Senior Practitioner Occupational Therapist in Southampton

Are you an experienced Occupational Therapist ready to take the next step in your career? We are seeking a passionate and skilled Senior Practitioner Occupational Therapist to join our Reablement Team and help build a sustainable service, focussed on supporting individuals with new or increased care needs to achieve meaningful goals. This is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference in adult social care, working collaboratively with colleagues and partner agencies to deliver high-quality, responsive, and professional services that lead to positive outcomes for adults with care and support needs.

The main purpose of the role is to deliver an Occupational Therapy Service within adult social care to support a therapy led approach within reablement. You will work with colleagues and partner agencies to ensure a high quality, responsive and professional social care occupational therapy service leading to positive outcomes for adults with care and support needs.

The Successful Applicant Must Be:

• Innovative, creative and solution focused.
• Enthusiastic about driving improvements and providing excellent social care.
• Committed to personal development and sharing best practice.

We offer a robust supervision and appraisal framework within social care and opportunities for training and development. You will need effective interpersonal skills and to show skills to support a flexible and positive approach to problem solving.

Key Responsibilities:

• To deliver an Occupational Therapy Service within adult social care in line with social care statutory responsibility.
• To work with colleagues and partner agencies to ensure a high quality, responsive and professional social care occupational therapy service leading to positive outcomes for adults with care and support needs.
• To prioritise therapy referrals based on the principles of good risk management and service eligibility criteria.
• To monitor systems for allocations and case closures.
• To be responsible for the professional supervision of Occupational Therapy staff and Occupational Therapy students, as agreed with the Team Manager and according to the requirements of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists.
• To advise and, where possible, teach methods of carrying out daily activities to help individuals overcome a disability and promote independent living.
• To recommend and provide, where appropriate, standard, specialised and moving and handling equipment and give guidance to clients and their carers in its use.
• To work closely with colleagues in health care teams, private and voluntary sectors, and other directorates, to achieve the best possible outcome for clients and their carers.

All Occupational Therapy Staff are required to adhere to the professional standards of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists and HCPC registration requirements.

What We’re Looking For:

• BSc Occupational Therapy, Diploma in Occupational Therapy or equivalent (WFOT recognised).
• Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
• Extensive knowledge of relevant legislation and at least four years’ post-qualification experience in Health or Social Care.
• Proven experience in managing and supervising staff, as well as handling complex caseloads.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills.
• Commitment to safeguarding, equality, and continuous professional development.
• Ability to travel around the city.

Why Join Us?

• Be part of a supportive, innovative team committed to delivering outstanding social care.
• Opportunities for professional development, supervision, and training.
• Make a tangible impact on the lives of adults and their families in our community.
• Competitive salary and benefits, including contractual car user allowance and enhanced DBS check.

What We Can Offer You:

The salary band for this role is £47,181 - £51,357. The starting salary is £47,181 with annual progression through the salary bands.

Here at SCC we have a range of different benefits, a few examples can be found below:

• Death in service benefit of x3 salary, and optional salary sacrifice shared cost AVC (additional voluntary contribution).
• Generous holiday 25–31 days, based on role and service.
• Flexible working options (role-dependent).
• Family-friendly policies - Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Shared/Unpaid Parental Leave, Time off for Dependents.
• Training and development, including coaching and mentoring.
• Health and wellbeing support - Employee Assistance Programme, Menopause Pledge, Mental Health First Aiders and access to a variety of staff networks.
• Veteran-friendly employer with the Armed Forces Covenant.
• Retail discounts and savings through the Southampton City Council benefits platform.
• Discounted memberships at local sports and fitness centres.
• Sustainable travel benefits - low emission car scheme, cycle to work, season ticket loans.
• Employee volunteering scheme with 2 paid days leave to volunteer.