Band 5 Paediatric Occupational Therapist - Fixed Term in Guildford

Number of Positions: 1

Contract Type: Fixed Term - Part Time 1 Year Fixed Term Contract

Band 5 AfC T&C's & NHS Pension +5% Fringe

Weekly contracted hours: 22.5

Location: Guildford

Closing Date: 05/07/2026

Job Category: HCRG - Allied Health Professionals

Service type: HCRG - Children's Services

Business Unit: HCRG - Surrey 0-19

As a Band 5 Paediatric Occupational Therapist, you’ll be part of our valued Therapies Team in South West Surrey, receiving access to exclusive rewards and benefits including:

• Band 5 Agenda for Change Salary with NHS Pension
• Free tea, coffee and milk at your base location
• Membership of My Reward Hub, giving you access to discounts on everyday purchases such as grocery shopping as well as cashback and voucher offers for treats for you and those special to you
• Access to your wages as you earn them to help cover life’s emergencies and avoid overdraft fees or high interest rates
• Online and face‑to‑face help with your mental and physical wellbeing – from healthy recipes and activity challenges through to post‑trauma support, legal, debt and life management help, as well as career coaching and counselling
• Access to eLearning, bespoke career pathways and opportunities for continuing professional development through our ‘Outstanding’ learning and development team, The Learning Enterprise
• An open, just culture where you’re encouraged to have and implement ideas which can help us deliver our purpose: changing lives through transforming health and care – backed up by at least £100,000 of ringfenced innovation funding each year

Join our dedicated Children’s Therapy Service as a Band 5 Paediatric Occupational Therapist, where you will play a key role in helping children reach their full potential. As an important member of our multidisciplinary team, you will provide high‑quality Occupational Therapy assessment, clinical reasoning, diagnosis and intervention for children with a wide range of developmental, physical and functional needs. You will work closely with families, carers and other professionals to support effective self‑management, promote independence, and ensure every child receives compassionate, personalised care. This is a rewarding opportunity to build your skills, contribute to meaningful outcomes, and make a real difference in children’s lives every day.

Base: Our Children’s Community Health Team provision supports our Surrey-wide service, and you will be based in the southwest quadrant of Surrey working from The Jarvis Centre, our clinical/administration hub in the Guildford area, as well as our clinical delivery site. HCRG Care Group is a flexible‑first employer; whilst you will have an office base, our teams are agile and work in flexible/hybrid arrangements. This is a fixed‑term contract for 12 months.

Main Responsibilities

• Carry out assessments, differential diagnoses and personalised treatment plans, providing a range of therapeutic interventions and evaluating outcomes.
• Offer clear, sensitive advice to children, families and carers to support understanding, progress and self‑management.
• Recommend, source and train families and school staff in the safe use of specialist equipment.
• Work collaboratively with parents, teachers, health and social care colleagues – attending joint sessions, case conferences and community visits where required.
• Support children with a wide range of needs, including complex presentations, and plan appropriate therapy blocks, consolidation periods and safe discharge pathways.
• Adapt your approach to meet each child’s individual, cultural and communication needs.

Caseload & Service Delivery

• Independently manage and prioritise your own caseload across the team’s geographical area, working flexibly to ensure equitable access to the service.
• Ensure compliance with all safety, quality and safeguarding procedures, including completing incident reports when required.
• Participate in team meetings, supervision and mandatory training.
• Contribute to service performance targets and support the wider team where needed.
• Provide clear, professional written reports, including supporting Education, Health & Care Plans (EHCPs) and annual reviews.

Ideal Candidate

• Degree/Diploma in Occupational Therapy and HCPC registration.
• Post‑graduate training or experience related to child development, neurodevelopmental conditions, ASD or ADHD.
• Evidence of ongoing CPD and experience working with children in paediatrics.
• Ability to use a range of assessments, analyse results and create SMART, individualised therapy plans.
• Good knowledge of child development, paediatric OT interventions, specialist equipment and postural management.
• Strong MDT working skills and understanding of safeguarding, EHCP processes, and moving & handling guidelines.
• Clear written and verbal communication, including providing sensitive and complex information to children, families and professionals.
• Confident record‑keeping, IT competence and accurate report writing.
• Ability to adapt practice, problem‑solve, manage time effectively, prioritise workload and work independently with supervision.
• Professional empathy, resilience, awareness of stress and emotional impact, and ability to maintain judgement under pressure.
• Physically able to participate in therapy activities and manual handling.
• Membership of BAOT/RCOT or relevant Special Interest Groups.
• Experience in community paediatrics or working in the NHS.
• Experience delivering training or presentations.

Other Requirements

• Must be a car driver and owner with a valid driving licence.
• We’re a Disability Confident Committed company, so we work to provide facilities, work environment adjustments and technical solutions to be as inclusive of everyone.
• Safeguarding and protecting the children, young people and vulnerable adults that we work with is of the utmost importance. We have policies and procedures in place to promote safeguarding and safer working practices, and everyone who joins the team is subject to a safer recruitment process, including the disclosure of criminal records and vetting checks.