Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust
Occupational Therapy Assistant
The closing date is 15 November 2026
Job summary
As a provider of care for people of all ages with mental health and community health needs, we are committed to delivering high-quality, person-centred care close to where people live and tailored, wherever possible, to individual needs.

Are you passionate about supporting people and looking for an opportunity to develop your skills within an inpatient mental health setting? We have an exciting opportunity for an Occupational Therapy Assistant to join our established team at Lynfield Mount Hospital, working on Clover Ward, our mixed Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for adults aged 18-65.

As an Occupational Therapy Assistant, you will work alongside the wider Occupational Therapy team to support patients through a range of meaningful therapeutic activities, both in groups and on a one-to-one basis. You will also assist with specialist clinical assessments and support patients to work towards their individual recovery goals.

This is an important and rewarding role where you will help ensure patients have a positive and therapeutic experience during their time in hospital. You will need to be confident in building professional and therapeutic relationships, working with people who may have complex needs and supporting effective risk management within the ward environment.

Main duties of the job

• Under the direction of Senior and Clinical Practitioners (Occupational Therapy), carry out occupationally focused interventions based on specialist occupational assessment including individual and group work.
• Takes leadership from Assistant Practitioners and Senior/Clinical Practitioners within a delegation framework for agreed tasks. This will include supporting with a clinical caseload within the service.
• Ensure high standards are maintained in a safe environment, which promotes equality and sensitivity for all individuals.
• Ensure patient safety is maintained and patient experience is positive by treating all patients, family, relatives and colleagues with respect, dignity and courtesy in accordance with Trust values.

Closing Date: 15th November 2026
Shortlisting Date: W/C 16th November 2026
Interview Date: TBC

About us
Everything we do is underpinned by our core values:

• We Care - We act with respect and empathy, and always value difference
• We Listen - We understand people's views and respond to their individual needs
• We Deliver - We develop and provide excellent services and support our partners

We will consider a variety of flexible working arrangements to enable staff to balance their work and home lives and support staff by offering a fantastic range of benefits including:

• Increase mileage rates for > 4500
• A wide range of health and wellbeing support packages
• A range of internal and external development and learning opportunities
• Plus many more.

We are also proud to pledge our support to the Armed Forces and hold a Bronze Award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.

BDCFT is dedicated to environmental and social sustainability by delivering on the commitments within our Green Plan. All staff are actively encouraged and supported to participate in training and to identify and implement sustainable quality improvement across all service areas and activities.

Please note that the Trust reserves the right to close the vacancy before the closing date if a sufficient number of applications are received. It is in the candidate's best interest to apply as soon as possible.

Details
Date posted: 06 November 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 3
Salary: £25,760 to £27,476 a year
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 453-26-8415799
Job locations: Lynfield Mount Hospital, Heights Lane, Bradford, BD9 6DP, United Kingdom

Job description
Job responsibilities
Please read the attached Job description and person specification for further details about this role.

Right to Work in the UK
Applicants should be aware that for any individual who requires a visa to work in the UK, the Trust provides sponsorship for registered healthcare practitioner roles only. This is an essential requirement of the role, and the Trust is unable to offer you a role if you are unable to meet Trust requirements for sponsorship and Home Office requirements for a visa.

Prior to your appointment you will be asked to provide confirmation of your right to work and reside in the UK. During your continued employment with the Trust, you have a personal responsibility to notify your manager as soon as possible should there be any changes to your right to work status.

Regrettably, if the role is not eligible for sponsorship under the Trusts eligibility criteria, the Trust are unable to extend your employment beyond the expiration of your current visa. The Trust is not responsible or liable for ensuring that your employment continues after this period.

As a condition of continuous employment, it essential you maintain the legal right to work in the United Kingdom throughout the duration of your employment with Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust (BDCFT). Any change in your right-to-work status, including but not limited to visa expiration, revocation, or denial of renewal, may impact your eligibility for employment with the Trust. It is your responsibility to promptly inform your Line Manager of any changes in your right-to-work status immediately and to provide necessary documentation for verification purposes. Failure to obtain or renew your visa in a timely manner is a breach of employment conditions and will result in termination of your employment. We appreciate your attention to this matter and your commitment to fulfilling this requirement promptly.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• NVQ III in care; QCF diploma level 111 or equivalent
• Caring and working with people/children in a health care environment.
• Numeracy and literacy skills at level 2.

Experience
Essential

• Experience of working in Adult Mental Health or Rehabilitation services.
• Experience of dealing with the public

Knowledge
Essential

• Ability to communicate verbal and written English.
• A basic knowledge/understanding of the mental health act.
• Ability to work independently demonstrating initiative, decision making and prioritisation skills.
• Ability to work as part of a team.
• High degree of manual dexterity
• IT skills - word processing, internet
• Demonstrate safe decision making skills commensurate with role.
• Experience of supervising others.

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.

Employer details
Employer name: Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Lynfield Mount Hospital, Heights Lane, Bradford, BD9 6DP, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.bdct.nhs.uk/current-vacancies/

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Lead Occupational Therapist, Huda Sorathia
Huda.sorathia@bdct.nhs.uk
01274494194

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