Occupational Therapist
The closing date is 03 May 2026
We are looking for an Occupational Therapist to help us deliver a holistic and patient‑centred care for our inpatient Mental Health service. This is an exceptional opportunity to work in a multi‑AHP environment within an established, collaborative and supportive team.
Parklands Hospital is a recovery‑focused in‑patient adult mental health unit and older‑person mental health unit situated in Basingstoke. It has 82 beds, including Acute, Ministry of Defence and Psychiatric Intensive Care (PICU) facilities.
You will be working as part of a supportive and committed Allied Health Team and will have the opportunity to access the Preceptorship programme within the trust. You will also complete occupational assessments, group and individual work required to support service users in their recovery.
Main duties of the job
Collaborate closely with the Allied Health Therapy Team Lead, nursing and therapy staff, Consultants and medics to provide services for patients with acute mental health and organic conditions, ensuring a tailored delivery of treatment, care planning and discharge planning where appropriate.
Autonomously manage a defined caseload from the wards, using evidence‑based, patient‑centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions. The plan of care, developed in conjunction with the patient, carer and relevant others, is outcome‑based and ensures appropriate pathways of care.
Plan and implement appropriate discharge and work closely with community mental health teams and other care partners to enable smooth transition of care for service users from hospital to the community or to a suitable placement for their needs.
Delegate appropriate tasks to nursing and therapy colleagues, Associate Practitioners, activity coordinators and Health Care Support Workers, offering clinical supervision to support them in their role.
Promote health and prevention of illness and disease by providing information where possible. Recognise situations that may be detrimental to health (e.g., housing, social and economic factors) and liaise with appropriate team members.
Contribute to the maintenance and development of the hospital‑wide Occupational Therapy Service and participate in the supervision and appraisal process.
Job responsibilities
Clinical
* To select and apply Occupational Therapy assessments for a designated caseload, addressing occupational performance and skill deficits, empowering the service user in areas of self‑maintenance, productivity and leisure.
* To carry out core assessments and risk assessments for clients newly screened to the team.
* To work with service users to identify Occupational Therapy goals as part of the overall care plan, using specialist mental health and Occupational Therapy assessment tools, and review the effectiveness of clinical care provided to ensure patient safety and compliance with Trust and Care Quality Commission standards.
* To manage a caseload of service users with complex mental health needs, evaluating screened patients for interventions and priorities for treatment.
* To plan and implement person‑centred individual and/or group interventions, in collaboration with the service user, using graded activity to achieve therapeutic goals.
* To actively participate in discharge planning, supporting carers and service users to successfully transition home.
* To demonstrate and apply a high level of understanding of the effect of disability, providing training and advising on lifestyle changes and adaptations to the service user’s social and physical environment.
* To assess the occupational needs of a defined client group and establish and evaluate appropriate treatment programmes, ensuring adherence to HCPC code of conduct at all times for safe and effective delivery of patient care.
* To remain up to date and within guidelines for re‑registration as required by professional bodies at all times.
Communication
* To establish robust communication networks with service users, carers, team members and other health workers and agencies.
* To promote awareness of the role of Occupational Therapy within the team, negotiating priorities where appropriate.
* To communicate sensitively in situations where there are complex needs/issues.
* To comment on local service procedures/guidelines as part of the Therapy team.
Documentation
* To ensure that written documentation and electronic records are contemporaneous in accordance with Professional and Trust standards, including providing feedback to junior staff on the quality of their clinical documentation. To initiate and act on patient feedback following interventions and provide Occupational Therapy reports.
* To oversee, provide feedback and advise on potential amendments to existing templates, handouts and paperwork used by the Occupational Therapy service.
Service development and delivery
* To plan and evaluate own practice.
* To contribute to the delivery of the Trust and Division’s objectives.
* To seek feedback from service users and carers about their experiences of occupational therapy and use feedback to inform service design and delivery.
* To contribute to the process of quality improvements.
* To demonstrate ongoing personal development through participation in internal and external development opportunities, recording learning outcomes and clinical reflections in a portfolio.
* To keep up to date with current best evidence and implement developments within own specialist field of occupational therapy.
Research & Practice Development
* To demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate current research, apply it to practice and disseminate findings at a local level.
* To undertake research and/or audit projects relevant to Occupational Therapy and/or service area, disseminating findings at local level.
* To broaden research and development skills through participation in local audit and research projects.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Qualified Occupational Therapist
* HCPC registration
* Post‑graduate training in one or more additional specialised areas of practice.
* RCOT membership
Experience
* Experience working with people living with Acute and Organic Mental Health conditions, both working age and older person.
* Good knowledge of health and safety and risk management.
* Computer literate including emails and spreadsheets.
* Effective written and verbal communication skills.
* Experience of supervision.
* Experience of delivering group programmes.
* Ability to form good working relationships with others in a multidisciplinary and multi‑agency setting.
Additional Criteria
* Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
* Broad range of clinical skills relevant to both physical and mental health needs of patient.
* Ability to advocate for patient issues.
* Demonstrates organisational skills, including the ability to make decisions and to prioritise.
* Ability to demonstrate leadership skills.
* Current knowledge of relevant legislation and ethical issues (e.g., Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults).
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
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