Highly Specialists Acute Medical Unit Occupational Therapist

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated and experienced Occupational Therapist to join our Acute Medical Unit (AMU) and Older Person Short Stay Unit (OPSSU) as a Band 7 Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist. You will work alongside an established team of Band 7 therapists, helping to lead and further develop a dynamic service within a fast-paced acute environment.

In this senior role, you will manage a varied caseload, support rapid assessment and discharge planning, and contribute to multidisciplinary care across the acute pathway. Strong interpersonal and leadership skills are essential, as you will lead a team of Band 5 and Band 6 therapists, as well as a therapy technician, ensuring high-quality, patient-centred care.

The successful applicant will play a key role in service development, leading on audit, research and cross-site collaboration, and representing the therapy service at internal and external meetings. You will provide specialist training to colleagues, supervise junior staff, and support therapy students, while maintaining your own advanced clinical expertise through ongoing CPD.

All applicants must be committed to participating in the weekend service (1 in 5 weekends with rostered days off in lieu).

You will be supported by a band 8a Principle Occupational Therapist and an experienced Band 8b Clinical Therapy Lead and a highly collaborative multidisciplinary team, with opportunities for continued clinical and managerial development.

Main duties of the job

This post holder will be an autonomous practitioner, taking a lead in coordinating and providing a highly specialist therapy service to patients within the Acute Medical Unit (AMU) and the Older Person Short Stay Unit (OPSSU).

They will provide assessment and treatment for patients with a wide range of complex physical, sensory, perceptual and cognitive problems within inpatient and community settings.

They will be expected to manage their own caseload working alongside the multi disciplinary team and other external agencies to ensure highly specialist treatment plans.

To deputies for the Principle Therapist in their absence.

They will be expected to work collaboratively with patients, carers and with colleagues in health and social services to ensure effective service planning, policy and delivery of services to their specific patient group.

They will represent the department at relevant meetings both in and outside the Trust.

The post holder will contribute to departmental meetings, and lead complex audit and regularly undertakes research activities in specialist area.

Establish cross site links and flexible working practices. They will be responsible for planning and delivering highly specialist training to other therapists, professionals and Patient/Carers on all aspects of sensory, perceptual, physical and functional skills.

To participate in the weekend working rota (1 in 5 weekends - days are rostered off in the week following weekend working).

About us

London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust (LNWH) cares for the people of Brent, Ealing, Harrow and beyond.

Our team of more than 8,200 clinical and support staff serve a diverse population of almost one million people.

We run major acute services at:

• Northwick Park Hospital: home to one of the busiest emergency departments (A&E) in the country. The hospital provides a full range of services including the country's top-rated hyper-acute stroke unit and one of only three hyper-acute rehabilitation units in the UK
• St Mark's Hospital: an internationally renowned specialist centre for bowel disease
• Ealing Hospital: a busy district general hospital providing a range of clinical services, as well as 24/7 emergency department and urgent care centre, and specialist care at Meadow House Hospice
• Central Middlesex Hospital: our planned care site, hosting a range of surgical and outpatient services and collocated with an urgent care centre.

We are a university teaching NHS trust, in recognition of the important role we play in training clinicians of the future and bringing the benefits of research to the public.