Job summary
The Acute Elderly Unit Team in BHRUT are actively recruiting for a motivated and dynamic Band 7 Occupational Therapist to join our team at Queen's Hospital in Romford, Essex.

The team covers 3 Acute Elderly wards and are part of the Frailty service provision. Working in a fast-paced environment, you will have the opportunity to expand your clinical knowledge and be expected to supervise and educate more junior staff.

You will be required to demonstrate strong leadership skills and be confident to work as an autonomous practitioner with a focus on complex assessment and discharge planning with robust decision-making essential for efficient patient flow. You will be familiar the assessment of patients with diverse presentations and complex physical, cognitive and psychological health conditions within elderly and medical specialities to develop and deliver treatment and discharge plans. The team is an integrated service with Occupational therapy, with staff working to develop an enhanced therapy role. You will be supported in your role directly by the Clinical Specialist OT. Peer support will be provided by the existing Band 7 Physio's and OTs and plenty of CPD opportunities are available.

If you have the skills outlined above and want a rewarding opportunity where you will be encouraged to influence and develop services whilst being valued and supported, then apply today. Band 6 to 7 development post may be considered.

Main duties of the job

• To provide specialist standard of Occupational Therapy service to patients within the acute elderly units with a special focus on the assessment of the acute elderly patients, facilitating and maximising patient potential within the service boundaries using a holistic approach.
• To give highly specialist guidance, advice and education to other members of the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) on matters relating to your specialist area.
• Provide leadership for your team (in conjunction with the Clinical Leads) in planning, coordinating, delivering, and evaluating the Occupational Therapy service provided to patients within your area.
• To provide a lead role in teaching, supervising and appraising peers, Band 6, Band 5, Student Occupational Therapists and Generic Therapy Assistants
• To deputise in the absence of senior colleagues as required both within management and clinical areas.
• To contribute to the running and development of the service through the promotion, adaptation and development of policies, procedures and guidelines using evidence-based practise.
• Undertake supervision, mentoring and performance development plans to promote clinical and professional effectiveness of self and others. This includes performance management, management of disciplinary issues in liaison with Therapy Manager.

About us
We're an organisation that is getting better and better and our improvements are driven by a determination to deliver care we're proud of and our patients are happy with.

They are benefitting from a new electronic patient record (we were the last acute trust in London to introduce one) and our maternity services have been rated good by the Care Quality Commission.

We operate from two main sites - KGH in Goodmayes and Queen's Hospital in Romford. We have two busy emergency departments with more than 346,000 people visiting them last year. We're campaigning to secure the £35m we need to transform the A&E at Queen's and get rid of corridor care.

We're proud of our regional Neurosciences Centre, Radiotherapy Centre and Hyper Acute Stroke Unit. We're also part of the North East London Cancer Alliance.

We run a Women's Health Hub in Ilford; an Ageing Well Centre in Hornchurch; and Community Diagnostic Centres (CDC) at Barking Community Hospital and at St George's Health and Wellbeing Hub. These CDCs are open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The majority of our 8,400 staff - who come from 146 different countries - live in the three diverse London boroughs we serve and are from black, Asian and minority ethnic groups. Many can work flexibly and more than 400 of them are on our Ofsted accredited apprenticeship programmes. We're proud to be a London Living Wage employer.

Details
Date posted: 02 November 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 7
Salary: £55,524 to £62,652 a year Per Annum Inclusive
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 162-8087-CCS
Job locations: Queen's Hospital, Rom Valley Way, Romford, RM7 0AG, United Kingdom

Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential

• Degree/Diploma in Occupational Therapy
• H.C.P.C. Registration
• Evidence of recent and relevant CPD.
• Appropriate post graduate study in specialist field.

Desirable

• RCOT Membership.
• Evidence of completion of statutory training.
• Leadership training
• Member of appropriate specialist interest group.
• Willingness to continue post graduate training.

Skills/Abilities
Essential

• Advanced knowledge of a wide range of issues (physical, cognitive, environmental, social and political) impacting on the process of treating and discharge planning
• Strong knowledge of acute medical conditions, and their impact on cognitive, physical & social functioning
• Highly skilled in the assessment and treatment of patients presenting with common pathologies including dementia, delirium and falls
• Demonstrate up to date knowledge of best practise and current research in acute elderly/frailty and medical care
• Highly skilled in the application of relevant cognitive assessments to inform OT treatment planning and intervention in a medical setting.
• In depth knowledge of community services provided by Primary Care and Social Services
• Ability to organise, prioritise and delegate
• Ability to demonstrate leadership and supportive supervisory skills
• Evidence of teaching skills
• Ability to use own initiative
• Knowledge and understanding of the Mental Capacity Act and experience in carrying out Mental Capacity Assessments in accordance to the Mental Capacity Act
• Understand the legal responsibilities of the profession and their implications for practice
• Understand clinical governance and its implications for service delivery and demonstrate evidence of its application i.e. audit
• Ability to communicate complex and sensitive information (verbal, non-verbal and written) in accurate, clear and logical manner
• Ability to work at moderate to intense physical effort throughout the day
• Ability to cope working in a stressful environment and with emotional or aggressive patients and carers

Desirable

• Competent IT skills.
• Presentation skills
• Evidence of developing service provision.

Experience/Knowledge
Essential

• To have a broad base of experience at Band 5 and Band 6 levels or equivalent
• Proven clinical experience in the relevant field of acute frailty during Band 6 rotations in an acute hospital setting.
• Experience of working closely with community services to facilitate early discharge from hospital
• Training of junior staff and MDT in relevant conditions, treatment and management.
• Supervision of Junior staff
• Evidence of treating patients with complex needs
• Training of students on placements

Desirable

• Recent clinical experience and knowledge in spinal patients
• Experience of working in early discharge teams such as Discharge To Assess/Home First

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such 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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website. From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details
Employer name: Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust
Address: Queen's Hospital, Rom Valley Way, Romford, RM7 0AG, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.bhrhospitals.nhs.uk/

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Band 8a Clinical Specialist OT, Laura Kalanzi, l.kalanzi@nhs.net, 01708435000

Apply through our website to submit your application.