Senior Occupational Therapist
NHS AfC: Band 6
Main area Mental Health Grade NHS AfC: Band 6 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - hours per week Job ref -ACA-2--B Site Carsington Unit Town Derby Salary £, - £, per annum, pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing //6 :
Want to make a real difference and have a truly rewarding career? Join 'Team Derbyshire Healthcare' and become part of a talented, compassionate and enthusiastic workforce committed to a vision of ‘making a positive difference in people's lives’.
We’ve been rated ‘good’ overall by the CQC, with some outstanding services. The CQC commented at our most recent inspection on how our colleagues “treated patients with compassion and kindness” and “felt positive and proud about working for the trust.
We are passionate about making equality, diversity and inclusion part of our DNA. We take pride in our “People First Culture” which creates a workplace where everyone feels a genuine sense of belonging, difference is celebrated, and people are comfortable to bring their whole selves to work. We value the richness that comes from having colleagues that are fully representative of the local community. We welcome people who identify as Black, Asian or from a Minority Ethnic background, protected characteristics, and with all backgrounds and experiences.
Job overview
Join our acute inpatient mental health Occupational Therapy service and make a real difference.
We are seeking a Senior Occupational Therapist to play a key role in delivering high-quality, recovery-focused care within a compassionate and therapeutic environment.
As a Senior Occupational Therapist, you will:
1. Provide strong clinical leadership, working closely with the Clinical and Operational Lead Occupational Therapist.
2. Champion evidence-based practice to enhance service quality and responsiveness.
3. Support the Service Manager in developing operational and clinical mechanisms, including deputising in their absence.
4. Collaborate with ward-based Occupational Therapists, ensuring effective oversight of OT provision and smooth transition to the Shared Therapies team.
Our service is committed to promoting recovery and enabling sustainable transitions from inpatient care to community support. You will help create safe, therapeutic spaces for individuals at an acute stage of their illness, ensuring compassionate treatment and care throughout their journey.
Main duties of the job
5. Maintain a strong clinical presence by delivering individual interventions and overseeing the full range of therapeutic activities within the team.
6. Demonstrate advanced expertise in acute mental health care and share this knowledge effectively, promoting recovery-focused practice and social inclusion.
7. Proactively manage your own caseload, prioritising tasks efficiently to meet competing demands.
8. Assess complex service user needs using professional judgement and evidence-based approaches, ensuring accountability for clinical decisions.
9. Ensure every service user has a current, collaboratively developed Occupational Therapy plan tailored to their individual needs.
10. Apply leadership principles adapting strategies to meet changing service requirements.
11. Work closely with ward-based Occupational Therapists to ensure the delivery of high-quality, needs-led Occupational Therapy services.
12. Contribute to clinical development through mentoring, coaching, and supporting student education and fieldwork placement
Working for our organisation
Join 'Team Derbyshire Healthcare' and become part of a talented, compassionate and enthusiastic workforce committed to a vision of ‘making a positive difference in people's lives’.
CQC rated us as 'GOOD’ overall, commenting on how our colleagues “treated patients with compassion and kindness” and “felt positive and proud about working for the trust.”
Benefits include:
13. Commitment to flexible working where this is possible
14. days annual leave/year plus bank holidays, increasing to days after 5 years & days after years’ service
15. Yearly appraisal and commitment to ongoing training
16. Generous NHS pension scheme
17. Good maternity, paternity and adoption benefits
18. Health service discounts and online benefits
19. Incremental pay progression
20. Free confidential employee assistance programme /7
21. Access to our LGBT+ network, BAME Network and Christian Network
22. Health and wellbeing opportunities
23. Structured learning and development opportunities
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
If you would like further detailed information about the position and person specification, please refer to full details within the job description.
Person specification
Education
Essential criteria
24. Degree or diploma in OT
25. Evidence of ongoing, CPD, Reflection, Team Leadership skills and EBP
Desirable criteria
26. Field work educators qualification
Skills and Experience
Essential criteria
27. Demonstrate post registration experience and expertise of mental health
28. Evidence of specialised Occupational Therapy Assessments
29. Analytical skills involving skilled interpretation, comparison and reasoned judgement in complex situations
30. Supervision of Junior staff
31. Evidence of leadership skills
32. Evidence of risk assessment and management
33. Evidence of application of theoretical models of practice.
34. Evidence of working in an adult acute mental health setting and complex cases
35. Evidence of group work experience
Desirable criteria
36. Demonstrate knowledge of research techniques and experience of clinical audit
Further details / informal visits contact
NameKaren SanghaJob titleOperational and Clinical LeadEmail number
If you have problems applying, contact
Address Recruitment Team
Telephone, option 1, option 1