Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust

CYPS Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist

The closing date is 13 April 2026

Job summary

Children and Young People's Occupational Therapy Services is part of an Integrated Children's Directorate providing services for children and young people with challenges to their physical health and also those with learning disability and autistic spectrum conditions within health, social care, education and the local acute hospital.

We are seeking an experienced Occupational Therapist to provide strong clinical leadership within CYPS, ensuring high-quality, evidence-based and child-centred practice. The post holder will manage a specialised caseload, contribute to service improvement, and support effective clinical governance. A commitment to ensuring the voice and lived experience of children and young people informs all decisions is essential. Ockenden funding enables 1 day per week within this role , providing highly specialised neonatal occupational therapy assessment and intervention at GRH

Main duties of the job

Clinical leadership and case management

  • Provide clinical leadership and expertise within the service to ensure service delivery reflects best/evidence-based practice as well as embracing continuous learning and improvement.
  • Provide highly specialised occupational therapy assessment and therapy to the neonatal caseload at GRH.
  • Independently manage a specialised clinical caseload of children/young people and their families, involving providing clinical assessment, advice and the delivery of treatment programmes for children and young people with complex physical healthcare needs
  • Adopt corporate, clinical governance and best practice principles within servicedelivery
  • Contribute to ongoing service improvement initiatives
  • Demonstrating a commitment that the "voice" and lived experience of the child and young person is at the heart of all CYPS decision making and clinical care planning.

The post holder will work in collaboration with CYPS Senior Leads to deliver safe, efficient, high quality and effective services by providing strong clinical leadership and ensuring alignment of OT service priorities with the Directorate and Trust priorities and values.

About us

We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people's homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.

Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:

  • 72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.
  • 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.
  • 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust's priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.

This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.

Details

Date posted

30 March 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

327-26-227

Job locations

Springbank Community Centre

Springbank Way,

Cheltenham,

GL51 0LG


Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical Case Management/Care Coordination

Provide a range of highly specialist assessment and treatment interventions for children and young people (0-18yrs) and their families/carers with the designated team. Provision will be in accordance to the application of a range of profession specific models of clinical practice. This will include:

  • Providing clinical assessment, consultation, advice and the delivery of intervention programmes for children and young people with a diverse range of physical healthcare needs.
  • Care planning will utilise a wide range of treatment skills and options for use in both the home, community and school setting alongside using a personalised and coproduction approach when working with families, parents and carers
  • Undertaking comprehensive and accurate assessment of children and young people (including diagnostic where required), using investigative, analytical and advanced clinical reasoning skills. This includes consideration and identification of safeguarding needs and taking further action where required
  • Demonstrating a comprehensive range of profession based and specialist core clinical skills and competencies including effective clinical decision making and an ability to clearly articulate clinical rationale when requested
  • Providing specialist clinical risk assessments & complex risk management planning as part of routine clinical work
  • Clinical care will take a trauma-informed approach with knowledge and understanding of Adverse Child Experience (ACES) that may be impacting on presenting needs
  • Undertaking accountability, responsibility and independent managing a clinical caseload of children/young people and their families.
  • When allocated, the clinician is responsible case holder and has overall responsibility and accountability as well as a duty of care for assessment, treatment and review of the child/young person/family until the point of onward referral or discharge
  • Providing clinical leadership regarding referral screening, assessing and formulating personalised care planningTypically, this postholder will work with children and young people who are highly vulnerable or have complex needs where joint working with multi-agency partners across Gloucestershire is key.
  • Expected roles, responsibilities and activity/performance expectations are outlined within a personal (team based) job plan. This job plan will be reviewed regularly and may be adjusted to meet team or service led requirements

Clinical leadership

Band 7 clinical leadership provides:

  • Accountability and assurance that the team is continuously striving to provide high quality, safe and effective services that are evidence based and fully adhere to corporate, clinical governance and expected standards of practice across all aspects of clinical delivery, including the effective and safe use of resources and equipmentProviding clinical services that are aligned to commissioned and service expectations

The Trustis required towork in line with the Governments UK Visa and Immigration Rules and Regulations. For more information about sponsorship for certain roles, please visit -https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical Case Management/Care Coordination

Provide a range of highly specialist assessment and treatment interventions for children and young people (0-18yrs) and their families/carers with the designated team. Provision will be in accordance to the application of a range of profession specific models of clinical practice. This will include:

  • Providing clinical assessment, consultation, advice and the delivery of intervention programmes for children and young people with a diverse range of physical healthcare needs.
  • Care planning will utilise a wide range of treatment skills and options for use in both the home, community and school setting alongside using a personalised and coproduction approach when working with families, parents and carers
  • Undertaking comprehensive and accurate assessment of children and young people (including diagnostic where required), using investigative, analytical and advanced clinical reasoning skills. This includes consideration and identification of safeguarding needs and taking further action where required
  • Demonstrating a comprehensive range of profession based and specialist core clinical skills and competencies including effective clinical decision making and an ability to clearly articulate clinical rationale when requested
  • Providing specialist clinical risk assessments & complex risk management planning as part of routine clinical work
  • Clinical care will take a trauma-informed approach with knowledge and understanding of Adverse Child Experience (ACES) that may be impacting on presenting needs
  • Undertaking accountability, responsibility and independent managing a clinical caseload of children/young people and their families.
  • When allocated, the clinician is responsible case holder and has overall responsibility and accountability as well as a duty of care for assessment, treatment and review of the child/young person/family until the point of onward referral or discharge
  • Providing clinical leadership regarding referral screening, assessing and formulating personalised care planningTypically, this postholder will work with children and young people who are highly vulnerable or have complex needs where joint working with multi-agency partners across Gloucestershire is key.
  • Expected roles, responsibilities and activity/performance expectations are outlined within a personal (team based) job plan. This job plan will be reviewed regularly and may be adjusted to meet team or service led requirements

Clinical leadership

Band 7 clinical leadership provides:

  • Accountability and assurance that the team is continuously striving to provide high quality, safe and effective services that are evidence based and fully adhere to corporate, clinical governance and expected standards of practice across all aspects of clinical delivery, including the effective and safe use of resources and equipmentProviding clinical services that are aligned to commissioned and service expectations

The Trustis required towork in line with the Governments UK Visa and Immigration Rules and Regulations. For more information about sponsorship for certain roles, please visit -https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Neonatal experience
  • Diploma/degree in Occupational Therapy Professional registration: State Registered Occupational Therapist and be registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC)
  • Evidence of formal post graduate learning within a relevant CYPS field or skill

Desirable

  • Profession specific additional qualifications (i.e LD, nurse prescriber, DBT, AMHP )

Experience

Essential

  • Demonstrate clinical expertise and high levels of competency regarding providing care coordination/ managing caseloads including highly vulnerable children and young people with complex needs
  • Demonstrate extensive experience and expertise regarding delivering evidence based/ best practice clinical interventions within childrens community healthcare setting
  • Relevant training/ qualification in neonatal assessment and therapy

Desirable

  • Demonstrate extensive experience and expertise regarding delivering evidence based/ best practice clinical interventions within a children's ward/hospital setting
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Neonatal experience
  • Diploma/degree in Occupational Therapy Professional registration: State Registered Occupational Therapist and be registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC)
  • Evidence of formal post graduate learning within a relevant CYPS field or skill

Desirable

  • Profession specific additional qualifications (i.e LD, nurse prescriber, DBT, AMHP )

Experience

Essential

  • Demonstrate clinical expertise and high levels of competency regarding providing care coordination/ managing caseloads including highly vulnerable children and young people with complex needs
  • Demonstrate extensive experience and expertise regarding delivering evidence based/ best practice clinical interventions within childrens community healthcare setting
  • Relevant training/ qualification in neonatal assessment and therapy

Desirable

  • Demonstrate extensive experience and expertise regarding delivering evidence based/ best practice clinical interventions within a children's ward/hospital setting

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

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Springbank Community Centre

Springbank Way,

Cheltenham,

GL51 0LG


Employer's website

https://www.ghc.nhs.uk/who-we-are/jobs/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Springbank Community Centre

Springbank Way,

Cheltenham,

GL51 0LG


Employer's website

https://www.ghc.nhs.uk/who-we-are/jobs/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Head of Service for CYPS OT & Team Lead

Jo McKenna

jo.mckenna@ghc.nhs.uk

03004218927

Details

Date posted

30 March 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

327-26-227

Job locations

Springbank Community Centre

Springbank Way,

Cheltenham,

GL51 0LG


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)