership team to do things differently.
We are looking for a Lead Occupational Therapist who will be part of that change. You will work alongside senior leaders across the service to help shape community mental health pathways, bringing an occupational perspective into how care is designed, delivered, and evaluated. You will lead and develop an Occupational Therapy workforce, including qualified staff, support staff, and apprentices, working across multiple teams.
What You’ll Be Doing
* Providing professional and clinical leadership for Occupational Therapy across community services
* Supporting and developing a diverse OT workforce at different stages of their careers
* Shaping pathways and contributing to service transformation alongside the wider leadership team
* Strengthening the visibility and impact of Occupational Therapy within multidisciplinary teams
* Driving a focus on meaningful outcomes and demonstrating the value of occupational approaches
* Creating consistency, quality, and identity across the Occupational Therapy workforce
What We’re Looking For
* An experienced Occupational Therapist who is ready to lead at a system level while staying grounded in practice.
* Strong professional identity and credibility as an Occupational Therapist
* Experience of leading or developing others across teams or services
* Confidence to influence beyond your own discipline
* The ability to navigate change and uncertainty constructively
* A focus on improving outcomes for service users
Job Overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen within Barking & Dagenham Community Mental Health Services for an experienced and motivated Band 8a Occupational Therapist to join the service in a senior leadership role.
The successful candidate will be a key member of a supportive and forward-thinking management team, providing professional leadership, clinical oversight, and strategic direction for Occupational Therapy staff across the directorate. You will play a central role in the development, delivery and promotion of high-quality Occupational Therapy services for adults with serious and enduring mental health needs.
This post requires substantial experience of working within community mental health services and a strong understanding of recovery-focused, person-centred care. You will be expected to demonstrate effective leadership skills, the ability to support and develop staff, and a commitment to service improvement within a multidisciplinary environment.
The role offers an excellent opportunity to further develop senior leadership and management skills while contributing to service transformation and innovation.
Main Duties of the Job
* Report directly to the Head of Adult Mental Health Services for Barking & Dagenham and receive professional supervision from the Trust Professional Lead for Allied Health Professions.
* Contribute to the delivery of operational and strategic objectives across the directorate.
* Provide professional leadership for Occupational Therapy staff, including supervision, professional development, workforce planning, and supporting effective recruitment and retention.
* Provide specialist Occupational Therapy advice and guidance to Integrated Care Directors, Associate Directors, and team managers, and contribute to Trust-wide Professional Lead Occupational Therapy and Allied Health Professional groups.
* Lead on Social Inclusion, Recovery, and Wellbeing agendas and manage NELFT ISA (Barking & Dagenham)-funded specialist mental health community placements, ensuring effective placement reviews, value for money, positive clinical outcomes, and appropriate throughput.
* Contribute to borough, directorate, Mental Health Services, and Trust-wide projects as required, and ensure appropriate supervision and development of staff.
Benefits and Conditions
High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (minimum payment of £4,714 and a maximum payment of £5,941 per annum, pro rata for part time).
This post will be subject to a probationary period.
All applications must comply with NHS values and standards.
#J-18808-Ljbffr