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Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist: Care of Older Adults
Band 7
Main area Care of Older Adults Grade Band 7 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 197-AO8642-A
Site University Hospital Lewisham Town Lewisham Salary £49,387 - £56,515 per annum plus HCAS (pro rata if part-time) Salary period Yearly Closing 14/10/ :59
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.
Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup.
We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 – the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.
Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as “good” or “outstanding” in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.
Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.
LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King’s College London’s GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.
We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the IC in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.
Job overview
Are you an experienced and motivated Occupational Therapist looking for your next leadership opportunity? Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust is seeking a dynamic Band 7 Occupational Therapist to join our Care of Older Adults Team .
This is an exciting opportunity for a clinician passionate about supporting older adults to maximise their independence and achieve meaningful outcomes. As a senior member of the multidisciplinary team, you will provide expert occupational therapy assessment and intervention, clinical leadership, service development, and staff supervision.
As the Band 7 Occupational Therapist, you will lead the delivery of specialist occupational therapy services within Care of Older Adults, managing a complex caseload and supporting timely assessment, treatment planning, and discharge pathways.
You will join a dedicated team committed to delivering high-quality care and improving the lives of older people across our communities.
If you are ready to take the next step in your career and make a meaningful difference to older adults and their families, we would love to hear from you.
Main duties of the job
We are looking for a compassionate, skilled and innovative Occupational Therapist who thrives in a fast-paced acute hospital environment and is committed to improving outcomes for older adults.
As a senior Occupational Therapist, you will be expected to set and maintain high professional and clinical standards across the team by leading through example, promoting evidence-based practice, and fostering a culture of accountability, learning and continuous improvement. You will ensure that patient-centred care remains at the heart of service delivery, supporting staff to achieve clinical excellence through regular supervision, appraisal, coaching and professional development. The post holder will lead and contribute to service audits, quality improvement initiatives and outcome evaluation, using data and patient feedback to identify opportunities for innovation, improve pathways and demonstrate the impact of occupational therapy interventions on patient outcomes. In addition, you will act as a strong advocate for the Occupational Therapy profession, promoting its value within multidisciplinary teams, supporting workforce development, facilitating student education and leadership opportunities, and contributing to local and Trust-wide initiatives that raise the profile of occupational therapy and showcase its vital role in delivering high-quality care for older adults.
Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:
- Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
- Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
- Improving the experience of staff with disability
- Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Job Summary:
To manage a designated case load with complex needs using evidence based/client centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions.
To lead and manage the O.T. teams in Elderly rehabilitation
Maintain records which fulfil legal requirements
To regularly supervise O.T. students on practice placements
To provide leadership for junior staff, through supervision and appraisal
To participate in the planning, development and evaluation of O.T. services within Care of the Elderly team.
To contribute to the maintenance and development of the Trust O.T. Service
To work as part of the wider MDT to achieve client centred goals and facilitate timely discharges.
To develop and evaluate OT services within Elderly care and lead on specific projects.
Key Result Areas & Performance:
1 Clinical
1.1 To assess and treat a specific caseload of patients with complex needs, prioritising efficiently to help prevent re-admissions.
1.2 To apply a high level of knowledge and understanding of the particular clinical area.
1.3 To undertake individual initial screens to identify patient need including areas affecting functional ability, followed by agreed assessment plans.
1.4 To design / plan individual patient programmes to implement oneself or to delegate as appropriate.
1.5 To assess and treat the patient’s personal and domestic daily living functional activity level to maximise independence.
1.6 To select and conduct standardised cognitive and perceptual testing to identify areas affecting functional ability and indicate need for further assessment / treatment.
1.7 To carry out an initial risk assessment where necessary and monitor ongoing risk.
1.8 To assess need and risk factors for hoist and wheelchair provision.
1.9 To carry out home visits with or without the patient to assess environmental risks and functional ability at home.
1.10 To advise on, recommend, make provision for the installation of appropriate aids and adaptations to the patient’s social and physical environment.
1.11 To monitor and evaluate treatment, including using outcome measures, in order to measure progress and ensure effectiveness of the intervention.
1.12 To undertake discharge planning and co-ordination of complex patients.
1.13 To take a lead in the decisions regarding placement after discharge.
1.14 To refer onto appropriate agencies for :- the continuation of treatment, reassessment, monitoring and provision of further adaptations.
1.15 To carry out joint working with others from the Trust and across other agencies.
1.16 To participate in the weekend and bank holiday Occupational Therapy service.
2 Communication
2.1 To communicate effectively with patients and carers, O.T colleagues, multidisciplinary
team members and other agencies.
2.2 To participate ( and take a lead as needed) in the multidisciplinary team meetings and case conferences,
with regard to patient care programmes.
2.3 To advise and educate patients and carers regarding aids and equipment in the home and
2.4 To participate in staff meetings and other meetings (taking a lead as needed) as
directed by the Lead OT.
2.5 To promote the OT role within the Trust and to other agencies.
3 Documentation
3.1 To maintain up to date activity data and activity records in accordance with Professional and
Trust standards.
3.2 To provide reports on home visits.
3.3 To provide specific reports to other agencies as appropriate.
4 Professional Ethics
4.1 To adhere to the COT Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, and all other relevant policies
and procedures. These include maintaining confidentiality and respecting the patient’s dignity,
privacy culture and wishes.
4.2 To provide guidance to junior / support staff on ethical issues.
5 Leadership, Supervision and Appraisal
5.1 To lead and manage the OT team in the specialist area.
5.2 To undertake the supervision and appraisal (IPR / KSF) of junior / support staff as delegated by the Lead OT.
5.3 To provide specialist training on an individual basis.
5.4 To provide advice to junior/support staff and students on a day to day basis as required.
5.5 To deputise for the Lead OT in an absence.
6 Training Staff and Students
6.1 To participate in the planning and implementing (taking a lead as needed) of the induction, training
and education of students and other staff in this setting.
6.2 To be responsible for the supervision and written assessment of OT students on practice placement
on a regular basis.
6.3 To give presentations / training on specialist topics.
6.4 To organise and implement training programmes in specialist area.
6.5 To participate in the organisation and implementation of the basic grade development programme.
Person specification
Circumstances
- Able to participate in the weekend and bank holiday rota.
- Able to work hours prescribed including shift patterns if required (Shifts covering between 8am-8pm)
Experience
- At least three years post registration experience.
- Broad based Occupational Therapy experience
- Specialist experience in the field of Elderly care and Rehab.
- Specialist experience in cognitive assessments.
- Knowledge of wheelchair assessment and provision.
- Experience of working with patients with an oncology or palliative diagnosis.
- Demonstrable ability to analyse and evaluate Occupational Therapy treatment
- Clinical experience in a range of healthcare settings.
- Good knowledge of clinical governance issues.
- Experience of supervising staff and students and the teaching role.
- Evidence of post graduate study.
- Member of a special interest group.
- Use of evidence based practice.
- Clinical experience in a range of healthcare settings.
- Leadership skills
Knowledge
- Good verbal communication skills in the English language.
- Ability to keep clear precise records which meet legal requirements in the English language.
- Clear concise report writing.
- Ability to reflect and critically appraise own performance.
- Ability to organise and respond efficiently to complex information
- Able to plan, prioritise and manage a caseload.
Qualifications
- Diploma/Degree in Occupational Therapy
- HPC registration
Personal Qualities
- Flexible and innovative
- Able to lead a team.
- Able to be assertive and act on own initiative.
- Ability to work under pressure
- Integrates well within teams.
- Calm and reliable.
- Good interpersonal skills with ability to establish good rapport with patients and carers.
As a local employer and anchor institution we work closely with our community to recruit locally and we welcome applications from the widest variety of people to ensure our workforce are reflective of the local communities which we serve. We encourage all suitable candidates to apply including if you are Black, Asian or other ethnic minorities, live with a disability (visible or not) or are LGBT+. We have a number of active staff networks including Disability, LGBT+, Multicultural Inclusion and Women’s staff networks to bring staff together and celebrate diversity across our whole workforce.
Please note: Information provided during recruitment and pre‑employment checks must be accurate. Misrepresentation may be investigated as fraud and could lead to withdrawal from the process, professional sanctions, or criminal action.
Please note: that sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route is subject to Trust allocation and UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) approval.
Use of AI in recruitment: We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support the initial review of applications against the essential criteria for this role. Where AI is used, it will support rather than replace human decision-making, and applications will remain subject to appropriate human review.
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.
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