Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

Lead OT Queen Elizabeth Hospital Woolwich

The closing date is 04 March 2026

Job summary

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and forward-thinking Occupational Therapist to join Queen Elizabeth Hospital as the Site Lead Occupational Therapist, providing visible clinical and operational leadership across acute inpatient therapy services.

The post holder will play a key leadership role in shaping Occupational Therapy delivery across the site, ensuring high-quality, patient-centred care while supporting operational flow, reducing length of stay and improving patient outcomes. You will lead service development, drive quality improvement initiatives and support workforce transformation aligned to Trust, ICS and national NHS priorities.

Working as part of the senior therapy leadership team, you will influence site-wide decision making, support multidisciplinary working and ensure Occupational Therapy contributes fully to urgent and emergency care pathways, frailty, discharge planning and complex rehabilitation.

You will act as a professional role model, embedding evidence-based practice, driving innovation and supporting the development of a highly skilled and engaged workforce.

Main duties of the job

The Occupational Therapy Site Lead provides professional, clinical, performance andoperational leadership to Occupational Therapy staff working at and based at the QEH site.

To achieve this, the post holder works in close collaboration with the Head of Occupational Therapy, AHP peers and the Band 7 Occupational Therapy Team Leads.

The Occupational Therapy Site Lead is a highly experienced clinician who independently manages a significant and highly specialised clinical caseload.The post holds responsibility for providing strategic development of Occupational Therapy services within QEH. The post holder will develop partnerships and work closely with allservice stakeholders both within and beyond the Trust to ensure a safe, evolving, fit forpurpose and cost efficient service is provided.

The post holder will contribute to widerstrategic planning to facilitate enhanced quality of patient care within the OccupationalTherapy service.

The post holder leads a rolling programme of education, clinical evaluation, audit and research across the speciality.

The postholder is responsible for developing partnerships with key operational leads both internally within the Trust and externally.

The Occupational Therapy will deputise for theHead of Occupational Therapies as required.

About us

7-day working for Therapies is under development within the Trust and the postholder may be required to undertake a different working pattern, including weekends, in the future.

Interview date: 16th March 2026 on the UHL site .

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

  1. Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
  2. Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
  3. Improving the experience of staff with disability
  4. Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
  5. Making equalities mainstream

Join us at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

"This is what a therapist looks like"

We are TeamLGT

Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trust - AHPs Inspire 2024

Details

Date posted

11 February 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£55,690 to £62,682 a year per annum plus HCAS (pro rata if part-time)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

197-R-UT7917

Job locations

Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Stadium Road

London

SE18 4QH


Job description

Job responsibilities

Key Result Areas & Performance:

To be the Lead Occupational Therapist within UHL, advising on OT issues, working closely with the Head of Therapy and representing Occupational Therapy within the Trust and to outside agencies, as required.

To be responsible for maintaining up-to-date knowledge and skills at an advanced level in the practice of Occupational Therapy.

To initiate, develop and implement innovative models of service delivery in collaboration with the Therapy Manager and in partnership with AHP and service managers within the LGT and Social Services.

To be responsible for maintaining advanced knowledge of relevant health and social care initiatives and legislation, and to implement improvements in practice to meet these. .

To actively participate in meetings with the Head of Therapy and operational meetings with the senior OT staff, in order to advise on all aspects of the UHL OT service.

To deputise for the Head of Therapy in her absence for relevant matters.

To ensure that own practice and service meets agreed local and national standards and clinical governance requirements, including COT Standards for Practice, Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.

To undertake regular review of and evaluation of own work through the use and

application of evidence-based practice, audits, research and effective outcome

measures

To lead and participate in clinical work and to promote a high standard of expertise

within the OT department, and to ensure these standards are maintained by all staff.

To be professionally and legally accountable for aspects of Occupational Therapy treatment and care delivered to patients to ensure a high standard of clinical care.

To be responsible for allocating and managing own clinical caseload of clients with highly complex needs.

To act as an expert resource on Occupational Therapy, providing specialist support and advice to the Occupational Therapy team, students, members of the multi-disciplinary team and professionals working in Social Services and voluntary sectors.

To develop, promote and deliver OT services that meet the needs of the local population, ensuring the service is effective, equitable and patient focused.

To identify professional and operational issues that need to be addressed at strategic level, and to alert the Therapy Manager so as to reach appropriate agreed actions. This may include developing proposals / bids in an attempt to gain additional funding for areas of service development.

To lead on the implementation of multidisciplinary initiatives within the OT team.

To initiate, develop and implement OT guidelines and protocols in collaboration with the Therapy Manager.

To work with the Therapy Manager to ensure that the OT service responds locally to relevant national initiatives and guidelines.

To initiate and lead the departmental audit / research cycle

Work force

To successfully implement changes in work structure and/or work patterns within the OT team, using advanced communication and change management skills.

To lead on the ongoing review and evaluation of the skill mix of the team in order to ensure the department can best respond to the changing needs of clients referred to the service.

To lead the Occupational Therapy Team, ensuring that all team members are practising effectively within agreed local and national standards and competency frameworks.

To be responsible for the allocation and prioritisation of workload for all Occupational Therapy staff in the team, to ensure that resources are matched efficiently and effectively to client needs. To delegate responsibilities to the staff in keeping with their grade and competency

To ensure that all team members are participating effectively in professional and operational supervision

To lead the appraisal process across the whole team. In doing so, ensure that all team members are provided with, and are participating effectively in, regular appraisal sessions in line with LGT procedures.

To be responsible for recruiting to OT staff vacancies up to and including Band 7 level. This will include creating advertisements, writing job descriptions and person specifications, organising and participating in short-listing, interviewing (including chairing) and selection of applicants. To act as an assessor for the recruitment of staff in other teams when appropriate.

To lead on the provision of learning and development opportunities for individual therapy staff and the OT team, to ensure that they achieve their work competencies, personal development plans, and meet local and national standards.

To lead the provision of learning and development opportunities to allied professional and support staff within UHL, where this relates to specialist OT skills and knowledge, in order to support the delivery of effective and cohesive multi-disciplinary services.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key Result Areas & Performance:

To be the Lead Occupational Therapist within UHL, advising on OT issues, working closely with the Head of Therapy and representing Occupational Therapy within the Trust and to outside agencies, as required.

To be responsible for maintaining up-to-date knowledge and skills at an advanced level in the practice of Occupational Therapy.

To initiate, develop and implement innovative models of service delivery in collaboration with the Therapy Manager and in partnership with AHP and service managers within the LGT and Social Services.

To be responsible for maintaining advanced knowledge of relevant health and social care initiatives and legislation, and to implement improvements in practice to meet these. .

To actively participate in meetings with the Head of Therapy and operational meetings with the senior OT staff, in order to advise on all aspects of the UHL OT service.

To deputise for the Head of Therapy in her absence for relevant matters.

To ensure that own practice and service meets agreed local and national standards and clinical governance requirements, including COT Standards for Practice, Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.

To undertake regular review of and evaluation of own work through the use and

application of evidence-based practice, audits, research and effective outcome

measures

To lead and participate in clinical work and to promote a high standard of expertise

within the OT department, and to ensure these standards are maintained by all staff.

To be professionally and legally accountable for aspects of Occupational Therapy treatment and care delivered to patients to ensure a high standard of clinical care.

To be responsible for allocating and managing own clinical caseload of clients with highly complex needs.

To act as an expert resource on Occupational Therapy, providing specialist support and advice to the Occupational Therapy team, students, members of the multi-disciplinary team and professionals working in Social Services and voluntary sectors.

To develop, promote and deliver OT services that meet the needs of the local population, ensuring the service is effective, equitable and patient focused.

To identify professional and operational issues that need to be addressed at strategic level, and to alert the Therapy Manager so as to reach appropriate agreed actions. This may include developing proposals / bids in an attempt to gain additional funding for areas of service development.

To lead on the implementation of multidisciplinary initiatives within the OT team.

To initiate, develop and implement OT guidelines and protocols in collaboration with the Therapy Manager.

To work with the Therapy Manager to ensure that the OT service responds locally to relevant national initiatives and guidelines.

To initiate and lead the departmental audit / research cycle

Work force

To successfully implement changes in work structure and/or work patterns within the OT team, using advanced communication and change management skills.

To lead on the ongoing review and evaluation of the skill mix of the team in order to ensure the department can best respond to the changing needs of clients referred to the service.

To lead the Occupational Therapy Team, ensuring that all team members are practising effectively within agreed local and national standards and competency frameworks.

To be responsible for the allocation and prioritisation of workload for all Occupational Therapy staff in the team, to ensure that resources are matched efficiently and effectively to client needs. To delegate responsibilities to the staff in keeping with their grade and competency

To ensure that all team members are participating effectively in professional and operational supervision

To lead the appraisal process across the whole team. In doing so, ensure that all team members are provided with, and are participating effectively in, regular appraisal sessions in line with LGT procedures.

To be responsible for recruiting to OT staff vacancies up to and including Band 7 level. This will include creating advertisements, writing job descriptions and person specifications, organising and participating in short-listing, interviewing (including chairing) and selection of applicants. To act as an assessor for the recruitment of staff in other teams when appropriate.

To lead on the provision of learning and development opportunities for individual therapy staff and the OT team, to ensure that they achieve their work competencies, personal development plans, and meet local and national standards.

To lead the provision of learning and development opportunities to allied professional and support staff within UHL, where this relates to specialist OT skills and knowledge, in order to support the delivery of effective and cohesive multi-disciplinary services.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • HCPC registration
  • BSC Hons OT
  • Clinical course representative of specialism

Desirable

  • MSC or working at MSC level

Experience

Essential

  • Broad experience post qualification with significant experience in acute sector clinical OT
  • Experience of team leadership and effecting change
  • Working knowledge of current national and local health care issues
  • Experience of supervising/teaching under and post graduate staff

Desirable

  • Community Experience

Knowledge

Essential

  • Knowledge and experience of standard setting, quality issues and clinical audit and an understanding of clinical governance
  • Ability to undertake evaluation of the service
  • Knowledge of service activity measures and clinical outcome measures
  • Ability to keep clear, precise records and reports which meet legal requirements and are in the English language.
  • Able to communicate clearly with all staff disciplines and the public

Desirable

  • Research experience

personal Qualities

Essential

  • Good interpersonal skills and ability to work in a team
  • Personality that can stimulate, builds and maintain relationships
  • Enthusiastic and flexible
  • Ability to demonstrate confidence in own professional field and inspire confidence in others
  • Ability to use own initiative and to work independently
  • Ability to manage time , prioritise and work independently
  • Calm, reliable and approachable, able to work under pressure and to manage change
  • Ability to lead team over a 7 day working pattern
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • HCPC registration
  • BSC Hons OT
  • Clinical course representative of specialism

Desirable

  • MSC or working at MSC level

Experience

Essential

  • Broad experience post qualification with significant experience in acute sector clinical OT
  • Experience of team leadership and effecting change
  • Working knowledge of current national and local health care issues
  • Experience of supervising/teaching under and post graduate staff

Desirable

  • Community Experience

Knowledge

Essential

  • Knowledge and experience of standard setting, quality issues and clinical audit and an understanding of clinical governance
  • Ability to undertake evaluation of the service
  • Knowledge of service activity measures and clinical outcome measures
  • Ability to keep clear, precise records and reports which meet legal requirements and are in the English language.
  • Able to communicate clearly with all staff disciplines and the public

Desirable

  • Research experience

personal Qualities

Essential

  • Good interpersonal skills and ability to work in a team
  • Personality that can stimulate, builds and maintain relationships
  • Enthusiastic and flexible
  • Ability to demonstrate confidence in own professional field and inspire confidence in others
  • Ability to use own initiative and to work independently
  • Ability to manage time , prioritise and work independently
  • Calm, reliable and approachable, able to work under pressure and to manage change
  • Ability to lead team over a 7 day working pattern

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

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

Address

Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Stadium Road

London

SE18 4QH


Employer's website

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


Employer details

Employer name

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

Address

Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Stadium Road

London

SE18 4QH


Employer's website

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


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Head of Adult OT

Emma Tilley

emma.tilley1@nhs.net

07788566176

Details

Date posted

11 February 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£55,690 to £62,682 a year per annum plus HCAS (pro rata if part-time)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

197-R-UT7917

Job locations

Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Stadium Road

London

SE18 4QH


Supporting documents

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