Sensory Integration Lead

Location: Exeter, EX2 5AF

Salary: £62215.00 to £72293.00

Date posted: 11th March 2025

Closing date: 23rd March 2025

Our professional responsibility is to reduce the risk of infection to others as far as possible. Getting vaccinated against diseases that can be passed person-to-person in healthcare settings is part of this responsibility. The Trust will provide advice, guidance and support on vaccinations and access to vaccinations where requested.

Are you an experienced Occupational Therapist with a passion for Sensory Integration and improving patient care? Devon Partnership NHS Trust is excited to invite applications for the role of Sensory Integration Lead (0.2 WTE, 7.5 hours per week) based in Exeter. This is a fantastic opportunity to contribute your expertise and leadership in Sensory Integration to a Trust committed to delivering high-quality care and driving continuous improvement.

As Sensory Integration Lead, you will provide advanced and expert experience in Occupational Therapy and Sensory Integration, playing a pivotal role in embedding sensory integration clinical governance into the quality improvement and transformation of our Trust Inpatient Services. This role is an essential part of the NHSE national programme of change, aimed at improving mental health services and enhancing care for people with a range of needs.

About You:

• A strong background in Occupational Therapy with a particular focus on Sensory Integration practice.
• Expertise in clinical governance, policy development, and service delivery.
• Experience in providing clinical leadership, consultancy, and training in complex cases.
• A passion for developing new services and contributing to quality improvement initiatives.
• A commitment to evidence-based practice and the delivery of high-quality care.

Main duties of the job:

• Clinical Leadership & Governance: Take responsibility for Trust-wide sensory integration clinical leadership, governance, policy, and strategic service development, ensuring a high standard of practice across the organisation.
• Expert Consultation & Advice: Provide expert advice on Occupational Therapy and Sensory Integration to staff both within the Trust and externally, ensuring best practices and up-to-date strategies are implemented.
• Consultancy & Case Leadership: Lead on sensory integration for highly complex cases, providing clinical leadership and consultancy to staff across multiple services.
• Education & Development: Deliver sensory integration education, supervision structures, and training to support the development of high-quality practice across the Trust.
• Research & Evaluation: Contribute to practice and service development through research, evaluation, and the continuous improvement of clinical services.
• Strategic Enabler: Lead the implementation of new ways of working, particularly through the Occupational Therapy Mental Health Learning Disability, Autism (MHLDA), and Culture of Care quality improvement programmes.

If you are ready to make a difference in a leading NHS Trust, we would love to hear from you.

About us: We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery. We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do.

Our values: We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. These include attributes such as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas. We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part-time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.

Job responsibilities: Please refer to the full Job Description and Person specification attached to this advert which will provide further information on this role.

Person Specification:

• Experience: Extensive experience post qualification with evidenced experience at a senior level within relevant speciality. Extensive experience in supervising qualified therapy staff and students. Extensive experience of working in health care, specifically mental health, Learning Disabilities and Neurodiversity. Substantial experience of working at clinical leadership and/or senior management level.
• Qualifications: Registered with the HCPC. Diploma / Degree in Occupational Therapy. Masters Degree in Sensory Integration or relevant. Or evidence of Masters level learning with Advanced Sensory Integration level. Evidence of further learning in clinical supervision, leadership and management. Commitment to life-long learning. Working to Doctoral level Post-registration training in relevant topic. Membership of (BAOT). Membership of specialist interest group/networks.
• Knowledge & Skills: Have demonstrable experience of developing and reviewing sensory integration services across health services. Demonstrable experience of implementing safe and effective sensory integration pathways across services. Significant experience as a clinical leader with responsibility for the clinical leadership of human and physical resources including the supervision of staff. Evidence of teaching / education delivery to inter-disciplinary health and care professionals in formal and informal settings.

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.