Job summary
We are looking for an enthusiastic and skilled Occupational Therapist to join our specialist Eating Disorders Day Services team at the Maudsley Hospital. This is an exciting opportunity to work within an OT-led, highly structured programme that supports adults with complex eating disorder presentations to regain health, rebuild functional skills, and reconnect with meaningful roles and routines.
In this role, you will be central to shaping the therapeutic structure of the Day Service - delivering occupation-focused interventions, facilitating groups, and supporting service users through graded, real-life challenges that promote independence and recovery. You will hold your own caseload within a collaborative and supportive multidisciplinary environment, where psychological, medical, nursing, dietetic and OT perspectives work in close partnership.
You will also contribute to the wider eating disorders pathway, offering flexible and responsive OT input across settings to support continuity of care. This is a dynamic post that offers opportunities for leadership, programme co-ordination, service development and professional growth within a highly specialist field.
Whether you already have experience in eating disorders or are keen to develop specialist skills within a structured and well-supported team, this role offers a rewarding opportunity to make a tangible difference in the lives of adults striving for meaningful, sustainable recovery.
Main duties of the job
- Provide specialist, occupation-focused assessment and intervention for adults attending the Eating Disorders Day Service, using a person-centred and recovery-oriented approach.
- Hold a defined caseload, delivering both individual and group interventions that support functional skill development, engagement in meaningful activity, and graded re-integration into daily routines.
- Contribute to the daily structure and therapeutic rhythm of the Day Service, helping maintain a consistent, safe and supportive environment for service users.
- Offer therapeutic meal support from an occupational perspective, promoting independence, reducing avoidance behaviours, and supporting the development of sustainable eating routines.
- Work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team, contributing to shared formulations, care plans and clinical decision-making.
- Monitor progress using appropriate outcome measures and adapt interventions in response to service user need, risk, and engagement.
- Deliver context-based interventions within the service and in community settings where appropriate to support real-world functional change.
- Provide supervision, contribute to the learning of students and junior staff, and support quality improvement initiatives within the service.
- Work flexibly across the eating disorder pathway as required to support continuity of care and ensure an occupation-focused perspective is maintained throughout treatment.
About us
Our Eating Disorders Day Service is an OT-led, highly structured therapeutic environment that supports adults with moderate to severe eating disorders to make meaningful and sustained changes in their everyday lives. We pride ourselves on being a compassionate, recovery-focused team where Occupational Therapy plays a central and valued role in shaping the programme.
You will be joining a service that places collaboration, consistency and therapeutic structure at the heart of everything we do. The team works closely together each day to create a safe, contained and supportive space where service users can engage in intensive therapeutic activity, build functional skills, and work towards goals that reflect what recovery means to them.
We are a multidisciplinary team with strong professional respect and shared decision-making, where OT perspectives are actively sought, integrated and championed. You can expect high levels of peer support, regular clinical supervision, and opportunities to deepen your specialist skills within a service that values professional development and reflective practice.
Working within the Day Service offers the chance to be part of a team that is innovative, committed to high-quality care, and continually developing the programme in response to service user feedback and emerging evidence. It is a role where your creativity, professional identity and clinical reasoning will be genuinely valued--and where you can make a visible difference every day.
Job description
Job responsibilities
This role provides specialist Occupational Therapy within a structured Eating Disorders Day Service, supporting adults to develop functional skills, independence and meaningful engagement in daily life. You will work as an integral part of the multidisciplinary team, contributing to assessment, formulation, intervention planning and risk management across the programme.
Key responsibilities include:
- Delivering occupationfocused assessments that explore functional impact, daily living skills, and individual recovery goals.
- Planning and providing structured individual and group interventions to support skill development, confidence building and engagement in meaningful occupation.
- Supporting therapeutic meal interventions from an OT perspective, helping service users develop sustainable routines and reduce avoidance.
- Holding a defined caseload and reviewing progress using appropriate outcome measures.
- Contributing to MDT care planning, reviews and shared clinical decisionmaking.
- Helping coordinate the daily therapeutic structure of the Day Service to ensure consistency, containment and a positive therapeutic environment.
- Providing supervision and learning opportunities to students and junior staff, and taking part in service development and quality improvement activities.
- Working flexibly across relevant parts of the eating disorder pathway when required to support continuity of care and maintain an OT presence.
Please refer to the full Job Description for complete details of all duties and responsibilities.
Job description
Job responsibilities
This role provides specialist Occupational Therapy within a structured Eating Disorders Day Service, supporting adults to develop functional skills, independence and meaningful engagement in daily life. You will work as an integral part of the multidisciplinary team, contributing to assessment, formulation, intervention planning and risk management across the programme.
Key responsibilities include:
- Delivering occupationfocused assessments that explore functional impact, daily living skills, and individual recovery goals.
- Planning and providing structured individual and group interventions to support skill development, confidence building and engagement in meaningful occupation.
- Supporting therapeutic meal interventions from an OT perspective, helping service users develop sustainable routines and reduce avoidance.
- Holding a defined caseload and reviewing progress using appropriate outcome measures.
- Contributing to MDT care planning, reviews and shared clinical decisionmaking.
- Helping coordinate the daily therapeutic structure of the Day Service to ensure consistency, containment and a positive therapeutic environment.
- Providing supervision and learning opportunities to students and junior staff, and taking part in service development and quality improvement activities.
- Working flexibly across relevant parts of the eating disorder pathway when required to support continuity of care and maintain an OT presence.
Please refer to the full Job Description for complete details of all duties and responsibilities.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Holds a BSc or MSc in Occupational Therapy from a recognised training programme.
- HCPC-registered Occupational Therapist with active registration at the point of application.
- Demonstrates evidence of ongoing professional development relevant to mental health practice (e.g., courses, CPD logs, reflective practice, in-service training)
Desirable
- Has completed post-graduate training relevant to eating disorders, complex mental health, or psychological approaches commonly used in the field.
Experience
Essential
- Post-qualification experience in a mental health setting, demonstrating competent autonomous practice. (A/I)
- Experience working with individuals with eating disorders or with complex mental health presentations involving significant risk. (A/I)
- Demonstrated ability to manage a defined caseload independently, including assessment, intervention planning and review. (A/I)
- Experience working effectively within a multidisciplinary team, contributing to shared formulations and care plans. (A/I)
Desirable
- Evidence of supporting or supervising students or junior staff, formally or informally. (A/I)
- Experience delivering structured therapeutic groups, showing confidence in group facilitation and managing group dynamics. (A/I)
Knowledge
Essential
- Specialist knowledge of OT assessment and intervention for complex mental health presentations. (A/I)
- Understanding of the occupational impact of eating disorders, including functional impairment, identity disruption and avoidance patterns. (A/I)
- Strong understanding of complex risk management principles relevant to eating disorders, including physical health considerations.
- Knowledge of designing and delivering therapeutic groups that use occupation to build functional skills, support recovery goals and manage avoidance patterns. (A/I)
- Understanding of how physical health complications in eating disorders impact occupational performance, daily living skills and the planning of safe interventions. (A/I)
Desirable
- Training and facilitation skills applicable across a range of clinical or educational settings. (A/I)
Skills
Essential
- Ability to work autonomously and prioritise effectively within a high-intensity clinical environment, managing competing demands safely and efficiently. (A/I)
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, enabling clear documentation, collaborative formulation and confident participation in MDT discussions. (A/I)
- Ability to facilitate therapeutic groups confidently, including managing group dynamics, containment and maintaining therapeutic boundaries. (A/I)
- Ability to adapt OT practice across different clinical contexts, ensuring continuity of care and consistency of therapeutic approach. (A/I)
- Competence in using OT clinical reasoning to plan, deliver and evaluate occupation-focused interventions, including functional and graded-exposure work. (A/I)
Desirable
- Ability to contribute to service improvement, including audit, QI projects or programme development. (A/I)
- Training or facilitation skills, enabling contribution to staff teaching, student learning and service education activities. (A/I)
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Holds a BSc or MSc in Occupational Therapy from a recognised training programme.
- HCPC-registered Occupational Therapist with active registration at the point of application.
- Demonstrates evidence of ongoing professional development relevant to mental health practice (e.g., courses, CPD logs, reflective practice, in-service training)
Desirable
- Has completed post-graduate training relevant to eating disorders, complex mental health, or psychological approaches commonly used in the field.
Experience
Essential
- Post-qualification experience in a mental health setting, demonstrating competent autonomous practice. (A/I)
- Experience working with individuals with eating disorders or with complex mental health presentations involving significant risk. (A/I)
- Demonstrated ability to manage a defined caseload independently, including assessment, intervention planning and review. (A/I)
- Experience working effectively within a multidisciplinary team, contributing to shared formulations and care plans. (A/I)
Desirable
- Evidence of supporting or supervising students or junior staff, formally or informally. (A/I)
- Experience delivering structured therapeutic groups, showing confidence in group facilitation and managing group dynamics. (A/I)
Knowledge
Essential
- Specialist knowledge of OT assessment and intervention for complex mental health presentations. (A/I)
- Understanding of the occupational impact of eating disorders, including functional impairment, identity disruption and avoidance patterns. (A/I)
- Strong understanding of complex risk management principles relevant to eating disorders, including physical health considerations.
- Knowledge of designing and delivering therapeutic groups that use occupation to build functional skills, support recovery goals and manage avoidance patterns. (A/I)
- Understanding of how physical health complications in eating disorders impact occupational performance, daily living skills and the planning of safe interventions. (A/I)
Desirable
- Training and facilitation skills applicable across a range of clinical or educational settings. (A/I)
Skills
Essential
- Ability to work autonomously and prioritise effectively within a high-intensity clinical environment, managing competing demands safely and efficiently. (A/I)
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, enabling clear documentation, collaborative formulation and confident participation in MDT discussions. (A/I)
- Ability to facilitate therapeutic groups confidently, including managing group dynamics, containment and maintaining therapeutic boundaries. (A/I)
- Ability to adapt OT practice across different clinical contexts, ensuring continuity of care and consistency of therapeutic approach. (A/I)
- Competence in using OT clinical reasoning to plan, deliver and evaluate occupation-focused interventions, including functional and graded-exposure work. (A/I)
Desirable
- Ability to contribute to service improvement, including audit, QI projects or programme development. (A/I)
- Training or facilitation skills, enabling contribution to staff teaching, student learning and service education activities. (A/I)
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).
Employer details
Employer name
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Eating Disorders Day Services
Maudsley Hospital, Denmark Hill
London
SE5 8AB
Employer's website
https://www.slam.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
