NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) is one of the largest healthcare systems in the United Kingdom, employing approximately 40,000 staff across a wide range of clinical and non-clinical professions and roles. We deliver acute hospital, primary, community and mental health services to a population of over 1.15 million people, and to a wider population of 2.2 million when regional and national services are included.
The role:
Barlinnie prison is the largest prison in Scotland and has male prisoners on remand and convicted of all sentence lengths. There is also a national top end for those who are serving a life sentence or long term prisoners, approaching a potential liberation date.
As the band 6 occupational therapist you will be responsible for overseeing the occupational therapy service within Barlinnie prison. You will be in regular contact with the occupational therapist working in the Lilias Centre, our women’s community prison. Although primarily based in Barlinnie, both the post holder and the therapist at Lilias centre provide a very limited service to Low Moss and Greenock prisons. Professional supervision and support is currently provided by the Forensic AHP Lead.
Barlinnie has an established occupational therapy service, delivering an evidence based holistic provision for prisoners with physical, addiction and mental health issues. Prisoners are seen both individually and within groups.
Duration, Location, and Working Pattern:
* Location based in Barlinnie prison
* Full-time position (37 hours per week)
* Permanent Contract
* Shift pattern for this post is Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm
Key responsibilities:
* Work within the prison health and social care Team within multi-agency structure.
* Independently manage a caseload of complex cases taking on the role of key worker as required.
* Act independently to assess occupational needs of this defined client group utilising highly specialist skills to assess, implement, grade and evaluate appropriate treatment programmes, whilst incorporating risk assessment to maximise functional independence and re-ablement and rehabilitation potential.
* Act independently to assess individuals to determine their need for occupational therapy intervention through client-centred practice.
* Where relevant co-ordinate and manage the day to day activities of junior staff, delegating appropriately to maximise efficiency and achieve desired quality of care.
* Act up in the absence of a more senior member of staff e.g. Occupational Therapy Advanced Practitioner.
* Adapt service provision according to staff resources available e.g. unexpected staff absence, incorporating re-allocation of tasks.
Knowledge, training, qualifications and/or experience required to do the job:
Essential
* Diploma/Degree in Occupational Therapy.
* Registered with the HCPC.
* Must hold or gain a practice education qualification.
* Up to date mandatory and statutory training record e.g. Fire, Moving and Handling.
* Proven specialist skills and knowledge in relation to OT in physical and mental health gained through a range of short specialist course and experience gained through working in multi-disciplinary or multi-agency teams.
* Demonstrate highly developed communication observation assessment and risk management skills.
* Must be able to work independently and set own clinical priorities relevant to mental health services.
* Must have documented evidence of continuous professional development relevant to their area of practice and grade.
Desirable
* Membership of British Association of Occupational Therapists.
* Ability to analyse professional and ethical issues and respond appropriately.
* Critical analysis skills related to applying research findings within specialist clinical area.
* Experience of participation in research.
What we offer:
We offer a wide range of supportive policies designed to enhance your employee journey, including a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme, Cycle to Work Scheme, bursary scheme and extensive learning and development opportunities.
As an NHS Scotland employee, you will be entitled to:
* A minimum of 27 days annual leave, increasing with length of service, plus public holidays
* Membership of the NHS Pension Scheme, including life insurance benefits
* Salary Sacrifice Car Benefit Scheme
* Development opportunities including study bursaries, e-learning and classroom-based courses
* Enhanced pay for working public holidays
* NHS discounts on a wide range of goods and services
* Confidential employee support and assistance, including counselling and psychological therapies
Interested?
If you would like to find out more, we would love to hear from you.
For an informal discussion, please contact:
Samantha Flower, Occupational Therapy Professional Lead for Partnerships on 07852724923.
Details on how to contact the Recruitment Service and the Recruitment Process: Information for candidates
This post may close early to the volume of response. Please submit your application form as soon as possible. Due to the volume of applications that we receive, we will not be able to provide shortlisting feedback.
From 1 April 2026, the Agenda for Change full-time working week will reduce from 37 hours to 36 hours. Part-time working hours will be reduced on a pro-rata basis. A corresponding increase in the hourly rate will apply, ensuring that overall pay remains unchanged.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) recognises the importance of work-life balance and is committed to offering a range of flexible working options where service needs allow. For roles where less than full-time hours can be accommodated, and where the tenure is listed as “various”, we encourage applications from individuals seeking flexible working arrangements. Flexible working will be included as a topic for discussion during the recruitment process.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde encourages applications from all sections of the community. We are committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion and are proud of the diverse workforce we employ.
By signing the Armed Forces Covenant, NHSGGC has pledged its commitment to being a Forces Friendly Employer. We welcome applications from across the Armed Forces Community and recognise military skills, experience and qualifications throughout the recruitment and selection process.
Candidates must provide original and authentic responses to all questions within the application form. The use of artificial intelligence (AI), automated tools or other third-party assistance to generate, draft or significantly modify responses is strongly discouraged. By submitting your application, you confirm that all answers are your own work, reflect your personal knowledge, skills and experience, and have not been solely produced or altered by AI or similar technologies. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in your application being withdrawn from the recruitment process.
For application portal or log-in issues, please contact the Jobtrain Support Hub in the first instance.