Clinical Occupational Therapist | East London NHS Foundation Trust
| Posting date: | 14 November 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | £47,810 - £54,710 per annum |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 28 December 2025 |
| Location: | Bedford, MK40 2NT |
| Company: | East London NHS Foundation Trust |
| Job type: | Contract |
| Job reference: | 7601263/363-BED7601263 |
Summary
Are you an experienced occupational therapist ready for a Band 7 mental health role? Join a supportive and forward-thinking service that values clinical leadership, innovation, and professional growth.
We are seeking a motivated Band 7 Occupational Therapist who is passionate about recovery-focused mental health practice, confident in their clinical and leadership abilities, and able to work both independently and within a multi-disciplinary team. You will manage a small caseload based primarily at Florence Ball House, collaborating with colleagues to deliver high-quality care across Bedford and surrounding areas.
In this role, you will take on leadership responsibilities, deputising for the Head OT when required, supporting service development, and promoting occupational therapy within evolving community mental health transformation models. The role also includes leading groups and workshops, and liaising with the local Recovery College Manager to support collaborative initiatives.
You will receive regular supervision, access to service-wide CPD events, and opportunities for specialist training through our structured appraisal process. We also offer a Band 7 Support and Development Programme to help you refine your leadership and clinical expertise while making a meaningful difference within our dynamic mental health service.
To provide an Occupational Therapy (OT) assessment and treatment service to clients within inpatient and/or community settings as required. To co-ordinate with other members of the multi-disciplinary and occupational therapy team and provide clinical supervision as required.
To take a lead role in service and staff development within local and wider service. To provide strong leadership and specialist knowledge and skills to ensure robust and evidence based occupational therapy service.
To take a lead on developing and maintaining links with relevant, statutory and non-statutory agencies throughout Luton & Bedfordshire.
To work closely with other professionals and partners in supporting the development and delivery of a Recovery Pathway; with the aim to reduce the need for hospital admissions and support successful recovery focused care transitions within mental health service.
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
You will receive regular managerial and professional supervision and as a service, we also provide monthly opportunities to participate in OT Service-wide CPD events and peer development groups. Professional development and training are actively encouraged through the appraisal process.
The postholder will use advanced clinical reasoning to assess the impact of clients’ mental health difficulties on their occupational areas and performance. They will apply specialist knowledge to conduct occupational/vocational assessments, one-to-one, and group interventions. The role involves undertaking specialist assessments of daily living skills to determine functional ability, risk factors, and accommodation needs, contributing to discharge planning and community care plans.
The postholder will promote and apply evidence-based practice, keeping updated on developments in adult mental health OT. They will lead clinical effectiveness activities, including audits, research, and contributing to Clinical Interest groups.
Additionally, the postholder will represent the service in meetings in the absence of the Head OT, contribute to service development priorities, and oversee day-to-day management decisions. They will assist with staff recruitment, provide supervision, training, and advice, and support the development of local policies.
In collaboration with the Service Head OTs, the postholder will take a leadership role in the development of the OT service, promote user involvement in service development, and ensure services meet the needs of both users and their carers. They will also contribute to staff inductions, attend relevant MDT and OT service meetings, and act as a role model in clinical practice.
Please see the detailed Job spec and description attached
This advert closes on Sunday 14 Dec 2025