Senior occupational therapist acute

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

Senior Occupational Therapist Acute

Closing date: 22 June 2026

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an 8‑month secondment to join our Acute Therapy Team as a Senior Occupational Therapist.

This post is based at the Bournemouth site, which is set to become the major emergency hospital for University Hospitals Dorset. This is a fast‑paced and dynamic working environment and you will be based within a well‑established collaborative, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy service, with Band 7 Clinical Specialist OT's to support you. You will receive regular supervision and training and have responsibility for the supervision of others and contribute to the team training programme.

This post will also provide you with opportunities to develop managerial skills and contribute to and lead on service development within the team and wider services.

This role requires HCPC Registration.

Base: Bournemouth Hospital

Interview date: 1st July 2026

Main duties of the job

You will have the opportunity to develop specialised skills including high‑level assessments; moving and handling; cognitive assessments and interventions; capacity assessments; admission avoidance, and complex discharge planning.

You will have responsibility for a caseload of patients with wide ranging injuries and complexity. Alongside your own caseload you will support other less experienced team members with their caseload. University Hospital Dorset works in partnership with health and community providers within the county to enable the Discharge to Assess and Home First principles.

This role will provide you with the opportunity to support patients within the acute hospital and within their own homes to ensure they receive the right service in the best place for them.

About us

UHD is investing, developing and transforming Trust services in line with the New Hospital Programme. As part of this, some services may move site this year or next, either temporarily or permanently. Recruiting Managers will be happy to answer any service‑specific questions at interview.

There may be the possibility of some cross‑site working.

If a role or service relocates as part of a planned move, excess mileage will not be reimbursed. Travel from home to the new work base will be classed as a normal commute. Any other changes will be managed under Trust or national terms and conditions.

UHD has active networks including Women's, Diverse Ethnicity Network, Pride, European, Pro Ability, and Armed Forces Networks. We support Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant interview schemes.

Job responsibilities

To understand the role in more detail please read the full job description and person specification documents which are attached to this advert.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy Degree
• HCPC registration
• Member of RCOT
• Involvement in RCOT Special Interest Group
• Completion of in‑house: Leadership & motivation Managing performance Time management Appraisals skills

Experience

• 2+ years experience within the NHS
• Experience as a Band 5 in the NHS covering the following core areas: Older adults, Neurology, Orthopaedics, Acute
• NHS Experience in an acute physical setting
• Involvement in audit, research & understanding of quality issues.
• Contribution to the clinical education of junior staff, students or assistants.
• Up‑to‑date with professional practice and new research
• Able to present information, written and verbal, in a clear & logical manner.
• Ability to organise, prioritise & delegate
• Understanding of clinical governance & its implications
• Able to carry out moderate to intense physical effort
• Able to cope in a stressful environment and with emotional or aggressive patients & carers
• Able to work well across teams to meet patient and service priorities
• Supervision & appraisals of juniors, assistants or students
• Able to demonstrate leadership skills in the operational management of staff

Knowledge

• Comprehensive knowledge of the occupational therapy assessment & treatment of a range of clinical conditions.
• Awareness of the occupational therapist's role in the Discharge to Assess / Home First model of care

Other requirements specific to the role

• Possession of a clean UK driving licence and access to a car for work purposes.

Personal attributes

• Able to work as a team member
• Flexible
• Empathic
• Reliable
• Problem‑solving
• Act professionally and responsibly at all times

Language requirement

• Able to speak English as necessary to undertake the role

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.

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust