Job overview
Are you an experienced and passionate Occupational Therapist ready to lead, innovate and make an impact in stroke care?
We’re seeking a talented Band 6 or Band 7 OT who’s eager to take the next leap in their career — someone with stroke experience, a track record of service improvement, and a drive to inspire others.
In this role, you’ll work across both the Hyper-Acute Stroke Unit (HASU) and Acute Stroke Unit (ASU), supporting patients through every stage of their recovery journey. You’ll play a key role within a vibrant, multidisciplinary team, collaborating closely with our community neuro partners to ensure seamless, high-quality care.
This is your opportunity to develop specialist expertise, grow your leadership potential and shape the future of stroke rehabilitation within an innovative, multidisciplinary team that values your ideas and supports your ambitions. As a successful candidate, you will have the opportunity to provide high quality Occupational Therapy to patients with a stroke whilst growing your specialist experience and leadership skills in a welcoming and supportive environment.
You will receive regular clinical supervision from a Clinical Specialist OT and professional support and supervision from a Lead OT to support both your clinical and professional development. We actively support continuing personal and professional development through an established performance development review (PDR) system, in-service training and external courses.
Main duties of the job
To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work, including management of patients in your care.
To provide comprehensive and specialist occupational therapy assessment and diagnosis for adults with a range of highly complex presentations, by utilising advanced neurological assessment, clinical reasoning, evidence-based knowledge, investigative and analytical skills.
To use advanced communication, implementing a range of verbal and non-verbal skills, with patients and their / carers to motivate, maximise rehabilitation potential and to ensure an understanding of their condition.
Have responsibility for the day-to-day management of the in-patient neurosciences, stroke and neuro-trauma. Plan and organise this efficiently and effectively with regard to patient management and use of time.
To flexibly manage responsibilities and priorities, both for own caseload and for the team. To manage changes in service and staffing, both planned and unpredictable, including caseload management.
To contribute to business planning, service development and demand & capacity management by providing timely advice and information to the Therapies Management Team on all matters relating to the speciality and the team.
To ensure that all staff within the team have appropriate support for their clinical practice and continuing professional development through team meetings, review, supervision, appraisal, training and development.
Working for our organisation
At Imperial College Healthcare you can achieve extraordinary things with extraordinary people, working with leading clinicians pushing boundaries in patient care.
Become part of a vibrant team living our values - expert, kind, collaborative and aspirational. You’ll get an experience like no other and will fast forward your career.
Benefits include career development, flexible working and wellbeing, staff recognition scheme. Make use of optional benefits including Cycle to Work, car lease schemes, season ticket loan or membership options for onsite leisure facilities.
We are committed to equal opportunities and improving the working lives of our staff and will consider applications to work flexibly, part time or job share. Please talk to us at interview. .
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required.
For both overviews, please view the Job Description attachment with the job advert.
Person specification
Education/ Qualifications
Essential criteria
1. Professional qualification in Occupational Therapy.
2. HCPC registration.
3. Able to communicate complex information verbally and in writing clearly.
4. Evidence of Post-qualification training relevant to specialist area.
Desirable criteria
5. Member of RCOT Specialist Section – Neurology
6. Member of BAOT
7. Practice Placement course.
8. Course in prescription of wheelchairs and seating.
Experience
Essential criteria
9. Specialist knowledge and application of OT assessments and interventions in neurological settings, including standardised and non-standardised cognitive assessments, and management of cognitive impairments following neurological injury.
10. Significant recent clinical experience in stroke rehabilitation, including complex physical, cognitive, and perceptual impairments, as well as experience with other long-term neurological conditions and post-neurosurgical patients.
11. Experience working effectively within multidisciplinary teams, including inter-agency collaboration, goal planning, care pathway development, and outcome measurement.
12. Experience in organising and delivering training for occupational therapists, MDT members, assistants, and students.
13. Experience in service development, change management, and implementing evidence-based practice in specialist settings.
14. Recent, relevant experience in an NHS environment.
Desirable criteria
15. Previous Band 7 experience in relevant post
16. Leadership of an occupational therapy team
17. Experience of using clinical governance framework to monitor and improve quality of patient care
18. Clinical research experience
19. Presentation and training skills: writing for publication.
20. Experience of planning and managing service improvement activities
Skills/Knowledge/ Abilities
Essential criteria
21. Advanced knowledge of assessment and treatment approaches for the effective management of neurological presentations and conditions such as stroke, progressive neurological disorders, genetic neurological conditions, anoxic brain damage.
22. Advanced skills in the appropriate application of a range of techniques and approaches to the management of stroke and other neurological /neurosurgical presentations and conditions
23. Advanced clinical reasoning and problem-solving skills
24. Advanced knowledge of neurological presentations and conditions
25. Advanced knowledge of the evidence base of assessment and treatment interventions for stroke, neurology and neurorehab Knowledge of the influence of psychosocial and cultural factors health/illness behaviours
26. Ability to remain updated with professional practice and research and integrate this into daily patient management
27. Ability to organise, prioritise and delegate as appropriate and manage time effectively.
28. Able to make sound judgments and reliable decisions in a variety of demanding situations
29. Ability to keep accurate and legible patient notes
30. Understanding of clinical governance and the implications for occupational therapy services including experience of quality issues and audit
31. Ability to comprehend and work within the Trust’s policies of data protection, equal opportunities and health and safety and meet differing patient needs
32. Ability to establish and maintain good working relationships
33. Ability to pass on knowledge and skills to others in both formal and informal environments
34. Ability to lead, motivate and inspire others
35. Ability to analyse activity and outcome data accurately and objectively
Desirable criteria
36. Knowledge of recent NHS developments and their impact on service provision
37. Advanced computer skills for presentation and data analysis
38. Negotiation and conflict resolution skills
Please ensure you check your emails regularly as this is how we will communicate with you throughout the recruitment process. If you are shortlisted you will be contacted by email and text message (if you provide a mobile contact number).
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