University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

Senior Occupational Therapist Trauma Orthopaedics

The closing date is 28 December 2025

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for you to join our Trauma and Orthopaedic Therapy Team as a Senior Occupational Therapist.

This post is based at the Poole site, which is the main Orthopaedic Trauma site for University Hospitals Dorset. This is a fast-paced and dynamicworking environment and you will be based within a well-established collaborative, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy service, with a Band7 Clinical Specialist OT 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 teamand wider services.

Base - Poole Hospital

Interview Date - TBC

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 are 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.

This service has a planned move from Poole site to RBH site in Summer 2026, with the possibility of some ongoing 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, BAME, Pride, EU, Pro Ability, and Armed Forces. We support Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant interview schemes.

AI tools may be used, but applications must honestly reflect your own skills and experience. Integrity is key to our recruitment process

Details

Date posted

11 December 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£38,682 to £46,580 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

153-SP05368

Job locations

Poole Hospital

Longfleet Road

Poole

BH15 2JB


Job description

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.

Job description

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

Essential

  • Evidence of CPD maintained in a portfolio
  • HCPC registration

Desirable

  • Member of RCOT
  • Involvement in RCOT Special Interest Group
  • Completion of in-house: Leadership & motivation Managing performance Time management Appraisals skills

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of a range of rotations including medicine, orthopaedic, older people & rehabilitation.
  • Experience of discharge planning
  • experience as a Band 5 in the NHS.

Desirable

  • Involvement in audit, research & understanding of quality issues.

Technical Skills Competencies

Essential

  • Contribution to the clinical education of less experienced 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

Desirable

  • Supervision & appraisals of juniors, assistants or students
  • IT skills
  • Presentation skills
  • Able to demonstrate leadership skills in the operational management of staff

Knowledge

Essential

  • 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

Essential

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

Personal attributes

Essential

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

Language requirement

Essential

  • Able to speak English as necessary to undertake the role
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Evidence of CPD maintained in a portfolio
  • HCPC registration

Desirable

  • Member of RCOT
  • Involvement in RCOT Special Interest Group
  • Completion of in-house: Leadership & motivation Managing performance Time management Appraisals skills

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of a range of rotations including medicine, orthopaedic, older people & rehabilitation.
  • Experience of discharge planning
  • experience as a Band 5 in the NHS.

Desirable

  • Involvement in audit, research & understanding of quality issues.

Technical Skills Competencies

Essential

  • Contribution to the clinical education of less experienced 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

Desirable

  • Supervision & appraisals of juniors, assistants or students
  • IT skills
  • Presentation skills
  • Able to demonstrate leadership skills in the operational management of staff

Knowledge

Essential

  • 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

Essential

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

Personal attributes

Essential

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

Language requirement

Essential

  • 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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Poole Hospital

Longfleet Road

Poole

BH15 2JB


Employer's website

https://www.uhd.nhs.uk/careers (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Poole Hospital

Longfleet Road

Poole

BH15 2JB


Employer's website

https://www.uhd.nhs.uk/careers (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist

Hannah Rapley

hannah.rapley4@nhs.net

03000198179

Details

Date posted

11 December 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£38,682 to £46,580 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

153-SP05368

Job locations

Poole Hospital

Longfleet Road

Poole

BH15 2JB


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

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