Occupational Therapist

This is an exciting opportunity for a Community Occupational Therapist who is looking to use their experience of reablement/rehabilitation to work with people in a short term Rehabilitation and Recovery Bed base for them to return to their own home. Due to internal promotion of our existing Occupational Therapists we now have three vacancies for Community Occupational Therapists.

In Leeds there are 3 Rehabilitation and Recovery Beds that support people who are unable to go straight home following a hospital admission. You would join a team of 9 Occupational Therapists who work alongside colleagues across Health and Social Care, including Physiotherapists, Nurses and care staff to promote independence and a return to a person’s own home. The Recovery Hubs are developing a rehabilitation‑focussed culture with all staff that fosters a 24‑hour therapeutic approach.

We are looking for an Occupational Therapist with proven assessment skills, with a strength based personalised approach, who can carry out Occupational Therapy assessments of people with a range of needs, to develop, implement goal led outcome planning. The Occupational Therapists work alongside the support workers to ensure that a person achieves their outcomes and regularly review their progress. The Occupational Therapists take the lead in discharges for those people who are returning to their own home.

Occupational Therapists will also need to bring skills in moving and handling, both including in risk assessment and in identifying solutions to reduce risk which consider the needs and personal outcomes of disabled people and their families. The Recovery Service is part of Leeds Moving and Handling to ensure optimised care, including single handed care principles, are used. Professional supervision and line management are provided by a Disability Team Manager, who is a registered Occupational Therapist. CPD is supported including through peer groups.

Occupational Therapists have a role in shaping and developing the service and there will also be other opportunities to be involved in development work within Recovery Hubs. We provide opportunities for all our registered Occupational Therapists to support student education and to gain skills in the supervision and support of new graduate Occupational Therapists. Occupational Therapists are given half a day a month for their CPD. The Occupational Therapists work on a rota, of early and late shift covering 8am to 8pm over 7 days. The rota will involve working some weekends. The salary attracts a rota enhancement.

All posts need to hold a degree/diploma in Occupational Therapy and be registered with the HCPC. We encourage our staff to grow their career with us, from students and newly qualified Occupational Therapists through to senior and experienced managers. Continued Professional Development (CPD) is at the heart of our practice and staff are given half a day a month to develop this. There is a clear career progression pathway and work to ensure that there is the right balance between support and challenge in all roles.

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

• a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
• membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
• flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
• a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
• a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

Please click apply to complete the online application form on Leeds City Council's recruitment platform. For more information or an informal chat about the role please contact Richard Chana, Disability Team Manager – 07712 217147 or email Richard.chana@leeds.gov.uk.

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check against the Adults’ barred list will be carried out on preferred candidates. We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa. If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visa route before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Ensure you are eligible before applying.