Job summary
Specialist Occupational Therapist
Are you an enthusiastic Occupational Therapist ready to take the next step in yourneurorehabilitation career?
Looking for variety, flexibility, and real opportunities to grow?
Join our supportive and dynamic Community Stroke and Neurological Rehab Service inBedford -- where every day brings a new challenge and every team member is truly valued.
We are offering an exciting opportunity for a Band 6 Specialist Occupational Therapist to joinour well-established and welcoming multidisciplinary team, delivering early supporteddischarge and community-based rehabilitation to adults with stroke and neurologicalconditions across Bedfordshire. You will benefit from flexible working patterns, regularsupervision,CPD time, and a wide range of internal and external training opportunities toenhance your clinical and leadership skills.
Our caseload is varied and rewarding, offering you experience in both short-term intensiverehabilitation and longer-term support, with the chance to develop specialist skills infunctional and cognitive assessment, equipment provision, and patient education.
If you're looking for a role where you'll be encouraged to develop, supported by experiencedclinicians, and able to make a real difference in patients' lives while maintaining work-lifebalance -- we'd love to hear from you.
(Should we receive a high number of applications we reserve the right to close this vacancy at any point after 20-07-2025)
Main duties of the job
As a Band 6 Occupational Therapist within the Community Neurotherapy Service, the post holder is responsible for managing a complex caseload of neurological and stroke patients, delivering specialist, evidence-based assessments and interventions in a community setting.
They will act as a case manager, coordinating multidisciplinary care and supporting patients' rehabilitation and independence through personalised therapy plans.
The role involves effective communication with patients, carers, and professionals across health and social care, as well as providing supervision to junior staff and students.
The therapist will contribute to service development, lead clinical projects, maintain accurate documentation, and work flexibly across different settings, including weekends and bank holidays as part of a rota.
About us
Rated 'Outstanding' by the Care Quality Commission, we are proud to provide high quality innovative services across most of the east of England that enable people to receive care closer to home and live healthier lives.
There's one reason why our services are outstanding - and that's our amazing staff who, for the seventh year running, rated us incredibly highly in the national staff survey.
If you share our passion for innovative and high-quality care delivery, then please submit your application and join us on our exciting journey as a leading-edge specialist community provider. All are welcome to apply and our promise to you is a culture which prioritises staff engagement and development.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main Duties and Responsibilities
To establish and maintain positive interpersonal relationships with other staff, clientsand their carers. Positive relationships are characterised by open communication,trust and respect.
To involve patients and carers in the planning of care/rehabilitation programmes andencourage self-management where appropriate.
To represent the service at county-wide forums.
To ensure all patients and their relatives cultural wishes are respected and theirspecial mental and physical needs are met.
To have a good knowledge of supporting services available to clients from health,social care and voluntary agencies
To provide support and supervision to junior members of staff.
To work a variety of shift patterns which includes weekends and bank holidays on arota basis
Nature of work
To form professional relationships with clients and communicate condition relatedinformation to them in a way that respects their views, autonomy and culture.
To manage and hold accountability for a defined caseload involving specialist andcomplex assessments using evidence-based client centred principles.
To work flexibly across bases within Bedfordshire, including rehabilitation bedded units,as service needs require.
Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust: providing services across Cambridgeshire, Milton Keynes Luton, Norfolk, Peterborough, Bedfordshire and Suffolk
Where barriers to understanding exist staff will need to use tact, motivational negotiatingand reassurance skills. Information received and given may be sensitive and will needto be handled in a empathic and professional manner
To involve patients and carers in the planning of rehabilitation programmes andencourage self-management where appropriate
To have a good level of knowledge of support services within the community.
To safely travel between patients homes and other venues on a daily basis withinstatutory requirements and adhering to relevant policies and guidelines.
To assess and regularly undertake the moving and positioning of patients and equipmentadhering to relevant Trust policies.
To be able to manipulate, set up and demonstrate equipment to clients in their homes.
To have adequate keyboard skills and knowledge of IT systems provided by the Trust.
Planning
To deputise for the senior staffs in matters related to the daily running of the service asand when necessary.
To work in collaboration with patients, relatives, carers and the multi-disciplinary team inassessing, planning, implementing and evaluating care.
To act as a case manager for clients, coordinating their intervention whilst with theservice.
Plan delegation of work to assistant practitioners and rehabilitation support workers.
To arrange for provision of assistive equipment from appropriate agencies as requiredand use equipment PIN numbers responsibly and effectively
To liaise with other services to ensure planned care and intervention as agreed withclients is given.
To have a good knowledge of supporting services available to clients from health andsocial care as well as voluntary agencies in the community
To be responsible for prioritising and organising own caseload, managing conflictingdemands on time.
To participate in and facilitate group work, committees and workshops as required.
To organise and attend multidisciplinary case conferences and liaison meetings as necessary.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main Duties and Responsibilities
To establish and maintain positive interpersonal relationships with other staff, clientsand their carers. Positive relationships are characterised by open communication,trust and respect.
To involve patients and carers in the planning of care/rehabilitation programmes andencourage self-management where appropriate.
To represent the service at county-wide forums.
To ensure all patients and their relatives cultural wishes are respected and theirspecial mental and physical needs are met.
To have a good knowledge of supporting services available to clients from health,social care and voluntary agencies
To provide support and supervision to junior members of staff.
To work a variety of shift patterns which includes weekends and bank holidays on arota basis
Nature of work
To form professional relationships with clients and communicate condition relatedinformation to them in a way that respects their views, autonomy and culture.
To manage and hold accountability for a defined caseload involving specialist andcomplex assessments using evidence-based client centred principles.
To work flexibly across bases within Bedfordshire, including rehabilitation bedded units,as service needs require.
Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust: providing services across Cambridgeshire, Milton Keynes Luton, Norfolk, Peterborough, Bedfordshire and Suffolk
Where barriers to understanding exist staff will need to use tact, motivational negotiatingand reassurance skills. Information received and given may be sensitive and will needto be handled in a empathic and professional manner
To involve patients and carers in the planning of rehabilitation programmes andencourage self-management where appropriate
To have a good level of knowledge of support services within the community.
To safely travel between patients homes and other venues on a daily basis withinstatutory requirements and adhering to relevant policies and guidelines.
To assess and regularly undertake the moving and positioning of patients and equipmentadhering to relevant Trust policies.
To be able to manipulate, set up and demonstrate equipment to clients in their homes.
To have adequate keyboard skills and knowledge of IT systems provided by the Trust.
Planning
To deputise for the senior staffs in matters related to the daily running of the service asand when necessary.
To work in collaboration with patients, relatives, carers and the multi-disciplinary team inassessing, planning, implementing and evaluating care.
To act as a case manager for clients, coordinating their intervention whilst with theservice.
Plan delegation of work to assistant practitioners and rehabilitation support workers.
To arrange for provision of assistive equipment from appropriate agencies as requiredand use equipment PIN numbers responsibly and effectively
To liaise with other services to ensure planned care and intervention as agreed withclients is given.
To have a good knowledge of supporting services available to clients from health andsocial care as well as voluntary agencies in the community
To be responsible for prioritising and organising own caseload, managing conflictingdemands on time.
To participate in and facilitate group work, committees and workshops as required.
To organise and attend multidisciplinary case conferences and liaison meetings as necessary.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- BSc Occupational Therapy or Dip/COT
- HCPC registered Occupational Therapist
- Clear record of post graduate experience
- Relevant post graduate experience in Stroke/Neurology
Desirable
- Stroke or Neuro related clinical courses /trainings
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrated experience in stroke and neurological rehabilitation, including core rehabilitation techniques
- Broad experience treating adult clients with physical illness or disability using a variety of treatment approaches
- Proven ability to work independently and manage a complex community caseload
Desirable
- Previous experience in a community neuro or inpatient stroke rehabilitation setting
- Formal teaching or training experience
- Experience leading service initiatives or contributing to quality improvement.
Skills
Essential
- Experience working independently with a complex and varied caseload in clients' homes.
- Experience working with adults with long-term conditions, neurological or terminal illness, or severe physical disabilities
- Experience working effectively within a multidisciplinary team
Desirable
- Enthusiasm and prior experience working in community-based occupational therapy.
- Experience supporting families and carers in emotionally challenging circumstances
- Leadership or supervision experience within a clinical setting.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- BSc Occupational Therapy or Dip/COT
- HCPC registered Occupational Therapist
- Clear record of post graduate experience
- Relevant post graduate experience in Stroke/Neurology
Desirable
- Stroke or Neuro related clinical courses /trainings
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrated experience in stroke and neurological rehabilitation, including core rehabilitation techniques
- Broad experience treating adult clients with physical illness or disability using a variety of treatment approaches
- Proven ability to work independently and manage a complex community caseload
Desirable
- Previous experience in a community neuro or inpatient stroke rehabilitation setting
- Formal teaching or training experience
- Experience leading service initiatives or contributing to quality improvement.
Skills
Essential
- Experience working independently with a complex and varied caseload in clients' homes.
- Experience working with adults with long-term conditions, neurological or terminal illness, or severe physical disabilities
- Experience working effectively within a multidisciplinary team
Desirable
- Enthusiasm and prior experience working in community-based occupational therapy.
- Experience supporting families and carers in emotionally challenging circumstances
- Leadership or supervision experience within a clinical 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.
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).
