Job summary
Are you an emerging Band 5 or an existing band 6 who would like to explore a more rewarding managerial and clinical challenge in a specialist setting?

We have an upcoming vacancy in our Stroke/ neuro in-patient acute team. Static band 6 positions very rarely come up in this area.

We have a fantastic opportunity to a recruit a Band 6 Occupational Therapist to work with the team here at Bedford Hospital. Working as part of an acute Stroke/Neuro team, you will be assessing, treating and supporting the MDT to discharge patients from hospital in a timely manner.

The Occupational Therapy Team specialise in complex assessment and discharge planning throughout the hospital. As a Stroke/neuro Occupational Therapist you will work as part of the larger MDT in order to cover the wards within the Bedford site

The team of Occupational Therapists work closely with the MDT to provide specialist assessments, seating assessments, cognitive assessments, acute rehabilitation and identify needs for equipment and packages of care. You will need to be able to work in an autonomous way to facilitate good communication and effectively link with multiple on site and external teams.

You'll be part of a supportive, well-established team that includes Band 7 Team Leads, rotational Band 5s, and highly skilled therapy technicians. Your caseload will be varied and engaging.

This role is ideal for someone seeking a rewarding blend of clinical challenge, teamwork, and professional growth.

Main duties of the job
You will be working on acute Stroke/neuro/Medical wards treating patients who have experienced an acute Stroke and/or Neuro event. You will also have the chance to work with a broad range of stroke/ neuro / medical patients, including Outlier Stroke patients. You will act as consultants in seating and positioning and interventions for outlying patients with neurological disorders/conditions. Utilising and further developing skills in assessment, treatment planning, goal setting; as well as cognitive assessments using standardised assessment tools.

We also offer robust training opportunities as part of the team and on a wider scale within Bedford Hospital. As a member of the team, you will have the opportunity to provide quality supervision to other team members. You will be part of a team who strive for excellence and quality in all parts of their profession.

You will be providing high quality education to students and trainee OT's and Assistants.

High quality clinical supervision is provided for all our staff. You will be supported with your professional development and training by the Team Managers and the Practice Development Lead.

About us
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available

Our values
We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.

Job responsibilities
The Job Description and Person Specification are attached to this job, please review for the full details and responsibilities

• To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of your work including management of patient caseloads.
• Formulate and develop individual treatment programmes underpinned by sound knowledge of evidence-based practice and using a range of treatment options.
• Use clinical reasoning skills and evaluate outcomes of treatments to continually reassess and develop treatment programmes.
• Establish an accurate prognosis and recommend best course of treatments in addition to developing comprehensive treatment and discharge plans.
• Use a large range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to communicate with patients to progress and gain participation with rehabilitation treatment programmes. This will include patients who have difficulties in understanding and communicating.To be responsible for management of clinical risk of your own caseload.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• HCPC Registered
• BSC Hons Occupational Therapy or Diploma in Occupational Therapy

Desirable

• Leadership course
• Manual handling qualification
• Neuro specific training e.g Bobath

Experience
Essential

• Demonstrable experience working in a healthcare setting
• Understanding and ability to apply process OT
• Experience of MDT working
• Variety of relevant Neuro/Stroke clinical experience

Desirable

• Supervising practice placements for O.T. students
• Previous audit experience

Knowledge
Essential

• IT literate including knowledge of Microsoft office tools
• Demonstrate a pragmatic approach to a range of unpredictable situations
• Professional and customer care skills
• Able to deal with variety of environmental factors
• Ability to prioritise work load and delegate tasks appropriately
• Awareness of Stroke/neuro specific guidelines

Desirable

• Experience of service development

Other
Essential

• Communicating sensitive information to staff, patients or carers.
• Be able to undertake moderate physical effort throughout day

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 (Opens in a new tab).

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. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details
Employer name
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address
Bedford Hospital South Wing
Kempston Road
Bedford
MK42 9DJ
United Kingdom

Employer's website
https://www.bedfordshirehospitals.nhs.uk/working-here/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Therapies Service Manager - Occupational Therapy
Emily Cox
Emily.cox@bedfordhospital.nhs.uk
07407110632

Details
Date posted
21 September 2026

Pay scheme
Agenda for change

Band
Band 6

Salary
£39,959 to £48,117 a year
per annum

Contract
Permanent

Working pattern
Full-time,
Part-time,
Job share

Reference number
418-AHP3207-SSJ

Job locations
Bedford Hospital South Wing
Kempston Road
Bedford
MK42 9DJ
United Kingdom

Supporting documents
Privacy notice
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)