Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trusts

NRC Specialist Occupational Therapist

The closing date is 12 October 2025

Job summary

The NRC will be a new, purpose-built 70-bed facility which will be on the Stanford Hall Rehabilitation Estate near Loughborough, delivering a centre of excellence to improve rehabilitation services in England.

It is co-located with the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre and will share some of the world class rehabilitation facilities. With strong academic partnerships, research and innovation and training and education in rehabilitation will be embedded at the NRC and central to clinical practice.

Find out more about the NRC on our website: www.nationalrehabilitationcentre.nhs.uk

We are looking for an ambitious and dedicated highly specialist occupational therapist to join this journey to rehabilitation excellence, transforming outcomes for patients. The post holder will provide an effective specialist service in complex rehabilitation including assessment and advice/treatment, as well as contributing to the NRC's national ambition of training, education, research and innovation.

You will work with and be supported by Highly Specialist OT colleagues within complex rehabilitation. This will include providing education and training, liaising across the specialty teams, with Therapy colleagues and wider multi-disciplinary teams within NUH, NRC and regionally.

This role will be permanently based at the NRC which plans to open in late Autumn 2025.

Main duties of the job

Please familiarise yourself with the full Job Description and Person Specification documents attached to this advert.

About us

With over 19,000 staff, we are one of the biggest employers in the city with a central role in supporting the health and wellbeing of our local population. We play a leading role in research, education and innovation.

Come and join our wonderful team at NUH. We are big believers in diversity and welcome new ideas to help develop our team in order to deliver world class healthcare to the vast patient populations we serve. With endless personal development opportunities available, at NUH we will endeavour to turn your job into a career!

We particularly welcome applications from people who identify as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, or Disabled, as we are striving to be better represented at NUH.

Details

Date posted

01 October 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

164-7403567

Job locations

National Rehabilitation Centre

Stanford Hall Estate

Loughborough

LE12 5GF


Job description

Job responsibilities

Please familiarise yourself with the full Job Description and Person Specification documents attached to this advert.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please familiarise yourself with the full Job Description and Person Specification documents attached to this advert.

Person Specification

Commitment to Trust Values and Behaviours

Essential

  • Must be able to demonstrate behaviours consistent with the Trust's "We are here for you" behavioural standards

Training and Qualifications

Essential

  • Diploma or degree in Occupational Therapy
  • Health Care Professional Council registration as an Occupational Therapist
  • Able to maintain a professional portfolio for CPD, recording learning outcomes through participation in internal and external development opportunities

Desirable

  • Evidence of post qualification training and development in neurological/complex rehabilitation

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of working with a wide variety of patients in either an acute or rehabilitation in-patient setting or the community
  • Experience of working with patients who require a permanent wheelchair, including assessment of postural and pressure needs
  • Experience of using evidenced based practice to inform own practice and that of others
  • Experience of being a supervisee and supervisor
  • Experience of being an appraisee and appraiser
  • Experience of delegation and contributing to the operational management of the team
  • Experience of delegating to and supervising therapy support workers
  • Experience of contributing to the clinical education of less experienced staff or undergraduate OT students
  • Knowledge of national and local standards and RCOT guidelines.
  • Experience of keyboard skills and using basic IT eg. Internet, Word, Outlook
  • Experience of contributing to service development
  • Experience of involvement in change management

Desirable

  • Previous NHS experience

Communication and Relationship Skills

Essential

  • Able to discuss treatment options and recommend best course of intervention to patients and carers using negotiating, persuasive, motivational and reassurance skills
  • Able to effectively use a range of written and verbal and non-verbal communication skills with patients to progress rehabilitation and treatment programmes. This will include patients who may have difficulties in understanding or communicating eg. patients may be dysphasic, deaf, who may be unable to accept diagnosis or have terminal illness
  • Able to demonstrate a commitment to team working
  • Able to communicate patient related information effectively to ensure collaborative working with MDT colleagues across health & social care sectors.
  • Able to maintain accurate and comprehensive patient treatment records in line with Trust standards, departmental standards and COT Standards of Practice

Analytical and Judgement Skills

Essential

  • Able to reflect and critically appraise own performance and the performance of junior OT staff and support staff
  • Risk assessment skills for the safe management and discharge of complex patients
  • Independently work through the OT process with complex patients.

Planning and Organisation Skills

Essential

  • Able to plan own clinical activity to meet clinical needs of patients when demand exceeds capacity
  • Able to make judgements about the prioritising of caseloads when demand exceeds capacity and to support junior and support staff in this process

Physical Skills

Essential

  • Able to handle and move complex patients safely and in a way which promotes rehabilitation

Other requirements specific to the role (eg be able to drive or work shifts)

Essential

  • Flexibility to work elsewhere in Therapies or as required across all NUH campuses.
  • Flexible working schedules including participation in weekend and bank holiday rosters as required.
Person Specification

Commitment to Trust Values and Behaviours

Essential

  • Must be able to demonstrate behaviours consistent with the Trust's "We are here for you" behavioural standards

Training and Qualifications

Essential

  • Diploma or degree in Occupational Therapy
  • Health Care Professional Council registration as an Occupational Therapist
  • Able to maintain a professional portfolio for CPD, recording learning outcomes through participation in internal and external development opportunities

Desirable

  • Evidence of post qualification training and development in neurological/complex rehabilitation

Experience

Essential

  • Experience of working with a wide variety of patients in either an acute or rehabilitation in-patient setting or the community
  • Experience of working with patients who require a permanent wheelchair, including assessment of postural and pressure needs
  • Experience of using evidenced based practice to inform own practice and that of others
  • Experience of being a supervisee and supervisor
  • Experience of being an appraisee and appraiser
  • Experience of delegation and contributing to the operational management of the team
  • Experience of delegating to and supervising therapy support workers
  • Experience of contributing to the clinical education of less experienced staff or undergraduate OT students
  • Knowledge of national and local standards and RCOT guidelines.
  • Experience of keyboard skills and using basic IT eg. Internet, Word, Outlook
  • Experience of contributing to service development
  • Experience of involvement in change management

Desirable

  • Previous NHS experience

Communication and Relationship Skills

Essential

  • Able to discuss treatment options and recommend best course of intervention to patients and carers using negotiating, persuasive, motivational and reassurance skills
  • Able to effectively use a range of written and verbal and non-verbal communication skills with patients to progress rehabilitation and treatment programmes. This will include patients who may have difficulties in understanding or communicating eg. patients may be dysphasic, deaf, who may be unable to accept diagnosis or have terminal illness
  • Able to demonstrate a commitment to team working
  • Able to communicate patient related information effectively to ensure collaborative working with MDT colleagues across health & social care sectors.
  • Able to maintain accurate and comprehensive patient treatment records in line with Trust standards, departmental standards and COT Standards of Practice

Analytical and Judgement Skills

Essential

  • Able to reflect and critically appraise own performance and the performance of junior OT staff and support staff
  • Risk assessment skills for the safe management and discharge of complex patients
  • Independently work through the OT process with complex patients.

Planning and Organisation Skills

Essential

  • Able to plan own clinical activity to meet clinical needs of patients when demand exceeds capacity
  • Able to make judgements about the prioritising of caseloads when demand exceeds capacity and to support junior and support staff in this process

Physical Skills

Essential

  • Able to handle and move complex patients safely and in a way which promotes rehabilitation

Other requirements specific to the role (eg be able to drive or work shifts)

Essential

  • Flexibility to work elsewhere in Therapies or as required across all NUH campuses.
  • Flexible working schedules including participation in weekend and bank holiday rosters as required.

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

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trusts

Address

National Rehabilitation Centre

Stanford Hall Estate

Loughborough

LE12 5GF


Employer's website

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

Employer details

Employer name

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trusts

Address

National Rehabilitation Centre

Stanford Hall Estate

Loughborough

LE12 5GF


Employer's website

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

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Therapy Service Manager

Gemma Wood

gemma.wood31@nhs.net

Details

Date posted

01 October 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

164-7403567

Job locations

National Rehabilitation Centre

Stanford Hall Estate

Loughborough

LE12 5GF


Supporting documents

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