Job summary
Highly Specialist Neonatal Occupational Therapist
Band 7, Part Time
The Neonatal Unit at Croydon University Hospital continues to benefit from dedicated investment in developing neonatal Allied Health services.
We are seeking an enthusiastic, adaptable, and creative Occupational Therapist to join our neonatal team. This is an exciting opportunity to shape and lead how OT is delivered in this developing service. Working in an inpatient setting, you will collaborate with neonatal consultants, psychologists, nurses, and other AHPs to provide holistic care for babies on the unit.
As this is a new post, you will champion and establish the OT role as the clinical lead for neonatal care. You will promote infant neurodevelopment by empowering parents and caregivers to deliver developmentally supportive care, and by creating an optimal sensory environment to aid brain development.
You will also strengthen the parent-infant bond, guiding parents to interpret behavioural cues, manage stress, and support regulation during feeding, sleeping, and early interaction. In addition, you will provide specialist assessment and early intervention for sensory, motor, attention, regulation, and play development, helping infants reach their full developmental potential.
Interview Date - 27th October 2025
Main duties of the job
To carry a designated clinical caseload including highly complex and diverse patient groups and prioritise that work efficiently.
Apply an enhanced level of understanding of the effect of preterm birth, perinatal problems and congenital disabilities on the development and occupations of infants and their families and make appropriate recommendations for intervention and support.
Assess, plan, implement and evaluate programmes of individualised infant and family-centre developmental care, using evidence-based practice to support clinical outcomes as appropriate.
Use advanced clinical assessments such as Prechtl General Movements Assessment, Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Neonatal Behavioural Assessment Scale (NBAS), Newborn Individualised Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP).
Provide specialist support for colleagues and the families of babies in managing expectations around potential recovery, helping them to understand and plan for short/long term disability.
Apply an enhanced level of understanding about the impact of the environment on the wellbeing of infants, families and staff, making recommendations regarding adapting the environment for optimal benefits.
Support discharge planning and transitions to paediatric, outpatient and community services for caseload, providing relevant information to unit discharge team and internal paediatric and community teams.
About us
Croydon is a busy, exciting and diverse place to work. The borough has one of the youngest populations in London and continues to grow.
Croydon Health Services cares for local people at Croydon University Hospital, Purley Memorial Hospital and in clinics and people's homes all across the borough.
We are a very close-knit and friendly organisation where everyone of our 3600 members of staff is valued. We strongly believe that our employees are our greatest asset and so through Listening into Action - our way of engaging staff - we empower everyone at any level to initiate and bring about real improvements in our care.
Join us and be a part of the team that is making Croydon proud. #choosecroydon
Job description
Job responsibilities
***Please see the attached supporting document which contains more information about the role in job description and person specification ***
Job description
Job responsibilities
***Please see the attached supporting document which contains more information about the role in job description and person specification ***
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Diploma or Degree in Occupational Therapy
- State Registration HCPC
- Evidence of Continuing Professional Development including attendance at recent post graduate courses relevant to the clinical field
Desirable
- Recognised post-graduate qualifications
- Completion of HEE introductory modules on Neonatal AHP and OT
- NBO/NBAS, NIDCAP, FINE I/II
Experience
Essential
- Relevant postgraduate Occupational Therapy NHS clinical experience, preferably inclusive of neonatal care
- Knowledge and experience of a range of assessment and interventions/approaches in neonatal and paediatric care
- Knowledge of child development, common neonatal and paediatric conditions and in-depth knowledge of developmental disabilities and factors influencing early infant development
- Experience in developing the OT's role
- Proven experience in a wide range of clinical areas, and working with children of a variety of ages from 0-19
Desirable
- Previous Band 7 experience
- Knowledge and experience of using a wide range of different infant assessments e.g. Bayley Scales of Infant Development, NBO, NBAS, Prechtl General Movement Assessment
Knowledge
Essential
- Demonstrated ability to carry out occupation-based assessment
- Application of Occupational Therapy models of practice and evidence based practice
- Management of a varied neonatal or paediatric caseload with evidence of skills in both acute and community settings
- Demonstrate an understanding of the impact of disabilities on patient, families and carers
- Ability to manage caseloads, prioritise workloads and work independently
- Willingness to develop own knowledge and practice in neonatal and contributes to the development of others
- Ability to analyse tasks and activities, synthesise findings and develop goal orientated treatment plans
- Developing and providing education and teaching programmes to other professionals and student
Desirable
- Experience in collecting and evaluating audit and quality assurance programmes and participating research
- Previous experience in applying Clinical Governance to practice
- Involvement in the training and education of others (i.e., carers, staff and educators) Contributes to research and/or innovation within the profession and specialty and across professional teams
Communication
Essential
- Analyses, synthesizes and presents knowledge and information about complex subjects and concepts to contribute to key decisions
- Understand and apply principles of risk management to clinical practice. Understand scope/role of integrated working and team dynamics
- Understanding principles and application of supervision in promotion of clinical effectiveness as a supervisor
- Ability to appreciate the sensitivity, complexity of context and culture and diversity within clinical practice
- Effective written and verbal/nonverbal communication skills
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Willingness to work flexibly
- Ability to manage and recognise differences of opinion in both patient related and inter-professional settings coping positively with interpersonal tensions/barriers
- Ability to positively manage exposure to patients and environments which may be highly distressing, antagonistic, open to aggression and unpleasant
- Adherence to Royal College of Occupational Therapy, HCPC guidelines and codes of ethics and professional conduct
- Takes responsibility for implementation of Trust health and safety policies in local working environment
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Diploma or Degree in Occupational Therapy
- State Registration HCPC
- Evidence of Continuing Professional Development including attendance at recent post graduate courses relevant to the clinical field
Desirable
- Recognised post-graduate qualifications
- Completion of HEE introductory modules on Neonatal AHP and OT
- NBO/NBAS, NIDCAP, FINE I/II
Experience
Essential
- Relevant postgraduate Occupational Therapy NHS clinical experience, preferably inclusive of neonatal care
- Knowledge and experience of a range of assessment and interventions/approaches in neonatal and paediatric care
- Knowledge of child development, common neonatal and paediatric conditions and in-depth knowledge of developmental disabilities and factors influencing early infant development
- Experience in developing the OT's role
- Proven experience in a wide range of clinical areas, and working with children of a variety of ages from 0-19
Desirable
- Previous Band 7 experience
- Knowledge and experience of using a wide range of different infant assessments e.g. Bayley Scales of Infant Development, NBO, NBAS, Prechtl General Movement Assessment
Knowledge
Essential
- Demonstrated ability to carry out occupation-based assessment
- Application of Occupational Therapy models of practice and evidence based practice
- Management of a varied neonatal or paediatric caseload with evidence of skills in both acute and community settings
- Demonstrate an understanding of the impact of disabilities on patient, families and carers
- Ability to manage caseloads, prioritise workloads and work independently
- Willingness to develop own knowledge and practice in neonatal and contributes to the development of others
- Ability to analyse tasks and activities, synthesise findings and develop goal orientated treatment plans
- Developing and providing education and teaching programmes to other professionals and student
Desirable
- Experience in collecting and evaluating audit and quality assurance programmes and participating research
- Previous experience in applying Clinical Governance to practice
- Involvement in the training and education of others (i.e., carers, staff and educators) Contributes to research and/or innovation within the profession and specialty and across professional teams
Communication
Essential
- Analyses, synthesizes and presents knowledge and information about complex subjects and concepts to contribute to key decisions
- Understand and apply principles of risk management to clinical practice. Understand scope/role of integrated working and team dynamics
- Understanding principles and application of supervision in promotion of clinical effectiveness as a supervisor
- Ability to appreciate the sensitivity, complexity of context and culture and diversity within clinical practice
- Effective written and verbal/nonverbal communication skills
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Willingness to work flexibly
- Ability to manage and recognise differences of opinion in both patient related and inter-professional settings coping positively with interpersonal tensions/barriers
- Ability to positively manage exposure to patients and environments which may be highly distressing, antagonistic, open to aggression and unpleasant
- Adherence to Royal College of Occupational Therapy, HCPC guidelines and codes of ethics and professional conduct
- Takes responsibility for implementation of Trust health and safety policies in local working environment
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).
