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University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

Occupational Therapist - Neurosurgery and Critical Care

The closing date is 21 August 2025

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Job summary

The successful applicant will be required to perform a Specialist Occupational Therapist role to provide a comprehensive Occupational Therapy Service to the patients referred within Neurosurgery and Critical care, requiring multi-disciplinary input. This includes carrying out a range of functional and cognitive assessments.

They will be part of an interdependent multidisciplinary team, ensuring that Occupational Therapy input is an integral part of the patient's overall care and discharge.

There is an expectation that they will deputise for the Team leader when necessary. There will be a requirement to work across 6 days (one Saturday in 4).

***Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as 'Priority' and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.***

Main duties of the job

  • Identify patients that require OT input on Neurosurgery and Critical Care
  • Create appropriate treatment plans and implement them
  • Support the team and wider MDT
  • Be able to identify cognitive impairment and treat it
  • Provide education to colleagues as needed on the OT role
  • Advocate for your patients

About us

We are a people business - where every member of staff matters and can make a difference. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Joining University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust means becoming part of a team of dedicated staff, who are committed to leading the way through innovation, clinical excellence and great customer care. The Trust has great opportunities for career development in a highly progressive working environment. We offer all of this in a vibrant, modern city with a historic reputation for adventure. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY. If you have any issues with applying online and need additional support including reasonable adjustments with the application process please contact the recruitment team on 01752 432100. We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants around less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. Please contact the recruiting manager to discuss this prior to your application submission. We commit to giving this full consideration in each case. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for our roles, as diversity strengthens our teams. It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.

Details

Date posted

07 August 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, Job share

Reference number

216-AH-C7288761

Job locations

UHP Derriford Hospital, Plymouth

Derriford Road,

Plymouth

PL6 8DH


Job description

Job responsibilities

Key Dimensions:

The Team consists of a variety of staff at Bands 7, 6, 5, 3 and this post.

This team receives referrals directly from the Multidisciplinary Team and is responsible for pulling appropriate referrals into the service.

Post holder provides comprehensive assessment, treatment and evaluation of all inpatients in line with best practise.

Post holder assists the Team Leader in the day-to-day management of the wider Team, providing support, supervision and allocation of work to the Band 5 OTs, and Technical Instructors. The post holder will also undertake appraisal and clinical supervision of specified staff within the team.

The Post holder will have a delegated remit of Clinical Governance and teaching activities to undertake and develop within the team.

Post holder is professionally and legally accountable for his/her own action, working with minimal supervision. The post holder is professionally and legally accountable for work delegated to assistant staff and students.

Patients seen present with a wide range of complex and highly complex acute neurological deficits with potentially long-term needs and disabilities.

Post holder is professionally and legally accountable for his/her own action and works with minimal supervision.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key Dimensions:

The Team consists of a variety of staff at Bands 7, 6, 5, 3 and this post.

This team receives referrals directly from the Multidisciplinary Team and is responsible for pulling appropriate referrals into the service.

Post holder provides comprehensive assessment, treatment and evaluation of all inpatients in line with best practise.

Post holder assists the Team Leader in the day-to-day management of the wider Team, providing support, supervision and allocation of work to the Band 5 OTs, and Technical Instructors. The post holder will also undertake appraisal and clinical supervision of specified staff within the team.

The Post holder will have a delegated remit of Clinical Governance and teaching activities to undertake and develop within the team.

Post holder is professionally and legally accountable for his/her own action, working with minimal supervision. The post holder is professionally and legally accountable for work delegated to assistant staff and students.

Patients seen present with a wide range of complex and highly complex acute neurological deficits with potentially long-term needs and disabilities.

Post holder is professionally and legally accountable for his/her own action and works with minimal supervision.

Person Specification

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

  • Broad post-graduate demonstrable experiences working in a variety of settings across the physical field
  • Specific demonstrable experience in neurology or stroke
  • Good clinical working proven knowledge of OT assessments and treatments in this specialty
  • To have training, supervisory and/or demonstrable teaching experience
  • To have demonstrable experience of fitting OT equipment and arranging minor adaptations

Desirable

  • Worked with Neurosurgery / ICU patients.
  • Demonstrable experience supervising and allocating to more junior staff
  • Previous clinical demonstrable experience working at similar level within an acute care setting
  • To have demonstrable experience of working with thermoplastic and manufacturing splints
  • To have demonstrable experience of supporting students on clinical placement

Qualifications

Essential

  • Diploma or Degree in Occupational Therapy
  • Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council.

Desirable

  • Attendance of relevant additional courses

Aptitude and Abilities

Essential

  • Professional manner
  • Ability to prioritise and allocate workload

Desirable

  • To have conducted audits
  • To have demonstrable experience of outcome measures
Person Specification

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

  • Broad post-graduate demonstrable experiences working in a variety of settings across the physical field
  • Specific demonstrable experience in neurology or stroke
  • Good clinical working proven knowledge of OT assessments and treatments in this specialty
  • To have training, supervisory and/or demonstrable teaching experience
  • To have demonstrable experience of fitting OT equipment and arranging minor adaptations

Desirable

  • Worked with Neurosurgery / ICU patients.
  • Demonstrable experience supervising and allocating to more junior staff
  • Previous clinical demonstrable experience working at similar level within an acute care setting
  • To have demonstrable experience of working with thermoplastic and manufacturing splints
  • To have demonstrable experience of supporting students on clinical placement

Qualifications

Essential

  • Diploma or Degree in Occupational Therapy
  • Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council.

Desirable

  • Attendance of relevant additional courses

Aptitude and Abilities

Essential

  • Professional manner
  • Ability to prioritise and allocate workload

Desirable

  • To have conducted audits
  • To have demonstrable experience of outcome measures

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 Plymouth NHS Trust

Address

UHP Derriford Hospital, Plymouth

Derriford Road,

Plymouth

PL6 8DH


Employer's website

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

Employer details

Employer name

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

Address

UHP Derriford Hospital, Plymouth

Derriford Road,

Plymouth

PL6 8DH


Employer's website

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

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

OT Team Lead for Neurosurgery and Critical Care

Katie Ferns

katie.ferns@nhs.net

01752432220

Details

Date posted

07 August 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, Job share

Reference number

216-AH-C7288761

Job locations

UHP Derriford Hospital, Plymouth

Derriford Road,

Plymouth

PL6 8DH


Supporting documents

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