Job summary
Team Lead Occupational Therapist - Band 7 HCOP
We are looking for a Band 7 Occupational Therapist with a special interest in Healthcare of Older People to lead our team of established therapists on our HCOP wards at Heartlands Hospital.
You will be required to lead a team of OTs, PTs and TSWs to manage complex older patients with falls, dementia, frailty, cognitive impairments and extensive social needs whilst navigating each patient's family dynamics.
This post requires sophisticated multidisciplinary coordination and promoting of generic working between occupational therapists and physiotherapists for maximum efficiency. You will need to be skilled at timely and effective discharge planning and using onwards referrals to minimise readmission.
You will participate in seven-day working whilst driving service development initiatives that streamline care pathways and identify efficiency opportunities. You will be involved in teaching of the immediate and wider therapy teams, carrying out regular supervisions and appraisals. You will also be involved in taking students whilst on placement.
Working within our Kind, Connected, Bold values mean building supportive relationships whilst courageously leading change projects that genuinely improve patient outcomes.
Main duties of the job
You'll take professional responsibility for advanced occupational therapy assessment across both settings, managing complex cases requiring sophisticated clinical reasoning and autonomous decision-making where cognitive, physical and social factors intersect.
Day-to-day leadership includes supervising occupational therapists, physiotherapists and support workers, conducting appraisals, contributing to recruitment, and deputising for the Clinical Team Leader. Managing rotas, coordinating cover arrangements and addressing performance issues are integral responsibilities.
Your advanced communication skills address patients with compromised speech, cognitive difficulties or emotional distress. You'll negotiate treatment plans with resistant individuals, educate relatives and carers, and lead multidisciplinary meetings resolving complex discharge challenges.
Evidence-based practice improvement involves initiating audit projects, implementing outcome measures, and translating research into service protocols. This includes data collection, analysis, and presenting practice change recommendations to clinical leadership.
Teaching spans mentoring newly qualified therapists, supervising university students, delivering multidisciplinary training, and contributing to formal education programmes whilst assessing competencies and maintaining professional standards.
For further information, please contact Julie Sharpe, Clinical Team Lead on 0121 424 1490 or email julie.sharpe@uhb.nhs.uk
About us
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust strives to have an inclusive culture where everyone feels like they belong, can thrive, knows that they add value and feels valued. We do this by developing compassionate and culturally competent leaders, being values driven in all that we do and by creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace that thrives on the diversity of our people. As such we want to attract and recruit talented individuals from all backgrounds, and for each of you to feel supported for the diversity you bring, to achieve your full potential. For those staff with a disability, including physical disability, long term health condition, mental health or neurodiverse condition, this also means being committed to making reasonable adjustments needed for you to carry out your role.
Job description
Job responsibilities
*Please Note : For a detailed job description for this vacancy, please see attached Job Description*
Job description
Job responsibilities
*Please Note : For a detailed job description for this vacancy, please see attached Job Description*
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- *Good standard of general education including English language and mathematics, A levels or equivalent
- *Degree in Occupational Therapy
- *Registered with HCPC as an Occupational Therapist
- *Evidence of relevant postgraduate training in specialist area
Desirable
- *Registered Member of Royal College of Occupational Therapists
Experience
Essential
- *Relevant postgraduate experience in specialist areas relevant to the post
- *Experience of effective staff management and leadership
- *Experience of management of adults within specialist surgery area of practice
- *Experience of Occupational Therapy students at clinical tutor and supervisor levels
- *Experience of leading audit
- *Experience of training staff groups at all levels
- *Evidence of working effectively in partnership with others within multi-disciplinary teams and across agencies
Desirable
- *Experience of conducting or being involved in audit, implementing outcome measures and/or research in the specialist area
Additional Criteria
Essential
- *Advanced knowledge of assessment tools and a range of therapeutic interventions relevant to the client group
- *Advanced knowledge of trends and best practice in the clinical specialism
- *Good working knowledge of national policies and procedures (relevant to the client group) and their implications for Occupational Therapy
- *Understanding of the principles of clinical governance /audit
- *Understanding of the roles of other professionals (relevant to the client group)
- *Understanding of the impact of local cultural and demographic factors influencing service
- *Good knowledge of IT
- *Good negotiation and influencing Skills
- *Excellent problem-solving skills
- *Excellent analytical and reflection skills
- *Excellent organisational skills and prioritisation skills
- *Demonstrates ability to be a good team member and function effectively in the multidisciplinary team, leading where appropriate.
- *Demonstrates ability to be a good team leader
- *Able to judge limits of skills/competence and recognise professional boundaries
- *Supportive to other staff
- *Excellent interpersonal skills
- *Car driver. Able to meet the travel requirements of the position.
- *Flexible to work between sites
- *Participation in 7 day working
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- *Good standard of general education including English language and mathematics, A levels or equivalent
- *Degree in Occupational Therapy
- *Registered with HCPC as an Occupational Therapist
- *Evidence of relevant postgraduate training in specialist area
Desirable
- *Registered Member of Royal College of Occupational Therapists
Experience
Essential
- *Relevant postgraduate experience in specialist areas relevant to the post
- *Experience of effective staff management and leadership
- *Experience of management of adults within specialist surgery area of practice
- *Experience of Occupational Therapy students at clinical tutor and supervisor levels
- *Experience of leading audit
- *Experience of training staff groups at all levels
- *Evidence of working effectively in partnership with others within multi-disciplinary teams and across agencies
Desirable
- *Experience of conducting or being involved in audit, implementing outcome measures and/or research in the specialist area
Additional Criteria
Essential
- *Advanced knowledge of assessment tools and a range of therapeutic interventions relevant to the client group
- *Advanced knowledge of trends and best practice in the clinical specialism
- *Good working knowledge of national policies and procedures (relevant to the client group) and their implications for Occupational Therapy
- *Understanding of the principles of clinical governance /audit
- *Understanding of the roles of other professionals (relevant to the client group)
- *Understanding of the impact of local cultural and demographic factors influencing service
- *Good knowledge of IT
- *Good negotiation and influencing Skills
- *Excellent problem-solving skills
- *Excellent analytical and reflection skills
- *Excellent organisational skills and prioritisation skills
- *Demonstrates ability to be a good team member and function effectively in the multidisciplinary team, leading where appropriate.
- *Demonstrates ability to be a good team leader
- *Able to judge limits of skills/competence and recognise professional boundaries
- *Supportive to other staff
- *Excellent interpersonal skills
- *Car driver. Able to meet the travel requirements of the position.
- *Flexible to work between sites
- *Participation in 7 day working
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
