Somerset NHS Foundation Trust

Occupational Therapist

The closing date is 23 June 2025

Job summary

We are looking for an Occupational Therapist to join us at Band 7 level.

We would also invite conversations with Band 6 OT who would like to discuss a developmental post.

We are looking for an experienced OT to join our supportive team of clinicians, who provide a service for young people people of Somerset who are in care. Therapeutic Education is part of a wider project called Homes and Horizons. Homes and Horizons is an innovative project in which agencies have come together to provide integrated care pathways. The project provides homes, education, health interventions and systemic support for young people who reside in our network of children's homes.

Therapeutic Education is currently based at Misterton Learning Centre and will expand to include a second site in Wellington next year. You would offer a unique OT perspective within a team which comprises psychology, social work, art therapy, speech and language therapy, support workers and teaching. All our young people present with complex needs and many have neurologically diverse presentations. We therefore understand that Therapeutic Education involves meaningful purposeful activity and learning social and practical skills alongside formal teaching. The role is varied, challenging, rewarding and provides many development opportunities.

You will be directly supported by a network of OTs and will also be provided clinical supervision by a Clinical Psychologist.

We would be happy to discuss the role further prior to application.

Main duties of the job

The main duties of this role include:

Carrying out occupational therapy assessment related to adaptive functioning and sensory processing
Contributing to multi-professional formulations
Undertaking risk assessment
Contributing to positive behaviour support
Treatment planning
Undertaking Occupational Therapy interventions with individuals and in small groups
Helping to develop a curriculum of meaningful daily activity for Therapeutic Education
Educating and consulting with home care staff and educational staff
Consulting and liaising with other teams and agencies across social care, health and education

What are we looking for?

An experienced Occupational Therapist with HCPC registration, who has been working at a senior level or who feels ready to develop into a senior role
A flexible but boundaried clinician who wants to help the young people of somerset fulfil their potential
A professional who can work effectively within diverse teams of different professionals and colleagues
A person who is keen to take an active role in developing both the service and other people
A robust clinician who can use clinical supervision to maintain a consistent, reliable, professional approach to their work
An Occupational Therapist who can supervise other staff members and support them to develop their own practice

About us

At Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, we're committed to supporting our employees with a range of benefits designed to enhance your professional and personal life. We offer:

Flexible working options to help you balance work and life
NHS pension scheme for long-term financial security
Generous annual leave allowance to recharge and relax
A strong focus on career development to help you grow and achieve your potential

Additionally, you'll gain access to our Blue Light Card, unlocking exclusive discounts on shopping, dining, and leisure activities, as well as NHS-specific perks to support you both inside and outside of work.

We are proud to foster a diverse, skilled, and inclusive workforce, and we encourage applications from all backgrounds.

Why Somerset? Somerset offers the perfect blend of idyllic countryside, outstanding areas of natural beauty, and breathtaking coastlines, with vibrant cities like Bristol, Bath, and Exeter just a short drive away - and only two hours to London.

The region is home to excellent educational facilities, and with affordable housing compared to other parts of the country, it's a great place to build both your career and your future.

Somerset truly has it all - the peaceful countryside and cosmopolitan city life, with something for everyone to enjoy.

Date posted

09 June 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£46,148 to £52,809 a year Pro Rata, Per Annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

184-OL-GR-2229

Job locations

Trustwide

The Crescent

Taunton

Somerset

TA1 4DY

Job description

Job responsibilities

Communication and Key Working Relationships

Key Relationships

Internal:

*Clinical Lead and Service Manager for Therapeutic Education

*Therapeutic Education MDT

*CAMHS teams

*Professional Head of Service

*CAMHS Operational Managers

External:

*Children's Social Care

*Homes and Horizons managers and care staff

*High needs fostering service

*Voluntary and private sector care organisations providing services for children and young people

*Youth Criminal Justice services

Responsibility for Patient / Client Care, Treatment & Therapy

*To maintain an active clinical caseload

*To provide advanced clinical skills and leadership in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of patients, through direct personal contact and via supervision of the practice of others.

*To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your own work including the management of patients in your care. To ensure a high standard of clinical care for the patients under your management and to support junior staff to do likewise.

*To undertake a comprehensive assessment of patients with diverse or complex presentations.

*Formulate and deliver an individual treatment programme based on advanced knowledge of evidence-based practice and treatment / therapeutic options, using expert clinical assessment, reasoning skills and knowledge of treatment skills.

*To use advanced theoretical and practical knowledge to refer on to other departments / medical colleagues within or outside the Trust as necessary relying on accurate clinical decision-making.

*To accept responsibility for a designated caseload of patients, and to organise this effectively and efficiently regarding clinical priorities and use of time.

*To clarify and explain the patient's condition to them to enable the formulation of realistic agreed treatment goals and plans.

*To interpret and analyse complex clinical and non-clinical facts, which may be conflicting to provide advice and second opinions to health professionals and patients.

*To deal sensitively with patients who have high levels of emotion as part of their complex presentation.

*To deal sensitively with the relatives and carers of young people.

*Integrate research evidence into practice via the process of expert clinical reasoning and decision making.

*To be responsible for maintaining accurate and comprehensive patient treatments records in line with Trust procedures and professional standards of practice.

*To be responsible for ensuring that these standards are kept by the service/team.

*To communicate effectively with young people and their parents, guardians or carers, to maximise recovery potential, and to ensure understanding of both conditions and treatment. Communication skills of motivation and encouragement to support young people to undertake their offered intervention.

*To ensure that your own actions, and those of the staff that you supervise, support equality diversity and rights of our young people and their families.

Policy, Service, Research & Development Responsibility

Service Development

*To advise the Service Manager and lead developments in the Occupational Therapy service

Research and Development

*To contribute to the design and management of clinical audit, service evaluation and research when appropriate.

*To participate in clinical audit projects.

*To encourage a culture of evidence-based practice within the service.

*To keep abreast of developments in the practice of Occupational Therapy by study and by attendance at relevant CPD events as agreed with the Service Manager.

Responsibility for Finance, Equipment & Other Resources

*Where delegated, to investigate and manage incidents and complaints received and, where necessary, work with the Trust complaints manager and risk manager to resolve these.

*To work in partnership with the trust risk manager to analyse and take action on reported incidents and near misses.

*To be accountable for adherence of staff to clinical policies through audit, training and development.

* To participate in clinical audit and research and to ensure the implementation of agreed bench marking.

*To lead in development and implementation of evidence-based practice in order to set and monitor standards.

*To ensure own professional competence and credibility, being aware of research findings, trends and developments in professional practice by maintaining a presence in clinical areas working with staff, patients, clients and carers in an advisory, teaching or support capacity.

*To promote patient/client involvement and that of significant others and participate in the patient's journey and develop systems which promote active patient/client and relative feedback.

*To develop and empower the team to resolve clinical and staffing issues providing an environment in which learning and service development can take place.

*To develop and implement robust communication strategies to deliver and receive service related information.

*To manage own workload on a day to day basis, delegating responsibilities for specific tasks to practitioners and managers as needed.

*To write service-related reports and comment on policies/documents as required.

Responsibility for Supervision, Leadership & Management

Clinical Supervision, Teaching and Training

*To provide clinical supervision for colleagues of equal or lower banding.

*Where delegated, to provide line management to lower banded colleagues

*Responsible for planning and undertaking teaching and training in relevant approaches and models.

*To provide consultancy service to other teams and other agencies as appropriate.

*To develop knowledge and skills in work with young people referred to the service and their families/carers and contribute to the on-going development of CAMHS Therapeutic Education.

Information Resources & Administrative Duties

Professional

*To fully observe your professional code of conduct and professional practice guidelines.

*To participate in clinical supervision and management supervision arrangements provided by the service.

*Exercises delegated responsibility for the safe, appropriate and legitimate use of assessment tools and other equipment deployed in post holder's area of duty.

*Advise manager on equipment and resources needed to maintain work undertaken and any shortcomings with these.

*To participate as appropriate in staff recruitment, both in the short-listing process and as a member of interview panels for qualified occupational therapists.

*To participate in service business and professional meetings.

*To maintain and further develop high standards of practice through cooperative work with multi-disciplinary colleagues.

*Be aware of and adhere to Trust Service policies and procedures.

*To carry out such clinical and administrative duties as may be agreed with the Service Manager.

Clinical Governance

*To support the CAMHS Therapeutic Education service in the development and implementation of effective Clinical Governance.

*To support and participate in multi-disciplinary clinical audits in the service.

*To promote the use of effective interventions in the service

Physical Effort

*The work will involve sitting at a VDU for long periods of time. Frequently and regularly interrupted to speak to managers, applicants and staff.

*The post-holder will be required to concentrate for long periods of time on a daily basis, e.g. when manipulating the database, writing letters, emailing, proof reading etc.

*The post holder will regularly deal with difficult and distressed patients and carers, conveying complex, difficult and unwelcome information relating to both staff and clinical issues. This may include occasional exposure to verbal and physical aggression.

*The post holder will be expected to complete physical intervention training.

*The post holder will be expected to travel within and outside the Trust boundaries on a regular basis.