Contact information
Debbie Masterson - 07810 657 959 or email: dmasterson@wakefield.gov.uk
Heather Bloomfield - 07747 455507 or email: hbloomfield@wakefield.gov.uk
About the role
An exciting opportunity has arisen for to join the Adaptations Service as a highly motivated Band 7 Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist within Mid-Yorkshire NHS Trust, to be seconded to Wakefield Metropolitan District Council Adaptations Service.
The Adaptations Service is a very busy MDT incorporating Occupational Therapists, Disability Officers, and Disabled Facilities Grants Officers, with NHS and Council staff working together to deliver major adaptations within the community.
Our aim is to help people remain independent by providing suitable adaptations within the home environment, or through carrying out housing needs assessments to provide recommendations to support moving to a property that would be more suitable for their current and long-term needs.
The service covers functional assessments for the environmental needs of both Adults and Children with complex ranges of disabilities and will provide experience with specialities, adaptations, and equipment including major extensions to peoples’ homes.
The successful candidate will work together with the person and their families, carers, and contracted external companies and building contractors to help prevent unnecessary admissions to hospital / residential settings and allow people to remain in their own homes. This priority is high on the government agenda and is supported by substantial budgets to achieve this goal.
We encourage our senior staff to be instrumental in-service development which can be accessed through the NHS and the Council mandatory training, and in providing support and supervision for junior staff and students. We offer opportunities for senior staff to develop skills in clinical and non-clinical aspects of service provision.
Both full-time and part-time applications will be considered.
Main duties
* Be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of own work, including the management of Service Users in your care.
* Ensure a high standard of clinical care for the Service Users under your management.
* Accept sole clinical responsibility for a designated caseload of Service Users, and organise this effectively and efficiently with regard to clinical priorities and use of time.
* Allocate caseloads to all other staff ensure the complexity of the Service Users condition is reflected by the competencies of the staff member.
* Undertake the specialist and needs lead assessment of Service Users referred to the team, including those with a complex medical conditions that could be life limiting and progressive, using investigative and analytical skills.
* Formulate individualised Care Plans and recommendations for major works to their home, using clinical reasoning, and utilising a wide range of Adaptations and specialist equipment solutions including the option of rehousing to a more appropriate in conjunction with the service users and their carers.
* Take lead responsibility for cases which involve liaising with other professional staff within the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT), Social Care, Education and Housing.
* Provide specialist clinical expertise around adaptations, building and specialist equipment to colleagues within the team and the wider social care, health, housing and private sector.
* Communicate effectively with service users and carers to ensure understanding of their condition and the most suitable solutions to their home environment. Communication skills of persuasion, motivation and explanation to encourage engagement with their treatment/care plan and recommendations.
* Use verbal and non-verbal communication skills to gain informed consent with service users where there will often be barriers to effective communication e.g. loss of hearing, altered perception, expressive or receptive dysphasia, pain, fear, nonverbal.
* Assess capacity, gain valid informed consent and have the ability to work within a legal framework with service users who may lack capacity to consent to treatment.
Essential person specification requirements
Qualifications:
* Degree in Occupational Therapy or equivalent.
* Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council
Training:
* Evidence of CPD maintained in a portfolio including attendance at recent and relevant postgraduate courses
* Portfolio evidence of information learning
Experience:
* Evidence of comprehensive clinical band 6 experience.
* Experience with evidence of work within Adaptations in the community setting.
* Experience with working with Service Users across all age ranges and disabilities.
* Supervision of more junior and support staff and students
Other:
* Access to a vehicle with the ability to travel around the Wakefield District in line with service requirements.
Be part of MY team
We are an acute trust caring for over one million people in Wakefield and Kirklees. Our 10,000 staff work in patients’ homes, the community, and our three hospitals in Pontefract, Dewsbury, and Pinderfields (Wakefield). We prioritise our people and values so we can deliver the best possible care to patients. Our team is friendly, passionate, and innovative, always seeking better ways to work.
We support work-life balance and foster a diverse, inclusive environment where everyone belongs. Our staff networks offer safe spaces to share ideas and concerns so we can increase awareness and appreciation of equality, diversity, and inclusion. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and especially encourage members of the LGBTQ+ community, ethnic minority groups, and people with disabilities or neurodivergence to apply, as they are currently underrepresented in the Trust.
If you value caring, high standards, improvement, and respect, join the MY team to make a difference every day.
Application guidance:
We understand that more applicants are using AI technology to help with their applications. While these tools can be useful, they cannot fully capture your skills, knowledge, and experience. It’s important that you personalise your application. Relying solely on AI is not recommended, as it may reduce your chances of success. Our screening process is thorough, so if you have used AI, please make sure to disclose this on your application form.
Our benefits
* Access to the NHS pension plan
* Generous holiday allowance of 27 days plus bank holidays, increasing with 5 and 10 years of service
* Exceptional employee health and wellbeing services
* Extensive benefits and support, including:
* Onsite nurseries and childcare salary sacrifice scheme
* Cycle to work scheme
* Home electronics scheme
* Car lease salary sacrifice scheme
* Working carers support and advice, carers network and carers passport
* Flexible working options and family and carer-friendly policies
* Established staff networks, including LGBTQ+ and Race Equality
* Career progression, training and support
Skilled worker sponsorship
You can find out more about skilled worker and health and care visas on our careers site .