Community Occupational Therapist

University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay has a firm commitment to strengthening the diversity of our workforce, and therefore welcomes and encourages applications from likeminded individuals who can support our ambition to become effortlessly inclusive. We are particularly keen to hear from protected groups including BAME, LGBT+ and people with a disability.

We are looking to recruit a highly motivated Community Occupational Therapist to join our Therapy team in South Cumbria. You would be joining the team at an exciting time as we are in the process of integrating discharge to assess, supported discharge and community therapy services to form a wider team based in the community setting to provide a comprehensive quality service for our service users.

We are a multi-disciplinary team of Community Occupational Therapists, Community Physiotherapists, Assistant Practitioners and Therapy Assistants based from WGH in Kendal. Working closely with the Integrated Care Communities, local GPs, Adult Social Care, Rapid Response teams and hospital discharge teams, we provide rehabilitation and admission avoidance within patients' own homes or care settings, along with CHC assessments. We support people with a wide variety of conditions including frailty and falls, amputees, neurological conditions, orthopaedics, and long-term conditions. We also support undergraduate clinical education for occupational therapy students on placement from local universities.

The service hours are Monday - Friday 8am - 6:30pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am - 5pm.

Main Responsibilities:

• Working independently as an autonomous practitioner supporting occupational therapy pathways, providing therapeutic assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and managing a caseload of patients with frequently complex conditions.
• Assisting in the planning & delivery of team and departmental training and education sessions to foster professional and personal development, with guidance and support from senior staff as needed.

We operate from three main hospitals: Furness General Hospital (FGH) in Barrow, the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI), and Westmorland General Hospital (WGH) in Kendal, along with community healthcare premises including Millom Hospital, Queen Victoria Hospital in Morecambe, and Ulverston Community Health Centre. FGH and RLI offer a range of hospital services, including Emergency Departments and specialist units. WGH provides general hospital services, an Urgent Treatment Centre, and outpatient services.

Our community services for adults are delivered in patients' homes, community centres, clinics, GP Practices, and hospitals. Our goal is to support independence, improve health, and help manage conditions through high-quality care, advice, and support. The team delivers a 5-day service Monday to Friday. Flexibility to travel across South Cumbria and work across different sites is required. Experience in delivering rehabilitation is advantageous.

We offer a comprehensive induction, team support, supervision, and in-service training opportunities.

Education and Qualification:

• Health and Care Professions Council registered OT
• Diploma or Degree in Occupational Therapy approved by the Royal College of OT, UK
• Postgraduate training or experience up to diploma level or equivalent
• Full UK driving licence or equivalent

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience of research or audit
• Membership of the British Association of Occupational Therapists
• Accredited training in risk assessment and management; Practice placement educator accreditation

Experience:

• Relevant post-registration experience as an OT, with knowledge and skills applicable to this role
• Experience in assessment and prescription of aids and adaptations
• Experience supervising OT (Band 5), support staff, or students
• Experience within community rehab settings
• Caseload management and autonomous working experience

Skills, Ability and Knowledge:

• Transferable skills at basic practitioner level with potential to develop into a specialist OT
• Assessment, observation, evaluation, and reporting skills
• Effective team working and relationship building
• Ability to analyze professional and ethical issues
• Work under pressure and recognize when support is needed
• Organizational skills for workload management
• Reflective practice and self-assessment
• Knowledge of health and social care legislation and guidelines (e.g., NSF, NICE)
• Understanding of clinical governance principles
• Knowledge of health & safety policies and risk management
• Understanding of professional conduct and confidentiality
• Good communication skills in English, both written and oral
• Basic IT skills (word processing, email, internet)

Desirable:

• Evidence of multidisciplinary team working
• IT skills

Personality and Personal Qualities:

• Physical ability to meet the demands of the role
• Manual handling and therapeutic handling skills
• Willingness to travel for assessments and meetings
• Commitment to lifelong learning
• Flexibility to work across sites and adapt to unexpected circumstances

Note: Shortlisted applicants will be contacted by email. The role is subject to Disclosure & Barring Service checks. The Trust reserves the right to close the advert early. No expenses are paid for interviews unless specified. Appointments are subject to a 6-month probation period. Support systems and pre-onboarding information are available via https://www.uhmb.nhs.uk/uhmbt-pre-onboarding.

Application Requirements:

• Must have appropriate professional registration in the UK.
• The role is subject to specific legal disclosures and checks.