Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust

Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist; Critical Care

The closing date is 06 January 2026

Job summary

We are delighted to offer this opportunity for an experienced Occupational Therapist to work within the Acute Integrated Therapy Team, managing a caseload of children and young people across Critical Care.

The post holder will carry a complex caseload across ICU, HDU and Cardiac wards, working in partnership with parents, carers, education and other service providers to ensure a child centred approach to therapy.

The post holder will have opportunity to develop the service across critical care, working closely with our specialist Physiotherapy team.

We are looking to recruit a Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist, to work as an autonomous clinician using specialist assessment skills to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions in patients within this specialty who have acute and long term, serious and terminal conditions.

We are looking for a Occupational Therapist with highly developed analytical & judgment skills to be directly involved in the clinical decision-making process as part of the MDT, using and interpreting the results of diagnostic tests to progress the management of the child's condition.

To be directly involved in the clinical decision-making process as part of the critical care multidisciplinary team, providing appropriate advice and education to families and colleagues to promote optimal therapy management.

Main duties of the job

Please see job description for further details.

To work as an Advanced Occupational Therapist within the Critical Care setting, responsible for the delivery of Advanced Occupational Therapy to children within the Critical Care caseload at Alder Hey.

Working with a complex caseload, use advanced clinical reasoning as part of assessment and treatment delivery within the critical care environment. The post holder will be able to lead the specialist assessments of low awareness states, 24-hour postural management programmes, sensory stimulation and early neurodevelopment, based on advanced clinical reasoning skills.

To evaluate demand and service need, to work with Therapy Managers to make recommendations for service growth and efficient delivery.

The post holder will work within the critical care team, to enable the rehabilitation journey to commence at the earliest opportunity, working with children with traumatic or acquired presentations.

The post holder will work with a caseload with diverse presentations and complex conditions, including neurological diagnosis, Intensive Care Unit Acquired Weakness and those with general rehabilitation needs within critical care and stepdown wards.

The post holder will work closely with Physiotherapists and will provide leadership for junior Therapists and Therapy assistants, support service development and quality improvement projects.

The post holder may be required to provide input to other areas of the service as required.

About us

Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust is a major teaching hospital with 270 beds. It is a supra-regional centre for cardiac surgery, neurosurgery and Paediatric major trauma. Alder Hey is one of Europe's busiest children's hospitals and we care for over 270,000 young people and their families every year.

Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust is located in the vibrant city of Liverpool in the North West of England.

Details

Date posted

23 December 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year pro rata per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

411-MED-25-7643825

Job locations

Alder Hey Children's Hospital

Liverpool

L12 2AP


Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see attached job description and personal specification for further details.

1. To be professional and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of own work including the management of caseload. To ensure a high standard of clinical care (for the patients under your management) to maximise function and independence and support more junior staff to do likewise.

2. To demonstrate the ability to carry out specialist occupational therapy assessment and interventions within specialist area of practice. To demonstrate the ability to carry out OT assessment and specialised interventions including manual therapy techniques and therapeutic handling and demonstrate highly developed dexterity, co-ordination and palpatory sensory skills for assessment and manual treatment of patients.

3. Provide expert advice to the MDT team regarding neurodevelopmental assessment and treatment of children, including those with complex presentations; encompassing any musculoskeletal or Respiratory presentations that fall under scope of practice based on clinical evidence.

4. To hold an independent, complex, and highly specialist caseload, being able to highly demonstrate specialist assessment, diagnostic, treatment, and management plans with goals based on advanced clinical reasoning skills.

5. To use advanced clinical assessment and reasoning skills and evidence-based knowledge to assess patients with highly complex conditions. To plan and implement highly individualised therapy programmes to be carried out by the therapist, Assistant, Educational Staff and Carers. To continually monitor, evaluate and modify the programmes to measure progress and ensure effectiveness of intervention for children with changing needs.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see attached job description and personal specification for further details.

1. To be professional and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of own work including the management of caseload. To ensure a high standard of clinical care (for the patients under your management) to maximise function and independence and support more junior staff to do likewise.

2. To demonstrate the ability to carry out specialist occupational therapy assessment and interventions within specialist area of practice. To demonstrate the ability to carry out OT assessment and specialised interventions including manual therapy techniques and therapeutic handling and demonstrate highly developed dexterity, co-ordination and palpatory sensory skills for assessment and manual treatment of patients.

3. Provide expert advice to the MDT team regarding neurodevelopmental assessment and treatment of children, including those with complex presentations; encompassing any musculoskeletal or Respiratory presentations that fall under scope of practice based on clinical evidence.

4. To hold an independent, complex, and highly specialist caseload, being able to highly demonstrate specialist assessment, diagnostic, treatment, and management plans with goals based on advanced clinical reasoning skills.

5. To use advanced clinical assessment and reasoning skills and evidence-based knowledge to assess patients with highly complex conditions. To plan and implement highly individualised therapy programmes to be carried out by the therapist, Assistant, Educational Staff and Carers. To continually monitor, evaluate and modify the programmes to measure progress and ensure effectiveness of intervention for children with changing needs.

Person Specification

Essential

Essential

  • Diploma or Degree in Occupational Therapy
  • HPC registration
  • Experience of working with orthopaedics and burns
  • Evidence of CPD, post registration educational and training
  • Level 7 study or equivalent
  • High level knowledge of a variety of assessments and treatment modalities

Desirable

  • Experience of Supervising Junior Staff and Students
  • Knowledge of specialist paediatric approaches and high standard of performance in a range of general paediatric skills
  • experience of audit
  • evidence of relevant CPD
Person Specification

Essential

Essential

  • Diploma or Degree in Occupational Therapy
  • HPC registration
  • Experience of working with orthopaedics and burns
  • Evidence of CPD, post registration educational and training
  • Level 7 study or equivalent
  • High level knowledge of a variety of assessments and treatment modalities

Desirable

  • Experience of Supervising Junior Staff and Students
  • Knowledge of specialist paediatric approaches and high standard of performance in a range of general paediatric skills
  • experience of audit
  • evidence of relevant CPD

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

Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Alder Hey Children's Hospital

Liverpool

L12 2AP


Employer's website

https://alderhey.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Alder Hey Children's Hospital

Liverpool

L12 2AP


Employer's website

https://alderhey.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Clinical Manager; Therapies

Sarah Gregson

sarah.gregson@alderhey.nhs.uk

Details

Date posted

23 December 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year pro rata per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

411-MED-25-7643825

Job locations

Alder Hey Children's Hospital

Liverpool

L12 2AP


Supporting documents

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