Occupational Therapist / Advanced Occupational Therapist - Yate

As an Occupational Therapist (OT) or an Advanced Occupational Therapist, you will join our Adult Social Care Review team in a dual-graded role, with appointment based on your experience and professional development. Our focus is to support adults to live safely, independently and with dignity in their own homes. Using your professional expertise, you will review existing care and support arrangements, ensuring they remain proportionate, effective and focused on the outcomes that matter most.

Working closely with Social Workers, Social Care Practitioners and health colleagues, you will play a key role in preventing unnecessary escalation of need and reducing reliance on long-term services. The team's core purpose is to deliver high-quality statutory reviews under the Care Act 2014, improving outcomes, promoting independence and enhancing wellbeing. You will work in a strengths-based and person-centred way, collaborating with a wide range of partners to ensure individuals receive the right support at the right time. You will help ensure care packages remain appropriate, lawful and aligned with best value principles, while supporting sound professional judgement and defensible decision-making.

What you will be doing

It will be your responsibility to complete occupational therapy assessments and reviews, primarily within individuals' homes, working with adults and carers to identify goals, strengths and practical solutions. You will review and recommend appropriate interventions, including equipment, assistive technology, minor and major adaptations and moving and handling solutions. Supporting a preventative and reablement-focused approach, you will contribute to timely and effective decision-making, providing proportionate recommendations, including those involving significant financial spend. With access to regular supervision, you will manage your own caseload, prioritising work effectively to meet competing demands. A key aspect of your role will be to provide clear advice and guidance to individuals and carers about available support, while maintaining accurate, timely and high-quality records in line with professional standards and council procedures.

Advanced OT - Additional Responsibilities:

Taking the lead on more complex and high-risk cases, you will apply advanced professional judgement and play a key role in decision-making. Acting as a role model for high-quality, strengths-based occupational therapy practice, you will promote and develop best practice across the team through advice, mentoring and shared learning. You will contribute to workforce development, including supporting and supervising students on placement.

What we need from you

It is essential you hold a recognised Occupational Therapy qualification (DipCOT, BSc/MSc OT or equivalent) and have current HCPC registration. You will bring significant experience working within a community, hospital, voluntary or agency OT setting. We require you to have a strong knowledge of relevant legislation and adult social care practice. With the ability to work independently and with accountability, you will confidently work across agencies to support effective outcomes. As a motivated and reflective practitioner with strong organisational and time management skills, you will be committed to supporting adults to achieve meaningful outcomes.

Advanced OT - Additional Requirements:

It is essential that you have significant post-qualification experience, including working with individuals with complex needs. You must evidence advanced level practice, demonstrating high-quality professional reasoning, sound judgement and leadership in complex situations. We are looking for someone who can take a lead role in supporting practice development, contributing to and promoting high standards across the team.

What you need to know

You will be expected to travel throughout the authority and surrounding area so you must have a full, valid driving licence with regular access to a vehicle or have an alternative means of travel. Business insurance will need to be added to your insurance policy. You can claim back mileage expenses. Please note that due to the nature of this role, it is a requirement of employment that an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is obtained. This role is hybrid, with a mixture of working at our office in Badminton Road, working from home and working within the community.

How a career at South Gloucestershire Council is different

As part of our benefits package, you will receive generous annual leave (pro rata), employee wellbeing support and you will have access to a range of staff discounts, including eye tests, travel, shopping and leisure activities. We recognise that our diverse team of skilled and dedicated people make us a great place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and developed on the basis of their merits and abilities. If you want to develop a specialism, you'll get the support you need and your cases will be aligned with your areas of expertise. Seniors and managers will genuinely listen at panel and will support you to ensure your service users' needs are met. What's special here is the strength of the team ethos. We are a relatively small local authority, so managers know staff well. They can plan their services to ensure teams have manageable caseloads and have effective supervision so feel supported to make decisions which are right for the children and young people they work with. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the safety and welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, ensuring all our staff are given the right skills, knowledge and support to recognise and respond effectively to potential abuse or neglect.

Our teams at South Gloucestershire Council are making a real difference to the lives of people who live, work and learn here. We're building and shaping communities which people are proud of. We're working with the most vulnerable in our community to help them achieve what they want in life. We're investing in our schools to ensure every child and young person in South Gloucestershire achieves their full potential. We've achieved a great deal, but we need talented and dedicated people to ensure we continue to make a difference. We're making a difference, be part of it!