Job title and overview
Main area: Occupational Therapy. NHS AfC: Band 6. Contract: Fixed term 12 months (12 months FTC). Hours: Part time – 18 hours per week, to be worked over 3 days. Job ref: 411-COM-26-7902995. Employer: Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. Site: 1st Floor Kilby House (Liverpool Innovation Park), Liverpool.
Salary: £39,959 – £48,117 pro rata. Salary period: Yearly. Closing date: 12/06/2026 09:00.
Organisation context
Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust provides specialist health care and delivers care closer to patients’ homes through local clinics. The Trust also provides inpatient care for children with complex mental health needs at Sunflower House. The Trust employs more than 4,000 staff and is a teaching and training hospital providing education to medical, nursing and allied health professional students.
We particularly welcome applications from members of our Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities as they are under-represented in this area. All appointments will be made on merit.
Benefits
* Great flexible working opportunities
* Lease car scheme and Home Electronics Scheme
* Generous annual leave and pension scheme
* Extensive staff health and well-being programmes
Job overview
We are recruiting a specialist (Band 6) community-based Occupational Therapist on a fixed-term basis for 12 months to cover maternity leave. The successful candidate will support the provision of high-quality OT services to children with a range of conditions, with a focus on neuro-disability, complex long-term conditions and developmental needs in the community for early years (pre-school) cohort. The pre-school team includes a Band 7 occupational therapist, a Band 3 occupational therapy assistant, and highly specialised Band 7 physiotherapists and support staff.
Our wider service works with children aged 0-18 (19 in special schools) with neuro-disability or developmental delay. We have a large team including admin support, physiotherapy assistants and physiotherapists.
If you would like to hear more, please contact Lee Evans (Deputy to Head of Service, Community Physiotherapy & Occupational Therapy) on 0151 6072700 or via email Lee.Evans@AlderHey.nhs.uk.
Main duties of the job
There is an in-service training programme with opportunities for supervision and peer support. We have strong links with staff in acute services at Alder Hey and work in an integrated way with education and social services colleagues across the city.
To be a member of Alder Hey’s Community Paediatric Occupational Therapy team and assist in the provision of Occupational Therapy services within Liverpool, working in partnership with parents, carers, education and other service providers to ensure a child-centred approach to therapy.
To have responsibility for delivering a high-quality Occupational Therapy service to children with motor developmental conditions, neuro-disability, complex long-term conditions, functional performance difficulties and postural management needs in a community setting, with primary responsibility for the pre-school service.
Working for our organisation
Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust provides specialist health care with community outreach sites and clinics across the region. The Trust fosters a supportive, inclusive culture and values staff welfare and development.
We reserve the right to close vacancies without notice when we have received a sufficient number of applications. Please apply promptly if you wish to be considered.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Communication and interpersonal skills: contribute to and receive information as part of a multi-disciplinary/multi-agency team; communicate accurate and sensitive information to clients and carers; provide advice and information about occupational therapy; communicate clinical skills to others.
Analytical skills: develop and apply clinical practice skills; utilise standardised assessments and outcome measures; monitor, evaluate and modify treatment to measure progress and effectiveness.
Planning and organising: make referrals to appropriate health professionals; manage own caseload with supervision; assist in coordinating day-to-day activities of unregistered staff; work effectively as part of a flexible, collaborative team.
Patient care: provide occupational therapy assessments for children with motor developmental conditions; plan and implement therapy programmes; adopt a client-centred approach involving children, parents and education staff; demonstrate knowledge of typical child development and the impact of disability; participate in MDT meetings as required.
Policy and service development: adhere to national and local policy; ensure health and safety; undertake risk assessments and contribute to health, safety and security improvements; work within ethical and policy frameworks and promote equality and diversity; contribute to anti-discriminatory practice and governance; comply with professional ethics.
Resource management: undertake specialist seating and equipment assessments; monitor equipment effectiveness and provide training as appropriate.
People management and training: participate in the supervision of unregistered OT staff and provide clinical training placements as required.
Information management: maintain up-to-date records and activity data; provide OT reports including contributions to EHCPs.
Research and development: engage in continuing professional development; participate in appraisal and reflect on practice; contribute to service governance and audit to support evidence-based practice.
Person specification
Education & Training
* Diploma/Degree in Occupational Therapy, recognised by HCPC
* Member of HCPC
* Member of RCOT (Royal College of Occupational Therapists)
Experience
* Varied knowledge and experience of OT rotations
* Paediatric experience as a student or junior OT
* Experience working within a community setting
Knowledge & Skills
* Knowledge of a range of approaches used within OT
* Capability in basic OT assessment techniques
* Ability to perform therapeutic handling as required
* Knowledge of current trends within OT
* Good communication skills, written and verbal
* Flexibility to work as needed
* Ability to prioritise and organise caseload with good time management
* Experience working in a multi-disciplinary team
* Understanding of clinical governance
* Computer skills for report writing and data collection
* Knowledge of safeguarding procedures
* Interest in paediatrics
* Presentation skills for diverse audiences
* Experience delegating tasks to assistant therapists
* Awareness of current issues affecting therapy provision locally and nationally
Personal Attributes
* Evidence of continuing professional development with a current portfolio
* Self-directed learning and reflective practice
* Commitment to improving the quality of OT services
* Ability to integrate with the existing team
* Ability to travel between community sites
We reserve the right to close vacancies without notice when we have received a sufficient number of applications. Please apply without delay if you wish to be considered for this role.
Please check the email account used for applications; shortlisted candidates will be contacted by email. Alder Hey is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We promote equality and diversity and operate a zero-tolerance policy to aggression, violence, bullying and harassment.
For assistance during the application stages, please contact the recruiting manager or the recruitment team at recruitment@alderhey.nhs.uk or call 0151 282 4599.
Please declare within the supporting information if artificial intelligence (AI) has been used in your application. The selection processes monitor AI usage to ensure accuracy of stated skills.
Employer certification / accreditation
You must have appropriate UK professional registration. This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and requires Disclosure to be submitted to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Contact: Lee Evans, Deputy to Head of Service (Comm PT & OT). Email: Lee.Evans@alderhey.nhs.uk. Telephone: 07789944897
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