Overview
Senior Practitioner Occupational Therapist - Independent Living Services – Herefordshire Council
Contract type: Permanent
Location: Hereford
Hours: Full time (37 hours per week)
Salary: £40,777 - £45,091 (HC09)
Closing date: Monday 9 February 2026
Interviews: To be confirmed
Introduction
Herefordshire Council’s Independent Living Service is recruiting qualified, experienced, HCPC registered Senior Practitioner Occupational Therapists to join our team of Occupational Therapists and OT Assistants. We work in Adult Social Care across Herefordshire and seek motivated, committed individuals with a passion for leading practice, staff development and driving positive change.
The Role
As a Senior Practitioner Occupational Therapist within Adult Social Care, you will provide OT leadership, clinical supervision, and expert OT guidance, championing best practice, workforce development, and quality improvement. You will have direct responsibility for a small Occupational Therapy staff group and the operational management of service users awaiting Occupational Therapy assessment. You will hold a small complex caseload and collaborate with stakeholders across adult social care and local integrated care pathways to deliver person-centred, quality OT services in line with Care Act principles, statutory duties and legislative compliance.
What will you be doing?
Independent Living Service Senior Practitioner Occupational Therapists work in partnership with adults, their families, and care givers, maintaining cross-organisational communications and collaborations for timely delivery of Adult Social Care Occupational Therapy Services.
Key Responsibilities
* Provide leadership, supervision, and mentoring to Occupational Therapy and Adult Social Care staff, promoting the development of Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapy Assistants, and Trusted Assessors, and promoting consistent, strengths‑based practice.
* Support duty/triage and assessment waiting lists functions — liaising with people, prioritising referrals, case allocations, arrangements for intermediate support and guiding proportionate responses.
* Lead on complex assessments and clinical decision‑making; prescribe equipment and recommend minor/major adaptations that remove barriers to daily living.
* Maintain oversight of clinical OT standards, OT professional practice, and safeguarding across the team, ensuring professional practice standards and legislative compliance are maintained.
* Conduct service audits, development initiatives, and continuous professional development programmes.
* Co-work complex cases, offering expert advice and intervention guidance.
* Maintain close collaborations with Social Care, Health, Housing, and outside agencies to ensure practice and services align with Adult Social Care legislation, clinical pathways and local governance frameworks.
About You
As a Senior Practitioner Occupational Therapist, you will work as part of a wider team with scope to practice with a diverse service user group within a variety of rural, town, village and city settings. You will require HCPC registration and substantial post‑qualification experience in adult social care, with proven supervisory and mentor skills and the ability to prioritise duties, identify and manage complex risk. You will need strong interpersonal, communication, and organisational skills, the ability to work autonomously and as part of a wider, integrated team, and the initiative to lead on complex functional assessments and service improvements.
We encourage specialism practitioner roles in Moving and Handling, Technology Enabled Living, Adaptations and Equipment, and Clinical Lead for our Community Equipment Store. A collaborative mindset and enthusiasm for innovation and continuous improvement are key requirements for handling daily referral enquiries, audits, staff performance management, and attending stakeholder meetings. Flexible, multi-systems approach to Occupational Therapy services within Adult Social Care and a professional commitment to meet service objectives, maintain standards, and improve ongoing staff and service development and performance.
The Independent Living Service is managed centrally by a Service Manager and Deputy Manager. We will shortly be opening a new Assessment & Demonstration Centre focusing on developing our front door assessment and advice services. We work in partnership within Adult Social Care, housing, health and across all age Directorates. Our in-house Home Improvement Agency (adaptations) and Technology Enabled Living Service provides platforms for cross‑agency collaboration and development around adaptive home technology and wider housing solutions.
We Offer
A competitive salary, holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension and staff benefits scheme, which includes:
* Salary range of £40,777 - £45,091
* Enrolment in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
* Career progression: clear pathways to progress
* Annual Leave: 31 days’ annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays. Additional 10 days per annum may be purchased during the request period
* Flexible working: including potential for job-sharing, part-time hours and agile working
* Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 support and counselling
* Payment of professional membership fees (based on role requirements)
* Access to a range of retail, leisure, holiday and health benefits
Why Choose Us
Herefordshire offers beautiful countryside and a vibrant community. Our Talk Community approach supports people to help themselves and helps communities work together. Our transformation programme aims to deliver an all-age approach for Herefordshire residents.
Don’t Meet all Parts of the Job Description?
Herefordshire Council is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. If you are exploring the next stage of your career and have a broad fieldwork experience, we can provide supportive opportunities to help you develop your professional, management and supervisory skills.
Reasonable Adjustments
Our recruitment process runs in partnership with Hoople Resourcing. If you require reasonable adjustments or alternative methods for the online application process, please contact the resourcing team by email: enquiries@hoopleresourcing.co.uk.
Creating an Inclusive Workplace
We encourage employees to contribute and embrace diversity. We have eight employee network groups and a commitment to listen to people’s needs. For more information, please visit www.spiritofherefordshire.com.
Commitments, Covenants and Statutory Obligations
The following candidates will be interviewed if they meet the essential criteria for the post:
* Those with a disability (Disability Confident)
* Armed Forces Veteran or Reservist (Armed Forces Covenant)
* Herefordshire care leaver
We take safeguarding seriously and all offers will be subject to Disclosure and Barring Service checks.
How To Apply
To apply, upload an up-to-date CV and complete the application form demonstrating your experience, skills and abilities for the role. For more information or to arrange an informal discussion, please contact the hiring manager. Include the job description reference in your application. If shortlisted, Hoople Resourcing will contact you via email with interview/assessment details.
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