Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust

Senior Occupational Therapist

The closing date is 22 February 2026

Job summary

Band 6 Occupational Therapist - Inpatient RehabilitationLewes Intermediate Care Unit

  • Are you an innovative, enthusiastic and organised Occupational Therapist with at least 18 months' post-registration experience? Do you have a strong interest in rehabilitation and the care of older people, and thrive in a friendly, supportive team culture? Are you looking for the chance to make a meaningful difference to patients' recovery and independence

If so, we would love to hear from you.

We are currently seeking a Band 6 Occupational Therapist to join our inpatient intermediate care at Lewes Intermediate Care Unit. This is an excellent opportunity to develop your skills within a dynamic multidisciplinary team delivering holistic, client-centred and evidence-based care. The role is part-time for 9 months to cover a maternity leave.

Please note: Due to recent changes in UK immigration and visa rules, this role may not be eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Applicants who do not currently have the right to work in the UK may not be considered. Candidates requiring sponsorship should review the eligibility criteria on the gov.uk website before applying to assess their eligibility for a Certificate of Sponsorship for this role.

Skilled Worker visa: going rates for eligible occupation codes - GOV.UK

Health and Care Worker visa: If you'll need to meet different salary requirements - GOV.UK

Main duties of the job

As a Band 6 Occupational Therapist, you will:

  • Deliver high-quality rehabilitation to patients with complex needs within an intermediate care unit
  • Undertake comprehensive assessments, develop and implement intervention plans, and support effective rehabilitation outcomes
  • Lead and coordinate complex discharge planning, working closely with patients, families, and partner services
  • Apply a high level of clinical reasoning to ensure safe, patient-centred decision-making
  • Manage your own caseload effectively, including appropriate delegation to therapy support staff
  • Work flexibly and collaboratively to support the wider multidisciplinary team

About us

We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.

Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.

Why work for us?o Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeingo Varied environments: community hospitals, patients' homes, and bases across Sussexo Flexible working options: part-time, flexi-time, annualised hours, and flexi-retiremento Excellent training, development, and research opportunitieso Accredited Living Wage Employer, we ensure fair pay for all our staffo Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brightono Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networkso Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust

Our values--Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence--guide everything we do.

We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.

This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.

Details

Date posted

11 February 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£38,682 to £46,580 a year per annum / pro rata

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

9 months

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

150-GM2421-UPC

Job locations

Lewes Intermediate Care Unit

The Gallops

Lewes

BN7 1NR


Job description

Job responsibilities

Professional Practice & Development

You will be expected to:

  • Maintain a high standard of clinical practice in line with the RCOT Code of Professional Conduct
  • Actively participate in regular professional supervision and reflective practice
  • Provide clinical supervision to other team members, as agreed with the Therapy Lead
  • Engage in ongoing learning, with opportunities to develop knowledge and skills through your personal development programme

You will bring:

  • HCPC registration as an Occupational Therapist
  • A minimum of 18 months post-registration experience
  • A demonstrable interest in rehabilitation and the care of older people
  • Excellent communication skills, adaptable to the needs of patients, relatives and colleagues
  • Strong organisational and time-management skills, with reliable attendance and punctuality
  • This is a fixed term, part-time role.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Professional Practice & Development

You will be expected to:

  • Maintain a high standard of clinical practice in line with the RCOT Code of Professional Conduct
  • Actively participate in regular professional supervision and reflective practice
  • Provide clinical supervision to other team members, as agreed with the Therapy Lead
  • Engage in ongoing learning, with opportunities to develop knowledge and skills through your personal development programme

You will bring:

  • HCPC registration as an Occupational Therapist
  • A minimum of 18 months post-registration experience
  • A demonstrable interest in rehabilitation and the care of older people
  • Excellent communication skills, adaptable to the needs of patients, relatives and colleagues
  • Strong organisational and time-management skills, with reliable attendance and punctuality
  • This is a fixed term, part-time role.

Person Specification

Education

Essential

  • Professional qualification such as a degree or equivalent in Occupational Therapy.
  • Current registration with the Health and Care Professions Council as an Occupational Therapist.
  • Evidence of relevant postgraduate courses / CPD and reflective practice relevant to clinical speciality

Desirable

  • Training in student education

Experience

Essential

  • Substantial relevant post-qualification experience covering a broad range
  • Experience of supervising junior staff, assistants and students
  • Experience of independently managing a clinical caseload
  • Experience of a range of caseload management and prioritisation systems
  • Experience within Intermediate care and rehabilitation underpinned by theory and specific therapeutic knowledge

Desirable

  • Contributions to audit and evaluation within a clinical governance framework

Skills

Essential

  • Ability to assess, plan, implement and evaluate care for individuals
  • Able to plan and prioritise own workload efficiently
  • Able to delegate work appropriately
  • Demonstrates leadership in practice
  • Demonstrates advanced communication and negotiation skills
  • Ability to demonstrate the application of research-based practice
  • Supervision and Appraisal of junior staff
  • Demonstrate ability to reflect and learn from situations
  • Identifies difficulties as challenges and works with others to identify solutions
  • Demonstrates co-operative team working and awareness of the roles of other Professionals

Desirable

  • Able to travel
Person Specification

Education

Essential

  • Professional qualification such as a degree or equivalent in Occupational Therapy.
  • Current registration with the Health and Care Professions Council as an Occupational Therapist.
  • Evidence of relevant postgraduate courses / CPD and reflective practice relevant to clinical speciality

Desirable

  • Training in student education

Experience

Essential

  • Substantial relevant post-qualification experience covering a broad range
  • Experience of supervising junior staff, assistants and students
  • Experience of independently managing a clinical caseload
  • Experience of a range of caseload management and prioritisation systems
  • Experience within Intermediate care and rehabilitation underpinned by theory and specific therapeutic knowledge

Desirable

  • Contributions to audit and evaluation within a clinical governance framework

Skills

Essential

  • Ability to assess, plan, implement and evaluate care for individuals
  • Able to plan and prioritise own workload efficiently
  • Able to delegate work appropriately
  • Demonstrates leadership in practice
  • Demonstrates advanced communication and negotiation skills
  • Ability to demonstrate the application of research-based practice
  • Supervision and Appraisal of junior staff
  • Demonstrate ability to reflect and learn from situations
  • Identifies difficulties as challenges and works with others to identify solutions
  • Demonstrates co-operative team working and awareness of the roles of other Professionals

Desirable

  • Able to travel

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.

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Lewes Intermediate Care Unit

The Gallops

Lewes

BN7 1NR


Employer's website

https://www.sussexcommunity.nhs.uk/work-with-us/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Lewes Intermediate Care Unit

The Gallops

Lewes

BN7 1NR


Employer's website

https://www.sussexcommunity.nhs.uk/work-with-us/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Operational Therapy Team Lead

Elise Dean

elise.dean1@nhs.net

07747421198

Details

Date posted

11 February 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£38,682 to £46,580 a year per annum / pro rata

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

9 months

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

150-GM2421-UPC

Job locations

Lewes Intermediate Care Unit

The Gallops

Lewes

BN7 1NR


Supporting documents

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