Job summary
An opportunity has arisen for an experienced Senior Occupational Therapist to join the multidisciplinary team providing care for Men on our Low Secure Ward based in Norwich.
NSFT Secure Mental Health Services are hosted by the Great Yarmouth and Waveney Locality, and have been consistently rated "Good" by the CQC, with a recent visit in 2025 scoring several areas of the service as Outstanding. We are looking for an enthusiastic, Recovery-focussed and compassionate Occupational Therapist to join the Blakeney ward team for 12months. This will be a fixed term post, but potentially could be a secondment if the applicant is already employed by NSFT and has the agreement of the substantive team manager.
Main duties of the job
In this role, the post-holder will work alongside the multidisciplinary team on a 16-bedded blended Low Secure ward for men.
Within this role you will be part of a therapy team with an Occupational Therapy Assistant Practitioner, Fitness Therapy Technical Instructor and a Teacher. You will work at Northside House, where Blakeney is one of three Secure wards, under the umbrella of the wider, well-established NSFT Secure Services Occupational and Fitness Therapy Team. Each ward has a Registered OT, if necessary you may need to provide cover across the other Northside House wards.
The team also work at the Female ward at Hellesdon Hospital and a Low Secure Men's ward at Foxhall House in Ipswich. They have strong links with the Forensic CMHT to support people's transition between inpatient and community care.
The Blakeney team is committed to providing excellent care to the gentleman on the ward. You will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the Therapy program on the ward, and for ensuring you offer a high-quality therapy service as part of the wider MDT. No two days will look the same. We are always looking for ways to improve outcomes for our service users and encourage creativity and innovation in our staff. We support the development of our staff and will work with you to ensure that you have all the skills you need for your role and to move forward in your career.
About us
Here at NSFT we pride ourselves on being a welcoming, talented, friendly and supportive team who like nothing better than sharing experiences and learning from each other. In addition to ongoing training and development opportunities, we are committed to providing an environment in which you can thrive.
Why work for us? We have challenges as a Trust, but we have ambitious aspirations, are pushing ahead with exciting transformation work and we need dedicated individuals to support us on our journey. We have strong, established professional networks coupled with an exceptional leadership team who will ensure you are truly cared for and cared about.
Why Norfolk and Suffolk?The people here are warm and welcoming, you'll never be far from the beautiful coastline or Broads National Park. We're an hour and a half away from London and have an international airport in Norwich too. Our villages, towns and cities are packed full of history, independent cafes, shops and theatres. We have excellent shopping, eating out, top ranking schooling and affordable house prices too.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please find attached our Job Description and Person Specification for more detail on your Key Accountabilities, then if you feel you have what it takes to make a difference in your local communities, click APPLY!
Interview dates are yet to be set; you will be contacted via email and invited to book a time. These emails may go to your SPAM, so please keep checking all your emails if applying.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please find attached our Job Description and Person Specification for more detail on your Key Accountabilities, then if you feel you have what it takes to make a difference in your local communities, click APPLY!
Interview dates are yet to be set; you will be contacted via email and invited to book a time. These emails may go to your SPAM, so please keep checking all your emails if applying.
Person Specification
Skills
Essential
- Ability to deliver OT assessment/treatment with designated client group
- Ability to work under pressure managing own caseload and effective prioritisation
- Ability to assess and perform Manual Handling techniques
- Effective working with the wider MDT
- Demonstrate leadership skills
Desirable
- Presentation and training skills.
- Evidence of area of evolving clinical specialism.
Qualifications
Essential
- Degree/Diploma in Occupational Therapy
- Registered with The Health and Care Professionals Council
Desirable
- Relevant post graduate training courses
Experience
Essential
- Post Registration experience in Mental Health
- Experience of MDT working
- Group Skills
Desirable
- Experience of working in a range of mental health settings
- Supervising students/staff
- Previous line management experience
- Familiarity of audit procedures
Other
Essential
- Ability to travel independently i
- Willingness to work flexibly
- Understanding of team dynamics
- Commitment to professional development and lifelong learning
- Fitness to undergo PMA training and perform full duties of post
- Ability to undertake Manual Handling Training and utilise these skills in clinical practice
Person Specification
Skills
Essential
- Ability to deliver OT assessment/treatment with designated client group
- Ability to work under pressure managing own caseload and effective prioritisation
- Ability to assess and perform Manual Handling techniques
- Effective working with the wider MDT
- Demonstrate leadership skills
Desirable
- Presentation and training skills.
- Evidence of area of evolving clinical specialism.
Qualifications
Essential
- Degree/Diploma in Occupational Therapy
- Registered with The Health and Care Professionals Council
Desirable
- Relevant post graduate training courses
Experience
Essential
- Post Registration experience in Mental Health
- Experience of MDT working
- Group Skills
Desirable
- Experience of working in a range of mental health settings
- Supervising students/staff
- Previous line management experience
- Familiarity of audit procedures
Other
Essential
- Ability to travel independently i
- Willingness to work flexibly
- Understanding of team dynamics
- Commitment to professional development and lifelong learning
- Fitness to undergo PMA training and perform full duties of post
- Ability to undertake Manual Handling Training and utilise these skills in clinical practice
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.
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.
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).
