Job summary
6-month fixed-term / secondmentSt Bartholomew's Hospital - Barts Health NHS Trust
An exciting opportunity has arisen to work at the UK's oldest hospital and a centre of excellence for cancer care. We are looking for a motivated Band 6 or Band 7 Occupational Therapist to join our Inpatient Cancer Therapy Team for a 6-month period. This role is ideal for a therapist seeking to consolidate and develop specialist clinical skills within a highly supportive and experienced oncology team.
The successful post-holder will play a key role in the ongoing development and day-to-day running of an integrated therapy service for patients receiving inpatient cancer care. You will work closely with physiotherapy colleagues and the wider MDT to support safe, effective, and person-centred care.
You will support the team to deliver a high-quality, evidence-based occupational therapy service, focusing on enabling patients to optimise function, manage symptoms, and prepare for discharge at all stages of cancer treatment.
Main duties of the job
Key Responsibilities
- Provide specialist OT assessment and intervention for patients with complex needs related to cancer, surgery, chemotherapy, and acute medical presentations.
- Work collaboratively within a truly integrated therapy service, contributing to joint assessments, shared treatment plans, and coordinated discharge planning.
- Offer clinical leadership (Band 7) or demonstrate developing leadership (Band 6) within the inpatient team.
- Contribute to service improvement, quality initiatives, and the development of innovative therapy pathways.
- Provide supervision, support, and teaching to junior staff, support workers, and students.
- Participate in MDT discussions, family meetings, and complex discharge planning.
- Maintain high professional standards, reflective practice, and adherence to Trust values.
About You
We welcome applications from both Band 6 and Band 7 therapists:
Band 6 applicants
You will be an enthusiastic, proactive OT with experience in acute care, oncology, surgery, palliative care, or a related specialty. You should demonstrate strong clinical reasoning, good communication skills, and a commitment to developing advanced specialist skills.
Band 7 applicants
You will bring significant relevant experience, advanced clinical skills, and confidence in managing complex caseloads autonomously. You will also have experience supervising others, contributing to service development, and demonstrating leadership within a specialist clinical area.
About us
Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain's leading healthcare providers.
The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation. Having lifted ourselves out of special measures, we now have the impetus and breathing space to chart a fresh course in which we are continually striving to improve all our services for patients.
Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.
We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment
Job description
Job responsibilities
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment
Person Specification
QualificationsBand 6 Band 7
Essential
- Degree/Qualification in Occupational Therapy
- HCPC registration
Desirable
- Evidence of master's level qualification or equivalent experience in a relevant clinical area
- Member of special interest group
Experience & Knowledge
Essential
- Previous experience with cancer patients
- Previous experience at band 7 level or equivalent
- Experience of clinical education of students, developing educational programmes, teaching and presenting
- Experience of multi-professional working
- Knowledge of person-centred care, positive psychology, behaviour change and self-management
Desirable
- Experience working at band 6 level or equivalent. Broad ranging experience at junior level including; medical, surgery, neuro-sciences including managing patients with cognitive deficits and rehabilitation needs as demonstrated by advanced clinical reasoning
- Knowledge of cancer, cancer treatments and consequences of treatment related side effects
- Highly developed communication skills i.e. Level 2 Psychology Advanced Communication skills or equivalent
- Awareness of Local and National Cancer Directives
- Experience of using clinical governance framework to monitor and improve patient care quality
- Experience of service development using QI methodology
Person Specification
QualificationsBand 6 Band 7
Essential
- Degree/Qualification in Occupational Therapy
- HCPC registration
Desirable
- Evidence of master's level qualification or equivalent experience in a relevant clinical area
- Member of special interest group
Experience & Knowledge
Essential
- Previous experience with cancer patients
- Previous experience at band 7 level or equivalent
- Experience of clinical education of students, developing educational programmes, teaching and presenting
- Experience of multi-professional working
- Knowledge of person-centred care, positive psychology, behaviour change and self-management
Desirable
- Experience working at band 6 level or equivalent. Broad ranging experience at junior level including; medical, surgery, neuro-sciences including managing patients with cognitive deficits and rehabilitation needs as demonstrated by advanced clinical reasoning
- Knowledge of cancer, cancer treatments and consequences of treatment related side effects
- Highly developed communication skills i.e. Level 2 Psychology Advanced Communication skills or equivalent
- Awareness of Local and National Cancer Directives
- Experience of using clinical governance framework to monitor and improve patient care quality
- Experience of service development using QI methodology
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).
