Team Lead Occupational Therapist in Epsom

We are looking for an experienced and motivated Occupational Therapist to join our Integrated Stroke and Neurology Service as a Team Lead Occupational Therapist. This is an exciting opportunity for a clinician with a strong background in stroke and neurological rehabilitation who is ready to take the next step in their leadership journey.

Working across acute stroke services and community stroke outreach, you will manage a varied caseload of patients with complex stroke and neurological conditions, supporting them through assessment, rehabilitation, discharge planning and recovery. You will work closely with a highly skilled stroke multidisciplinary team.

Alongside your clinical responsibilities, you will provide professional leadership and supervision to occupational therapists, assistants and students, helping to develop staff, drive service improvement and promote evidence-based practice. The role offers opportunities to lead audits, quality improvement projects and service development initiatives across the stroke and neuro pathway.

You will be supported by the 8a Occupational Therapy Lead, who will provide professional leadership and supervision, alongside opportunities to develop your clinical, leadership and service improvement skills within the wider stroke and neurology pathway.

Main duties of the job

As a community Neuro OT Team Lead, you will:

• Lead complex caseloads: Manage and prioritise a diverse and highly complex caseload of neurological patients across community settings, ensuring timely and effective interventions.
• Deliver specialist assessments and interventions: Conduct advanced occupational therapy assessments and interventions in various community venues, including patients' homes and care homes, aligning with individual needs and risk factors.
• Ensure professional accountability and quality: Maintain professional and legal accountability for your clinical work, adhering to all relevant policies and professional standards. You will also monitor and support the quality of practice within the team.
• Apply advanced clinical reasoning: Utilise advanced clinical reasoning and evidence-based practice to develop and implement personalized, goal-oriented treatment plans, incorporating therapeutic options, assistive equipment, environmental adaptations, and care services.

Surrey Downs Health and Care deliver care closer to people's own communities through our Primary Care Networks, Community Hospitals, Specialist Services and our innovative partnership of local NHS organisations. Surrey Downs Health and Care has a track record of providing person-centred care that goes beyond organisational boundaries to do what is best for the individual.

This partnership includes:

• The three GP federations GP Health Partners, Dorking Health Care and Surrey Medical Network representing practices that operate in the Surrey Downs area.
• Epsom and St Helier's University Hospitals NHS Trust.
• Surrey County Council.

Historically, there have been boundary lines between the organisations that provide care to people in their homes, in GP surgeries and in hospitals, but we have always been united in our mission to provide great care to the people who need us. It's on those grounds that the Surrey Downs Health and Care was formed - we want local people to receive the care that they need in the right environment. By bringing together our expertise, we can improve patient care and enable local people to access the right support, care and treatment more easily than ever before.

In bringing this partnership together, we are working to the same set of values that will translate into better care for our residents.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To read more information about the advertised role, and the main job duties/responsibilities please open the Job Description and Person Specification located under the supporting documents heading.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Diploma/Degree in Occupational Therapy (OT).
• Current registration with HCPC.
• Post graduate training.
• Undertaken further specialised training, e.g., communication and assertiveness.
• Member of RCOT SSNP.
• Evidence of continuing professional development relevant to post.

Knowledge and Awareness

• Sound knowledge of neurological conditions and rehabilitation.
• Clinical knowledge of all areas within remit of post.
• Awareness of the impact of Clinical Governance on service delivery.
• Broad background of Occupational therapy skills.
• Attendance at relevant training courses, e.g. National Stroke conferences.
• Postgraduate training in neurological rehabilitation or leadership.

Experience

• Substantial NHS experience working in field of Neurorehabilitation.
• Broad experience of Neurorehabilitation - Acute or community.
• Clinical supervision of students.
• Experience of staff supervision.

Skills and Behaviours

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, effective at all levels.
• Skilled in planning and organisation, enabling effective management of a patient caseload.
• Able to use a risk assessment approach to maximise patients' safety and function.
• Lead, develop, and evaluate the service effectively using data collection, audits, and reports.
• Proven experience teaching Neurology, both in formal and informal settings.

Personal Qualities

• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Adaptable and resilient in high-pressure situations.
• Possesses a full UK driving license and access to a car for work purposes.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

We kindly ask that you avoid using AI tools to draft your application. We value authentic, individual responses that reflect your own experience and communication style.

References

Please provide a minimum of 3 years' employment and/or education history, including professional email addresses (not personal accounts such as Hotmail or Gmail). If you cannot provide these, please inform the interview panel to avoid delays in pre-employment checks.

Closing date

To help us manage recruitment efficiently, some vacancies may close early once we have received a sufficient number of applications.

Shortlisting

If you are successfully shortlisted, you will be contacted by email or SMS. Please check your registered TRAC email regularly.

Application feedback

If you do not hear from us within four weeks of the closing date, please assume your application has not been successful on this occasion.

Safeguarding and DBS Checks

We are committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. For roles with direct access to these groups, an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be required. All staff are expected to understand and uphold their safeguarding responsibilities as part of their role.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration. 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.