Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Senior Occupational Therapist

The closing date is 30 April 2026

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the staff team at Bluebell House, for an Experienced Band 6 Occupational Therapist (0.6wte). We arelooking for an individual interested in creative and collaborative working and to develop skills in group therapy. You will join the friendly and committed staff team made up of psychology, team lead, arts therapies and peer support.

Bluebell House is a specialist service offering a 3 day a week group programme for people with complex emotional needs and relational trauma.

Our therapeutic model is grounded in a relational environment which promotes service users to understand more about themselves and their interactions with others, and to make changes in their lives.

Our work is informed by attachment and trauma-informed approaches enabling for relational and meaningful co-production.

The post holder will provide specialist OT assessment, plan and deliver interventions for individual service users. Alongside this the post holder will be instrumental in delivering Recovery Through Activity sessions to support recovery from an Occupational therapy perspective.

Our core model is mentalisation-based therapy (MBT) and the successful applicant will be encouraged to access further training and development as part of their role.

All staff are supported through a comprehensive supervision package and reflective practice.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to:

o Contribute to the therapeutic culture of the Bluebell House community

o Provide specialist OT assessments and therapeutic interventions

o Offer supervision to members of the Bluebell House team

o Support with service evaluation, audit and research

A willingness to work as a team member is a core requirement of the role. You will demonstrate experience of and commitment to working with people with complex emotional needs and the ability to use your skills and experience to deliver and develop the therapeutic programme. We particularly welcome applicants who have previous experience working with groups and/or with people with a diagnosis of personality disorder.

The successful applicant will receive regular supervision and group reflective practice as well as access to relevant training. There are opportunities to be involved with developments in the West Sussex Complex Emotional Needs pathway and Community Transformation, as well as local and Trust wide Clinical Academic Groups and professional networks.

About us

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health and learning disability care for children, young people and adults across

Sussex and for children and young people in Hampshire. Staff wellbeing is of central importance in the Trust, and we encourage our staff to develop professionally whilst working in psychologically safe environments.

Working in Sussex:

o Travel easily between coast and countryside, with a blend of picturesque villages and seaside towns

o Embrace the city life with great access to visit Brighton and London

o With easy access to Gatwick and Heathrow and excellent railway links across the UK there is plenty of opportunity for adventure

Bluebell House is based in a dedicated building on the Horsham Hospital site and takes referrals from across West Sussex.

o We promote compassionate leadership, provide you with regular clinical and line management supervision, CPD forums and access toa wide range of training opportunities including:

o A programme of AHP specific training

o Quarterly Occupational Therapy CPD Hubs

o Communities of Practice (OTAGO, Recovery Through Activity, Sensory Strategies etc)

o The opportunity to participate in a range Quality Improvement work and service innovations

o Varied leadership development opportunities

Date posted

17 April 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£39,959 to £48,117 a year PA / Pro rata for part time

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time, Job share

Reference number

354-AN-20935-A

Job locations

Bluebell House

86 Hurst Road

Horsham

RH12 2DR

Job description

Job responsibilities

To plan and provide a range of occupational assessments and treatments that will promote recovery and wellbeing for the people that the post holder works with. To provide occupational therapy interventions for referred clients using evidence based, client centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions.

Working Pattern: 0.6wte within the 9-5, Monday to Friday opening hours of the service.

See attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details.

Please apply using the link in this advert, and do contact us for an informal conversation and to arrange to visit if you would find that helpful. We are really interested to hear from you.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Working Pattern: 0.6wte within the 9-5, Monday to Friday opening hours of the service.

See attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details.

Please apply using the link in this advert, and do contact us for an informal conversation and to arrange to visit if you would find that helpful. We are really interested to hear from you.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Degree/Diploma in occupational therapy
Registration with the HPC as an occupational therapist

Knowledge/Experience

Essential

Experience of multidisciplinary working

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Degree/Diploma in occupational therapy
Registration with the HPC as an occupational therapist

Knowledge/Experience

Essential

Experience of multidisciplinary working

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).