Rotational Occupational Therapist in Milton Keynes

Become part of our team. We care for you as much as you care for others. There’s a place for you at CNWL. We’re passionate about delivering first-class patient-centred, safe and effective care, whether it is in a hospital setting, in a community clinic or in the patient’s own home. Patients are at the heart of everything we do.

Providing top quality care depends on our ability to employ the best people. We’re always looking to recruit outstanding people who will go the extra mile to support our patients, colleagues, teams and the Trust. With every new employee we’re hoping to find our future leaders and we’ll support our staff by providing opportunities to develop your career.

Home 1st is a large interdisciplinary community rehabilitation service focused on promoting independence, preventing unnecessary hospital admissions, and supporting timely discharge from hospital. We provide rehabilitation across community settings, helping people maximise function and maintain independence within their homes and local communities.

Working alongside Physiotherapists, Community Nurses, and AHP Support Workers, you will deliver person-centred care in patients' homes, inpatient rehabilitation units, community venues, and hospital settings. As a Band 5 Rotational Occupational Therapist, you will manage a defined caseload, using evidence-based approaches to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate treatment programmes. You will work autonomously with regular supervision and support from Senior Occupational Therapists.

The successful candidate will contribute to a high-quality Occupational Therapy service and have opportunities to support and supervise Occupational Therapy students on placement. This permanent rotational role offers experience across a range of integrated community and rehabilitation services, including:

• Community Therapy
• Inpatient Rehabilitation
• Staying Steady (Falls Prevention)
• Pulmonary Rehabilitation

You will rotate across Home 1st services within agreed timeframes, developing a broad range of clinical skills and experience to support your professional growth and career development.

Main duties of the job

Key Responsibilities:

• Work within Trust, RCOT and HCPC professional, legal and ethical standards, maintaining accountability for practice.
• Undertake occupational therapy assessments using interviews, observation, standardised tools and available information to identify needs and priorities.
• Use clinical reasoning to develop client-centred goals and deliver evidence-based interventions.
• Manage and prioritise a caseload of varying complexity, monitoring and adapting interventions to achieve agreed outcomes.
• Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams, carers and partner agencies to coordinate care and manage referrals.
• Prescribe, delegate and monitor rehabilitation programmes delivered by rehabilitation assistants, providing education and support to carers and staff as required.
• Maintain competence in community moving and handling, proactively manage risk, including lone working, and ensure accurate, timely record keeping in line with Trust policies and confidentiality requirements.
• Contribute to service development, audit, outcome measurement and quality improvement initiatives.
• Maintain an up-to-date CPD portfolio and undertake designated departmental responsibilities.
• Work flexibly across Trust sites and participate in rotational opportunities to support service delivery and professional development.

CNWL is committed to delivering safe, effective, high-quality services and a positive experience for patients and their families.

Why Join Home 1st?

This is an excellent opportunity for newly qualified or early-career Occupational Therapists to build a broad range of skills within a supportive multidisciplinary team. You will gain experience across the rehabilitation pathway, work with diverse patient groups, and help deliver person-centred care in the community.

We offer:

• A rewarding role where you can make a real difference to patients, carers, families, and local communities.
• Ongoing professional development, training opportunities, and supportive supervision to help you grow in your career.
• A safe, inclusive workplace that promotes health, wellbeing, equality, and respect.
• Flexible working opportunities where service needs allow, supporting a healthy work-life balance.
• Fair and equitable treatment, free from discrimination, with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion.
• Opportunities to influence service development and contribute to decisions affecting your role and patient care.
• Encouragement to share ideas, drive innovation, and help improve outcomes for patients and services.

Join Home 1st and become part of a team dedicated to delivering high-quality community rehabilitation while supporting your professional development and long-term career progression.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Band 5 Occupational Therapist will contribute to the provision of safe and reliable services by:

• Using their clinical judgement and risk assessments to keep the people using our services as safe as possible.
• Safeguarding people by recognising and responding when an adult or child might be at risk from abuse but also recognising their own limits and asking for help and escalating concerns when necessary.
• Escalating safety concerns and by doing so acting as effective advocates for those who use our services.
• Being open and transparent about their own practice.
• Supervising the work of others.
• Reflecting on everyday practice to identify areas where improvements in safety or quality can be made.
• Working with others to create a culture of continuous improvement.
• Maintaining compliance with their mandatory training requirements.

The HCPC plays an important role in safeguarding the public by regulating the work of Occupational Therapists and you are expected to register with the HCPC each year and adhere to the HCPC Code of Conduct.

Clinical Outcomes

The Band 5 Occupational Therapist will contribute to the effectiveness of services by:

• Providing skilled, evidence-based therapy which adheres to agreed policies and procedures.
• Working with patients and families in all stages of the care planning process including assessing risks and needs.
• Acting as patient advocates in the multi-disciplinary team and overseeing the work of others to ensure that they are also responding to the needs of patients and providing clinically effective therapy/care.
• Working as autonomous practitioners and taking responsibility for the therapy/care they give to patients but within their own limits of competency and confidence.

Contributing to creating and maintaining high performing teams by:

• Communicating well with all members of the team.
• Understanding their role in the team and how they help the team achieve its' objectives.

The Band 5 Occupational Therapist will contribute to the people using our services feeling respected and empowered to make decisions about their health and wellbeing by:

• Working in partnership with patients and their families and carers.
• Gaining consent and, as far as possible, involving people in all decision making.
• Signposting patients and carers to supportive services e.g. the courses provided by the Recovery and Wellbeing College or services provided by the local authority or the voluntary sector.
• Reassuring people by being professional, responsive, knowledgeable and confident.
• Responding to complaints or concerns effectively and quickly in line with the Trust policy.

Supporting Yourself and Others

Engaged staff are more productive and the Band 5 Occupational Therapist plays a role in engaging in other staff members in the Trust and the work we do by:

• Providing supervision and annual appraisals to other staff which helps those staff reflect on their work, understand their objectives and monitors their progress towards achieving them.
• Participating constructively in their own supervision and annual appraisal processes.
• Using continuing professional development funds to consolidate or improve clinical skills and to gain mentorship skills so they can support student nurses.

Person specification

Education and Qualifications:

• HCPC registration
• Degree in Physiotherapy
• Demonstrate/evidence of recent continuing professional development
• Full UK driving licence. Access to a car for work.
• Membership of recognised and relevant professional body

Experience:

• Previous experience of working in the NHS
• Ability to manage own workload, determine priorities and make autonomous decisions
• Experience in Community/ Acute /Stroke/ Rehabilitation / Frailty settings

Skills and knowledge:

• Effective written and oral communication skills
• Planning and coordination of treatment packages
• Ability to work within a team and autonomously in a community setting
• Knowledge of Mental Health conditions
• Ability to maintain standards of record keeping in line with local policies
• Ability to problem solve
• Ability to hold and manage delicate conversations
• Confidence in basic IT skills

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):

AI can be used as a support tool, not a replacement for the applicant’s own work. Applications must remain personal, accurate, and reflective of the candidate’s real experience. AI-generated content must not misrepresent skills, qualifications, or experience. Over reliance on AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances of success.

Please note that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is prohibited during the interview process. The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

Due to the high response levels we receive for some vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date and advise you to submit your application as soon as possible. Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.

Before submitting your application and to avoid disappointment please check that you are eligible under the UKVI points based system. Our Agenda for Change employment contracts are subject to a contractual 13 week probationary period. If you are offered a job, information will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.