Advanced Occupational Therapist

We want talented and enthusiastic people from all backgrounds to join TeamMWL, with us you can learn, grow and develop yourself and your career, realising your true ambitions and aspirations. Whatever you’re looking for in your career, you’ll find it here at MWL.

Main area: Therapies

Grade: NHS AfC: Band 7

Contract: Fixed term: 12 months (Maternity Cover until November 2027)

Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week

Job ref: 409-8077186

Site: Whiston Hospital

Town: Prescot

Salary: £49,387 - £56,515 per annum pro rata

Salary period: Yearly

Closing: 26/07/2026 23:59

Interview date: 11/08/2026

Job overview: Clinical Lead Hand Therapist – Occupational Therapist or physiotherapist Agenda for Change Band 7 0.1 WTE 37.5 hours- 12-month Fixed Term Contract – maternity leave cover. An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and motivated Clinical Lead Hand Therapist to join our specialist Hand Therapy Team on a 12-month fixed-term contract. Our established team comprises 1 WTE Band 7 Occupational Therapist, 3 WTE Band 6 Occupational Therapists, 1 WTE rotational Band 5 Physiotherapist, and 1 WTE Band 4 Therapy Assistant.

Main duties of the job: In this role, you will provide expert assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and advice for patients with a wide range of upper limb conditions, including traumatic and soft tissue injuries, degenerative conditions, nerve injuries, and complex scar management. You will work closely with our Plastic Surgery team, supporting consultant-led clinics and providing specialist hand therapy across both inpatient and outpatient settings. The successful applicant will have substantial experience in Hand Therapy and evidence of postgraduate training within this specialist field. You will demonstrate advanced clinical knowledge of hand and upper limb conditions, including advanced splinting techniques, and use evidence-based practice to deliver excellent patient outcomes. You will also play a key role in supporting the development of colleagues, contributing to service improvement, and promoting research and innovation within the team.

We are seeking an enthusiastic, proactive, and compassionate therapist with excellent clinical reasoning, communication, organisational, and time management skills. You will adopt a holistic approach to patient care and be committed to delivering high standards of rehabilitation while keeping patients at the centre of everything you do.

Working for our organisation: Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 10,500 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites. Our services include:

• Acute Care: Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
• Primary Care: Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
• Community Services: Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire.
• Specialist Regional Services: We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.

Achievements: Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018, Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal), National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities: A flexible approach is essential to meet the changing needs of the service. We value individuals who are committed to working collaboratively and who consistently strive to deliver an outstanding experience for patients and their families. This post offers an excellent opportunity to further develop your specialist expertise through protected Continuing Professional Development (CPD), supported by a comprehensive clinical supervision programme. We are committed to investing in our staff and fostering a culture of learning, development, and continuous improvement. Flexibility and adaptability are essential. The successful applicant may be required to work across different sites and, where necessary, support the delivery of community-based services.

In return, we offer:

• A friendly, welcoming, and supportive team environment.
• A structured and comprehensive clinical supervision programme.
• Protected Continuing Professional Development (CPD) time.
• Flexible working opportunities and family-friendly policies.
• Opportunities to contribute to service development, quality improvement, and research.

All appointments are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks, including occupational health clearance and an enhanced DBS check (formerly CRB). Please note that, if appointed, you will be required to pay the cost of the enhanced DBS disclosure in line with the Trust's current policy.

Person specification:

• Degree in Occupational Therapy
• HCPC registration
• Clinical Educators Certificate or equivalent/experience
• MSc in relevant health studies or equivalent qualification/experience

• Advanced clinical knowledge relevant to the care environment and evidence of evidence-based practice in relevant health setting
• Awareness of own strengths and limitations
• Knowledge of relevant national policies and guidance and relevant assessment tools
• Experience of leadership of a team including change management
• Evidence of effective working within an MDT
• Experience of Service development
• Demonstrate experience of problem-solving approaches
• Audit and research in a clinical area
• Demonstrates continuous Professional Development

• Demonstrates ability to motivate team performance to achieve objectives
• Ability to prioritise and work to deadlines
• Ability to communicate effectively in a variety of settings
• Accurate record keeping, report writing and IT skills including presentation skills
• Have a flexible approach to working with good time management

• Ability to travel various hospital locations by own car/assisted driver

Thank you for considering an application to work for Mersey West Lancashire NHS Trust. MWL is an exciting and forward-thinking NHS Trust who are one of the best places to work for in England. Given sometimes we receive a high volume of applications to work for us, please be aware that we may close a vacancy earlier than stated should a sufficient number of applications be received from which a shortlist can be confirmed. Therefore, you are advised to apply at your earliest convenience.

The Trust may contact you during the recruitment process for your feedback on your experience. We always aim for continuous improvement in our practice.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: We actively cultivate a professional environment of fairness, equality, dignity, and respect for all individuals. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds and value the unique skills, perspective and experience you bring. We are grounded in the belief that diversity enhances our collective strength, fostering innovation and excellence within our workforce. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under-represented groups.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we commit to offering an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.

If you are having difficulty completing an online application, or require any disability reasonable adjustments, to the application process, please contact Recruitment@merseywestlancs.nhs.uk.

We also commit to offering an interview to all armed forces veterans who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.

The Trust operates anonymous shortlisting where no personal information about you, including your name or personal details are shared with the recruiting manager. No equality information is shared at any time during the recruitment process with the recruiting manager or other people involved in the decision-making process.

The equality monitoring information you provide is used in the following situations: to review our recruitment practices; where a job is limited to a specific person to verify their eligibility to apply; and to offer disability reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process.

Certificate of Sponsorship: Following the recent update on UK immigration policy for those on a Health and Care Visa or Skilled Worker Visa, please check your eligibility before applying for this post as we may be unable to provide sponsorship.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check: If this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 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. Please note if applicable, applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. If you have not already done so, you are therefore encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service to which a small annual fee of £13 per year applies.

Flexible Working: We actively support flexible working patterns throughout MWL. Changes made to the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook mean that all employees have the right to request flexible working from day one of employment. There is no limit on the number of requests they can make. Employees have the right to make requests, have them considered, regardless of the reason.

At Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, we will consider requests for flexible working. We would also encourage you to discuss flexible working options at the interview stage.

Working for Team MWL: Staff recognition is especially important to us; as well as performance reviews and appraisals, we recognise staff through Employee of the month. Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offers a variety of services. The Trust is a non-smoking across all our sites. Failure to follow this rule could lead to disciplinary action.

You will be expected to undertake the Trust's commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. You must ensure that your application, including personal statements and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own. The Trust will not accept applications which are found to be AI generated and will check all applications against AI detection software.

Additional Information: Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trust's Values and Behaviours which are We are KIND, We are OPEN, We are INCLUSIVE. An applicant guide to help and support you with your application and what to expect during your recruitment journey can be accessed in the supporting documents. Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team MWL very soon.