Senior Occupational Therapist Leeds

Job summary

The post holder will work as a Senior Occupational Therapist within the Yorkshire and Humber Mother & Baby Unit, delivering specialist, occupation-focused assessment and intervention for mothers experiencing moderate to severe perinatal mental health needs. The role will centre on enabling women to engage in meaningful daily activities and develop their identity and confidence in their role as a mother, promoting recovery, independence, and wellbeing through both individual and group-based occupational therapy interventions.

Using a holistic, trauma-informed, and strengths-based approach, the post holder will assess occupational performance in areas such as self-care, infant care, routine development, and social participation, supporting mothers to build sustainable skills. They will contribute to multidisciplinary care planning, offering expert Occupational Therapy advice to colleagues and partners, and ensuring occupational perspectives are embedded within care plans and risk management.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will provide expert Occupational Therapy advice and guidance to colleagues and external agencies, contributing to high-quality, recovery-focused care planning and delivery throughout admission. They will ensure that occupational perspectives are central to assessment, intervention, and risk management, supporting the development of meaningful, person-centred outcomes for mothers and their infants.

Working Monday to Friday on a 7.5‑hour rotational shift pattern, the post holder will play an active role in the daily running of the service. They will take responsibility for developing meaningful, occupation-focused care plans, working closely with the multidisciplinary team to translate these into practice. Including enabling staff, such as Healthcare Support Workers and Nursery Nurses, to deliver interventions that promote recovery and engagement in daily life.

About us

The Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) is the main provider of Mental Health and Learning Disability services in Leeds. We also provide specialist inpatient services in York and some highly specialised services across the country. As a teaching trust with strong links to local universities, we are a centre of excellence for teaching, research and development.

There are many benefits of working for LYPFT including fantastic employee wellbeing support, 27 - 33 days annual leave, flexible working and remote working arrangements, the NHS Pension Scheme, coaching, support and opportunities for career development and training and education support alongside a range of exclusive discounts and payment schemes including for cars, extra leave days and more NHS Discount Offers.

• fantastic employee wellbeing support
• 27 - 33 days annual leave
• flexible working and remote working arrangements
• the NHS Pension Scheme
• coaching
• support and opportunities for career development and training and education support
• a range of exclusive discounts and payment schemes including for cars, extra leave days and more NHS Discount Offers

We also have a bank department, offering variety of roles in nursing, allied health professions, healthcare support worker and administration clerical. Permanent employees are automatically added to bank.

Applicants should be aware that individuals requiring a visa to work in the UK, the Trust only provides sponsorship for registered healthcare practitioner roles (this does not include Healthcare Support Workers). This is an essential requirement, and the Trust is unable to offer you a role if you do not meet Trust requirements for sponsorship and Home Office requirements for a visa.

Job responsibilities

The post holder will provide clinical supervision, staff appraisals, and support team coordination, demonstrating leadership through role modelling, teaching, and reflective practice. They will work collaboratively with the Clinical Team Manager to support safe and effective day-to-day service delivery, drive continuous quality improvement, and maintain high professional standards. This includes working alongside the Clinical Team Manager to shape, develop, and embed a robust occupational therapy pathway that underpins service delivery and strengthens the OT contribution within the multidisciplinary team. They will also maintain strong professional networks across the Trust to support service development and the advancement of Occupational Therapy practice.

Qualifications

Essential

• Relevant core professional qualification that is essential for the post - BSc/Dip/MSc OT

Skills

Essential

• Evidence of post qualification development or training.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Can demonstrate assessment and problem solving skills.

Experience

Essential

• Demonstrates a high level of clinical skill, knowledge and experience.
• Minimum of 18 months experience as a qualified occupational therapist.
• Experience of working with mental health.
• Experience of supervising other staff.
• Experience of risk management.

Knowledge

Essential

• Demonstrates a commitment to service improvement with use of evidence based practice.
• Clear understanding of the Occupational Therapy role within perinatal mental health.
• Actively seeks opportunities for personal and professional development.

Values Based

Desirable

• Tell us about a time when you spotted something small going wrong and did something to stop it becoming a bigger issue.
• Tell us about a time when you realised a colleague or someone you know needed a bit of support and you offered to help.
• Tell us about a time when you showed someone kindness or understanding.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

All our information is available in accessible formats. Please contact the Recruitment team recruitment.lypft@nhs.net. Attached to this advert is our candidate guide to values-based recruitment and supporting guidance on how to make a successful application.

If you require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Recruitment Team or see the attached candidate guide to reasonable adjustments.

To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience you’ll need, look at the Job Description & Person Specification attachments under the Supporting Documents heading.

So that you’re even more equipped to make an informed decision to apply to us, you’ll need to take time to read the Candidate Guide to Values Based Recruitment. This document provides you with information to help you apply.