Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a senior specialist occupational therapist to work as part of an established and dynamic Critical Care multi-disciplinary therapy team.

We seek an individual who is autonomous, forward-thinking and enthusiastic to work with us within the critical care inpatient and follow-up clinic role. The successful candidate will manage a variable clinical caseload with a complex critical care caseload across site and within clinic.

Our large and well-established multi-disciplinary critical care team will support the successful candidate to further enhance and extend their assessment, intervention and complex clinical assessment and rehabilitation within this the critical care environment. The role requires working extended hours (as part of follow-up clinic role).

You will be expected to deputise for the Clinical Specialist when indicated to manage the wider critical care team and clinical support of the service as needed. You will be part of a developing service with excellent quality improvement, research and service development opportunities.

Occupational Therapy in critical care is a new and emerging area and GSTT as part of Kings Health Partners and South East London Critical Care networks are working towards a robust, clinically excellent and evidence based practise occupational therapy service.

Main duties of the job

• To provide a high-quality expert Occupational Therapy service to a specialist caseload of patients on critical care, high dependency units, and patients attending the critical care follow-up clinic.
• To manage a complex caseload within critical care (inpatient & outpatients) using advanced clinical reasoning, critical thinking, reflection and analysis to support assessments, using a client-centred approach.
• To be responsible for providing leadership for occupational therapists within team including junior staff, technical instructors and occupational therapy assistants, through supervision and performance management.
• To assist junior staff in the management of complex cases requiring advanced clinical reasoning.
• To support clinical specialist occupational therapist, and advise on developments within occupational therapy and critical care, and related Trust-wide projects.
• To be responsible for the maintenance and development of own continuing professional development, identifying and contributing to the evidence-base of occupational therapy.
• To educate occupational therapy students on practice placements.
• To apply a client-centred approach and current evidence-base to assess, treat patients and implement, evaluate and document occupational therapy interventions.
• To support the management of the occupational therapy service as required by the Heads of Service.

About us
Guy's and St Thomas' is among the UK's busiest and most successful NHS foundation trusts. We provide a full range of hospital and community services for people in south London and as well as specialist care for patients from further afield including cancer, renal, orthopaedic, respiratory and cardiovascular services.

We have a reputation for clinical excellence and high quality teaching and research. We are part of King's Health Partners, one of eight accredited UK academic health sciences centres. In partnership with King's College London we have dedicated clinical research facilities including an MHRA accredited Phase I clinical trials unit.

Patients are at the heart of everything we do and we pride ourselves on ensuring the best possible patient experience as well as safe, high quality care. We are proud to have one of the lowest mortality rates in the NHS. Following a comprehensive Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in 2019 we maintained our overall rating of 'good'. Our adult community services achieved a rating of 'outstanding'.

The commitment of our 23,500 staff is key to our success. We are one of the largest local employers and we aim to develop and support all our staff so they are able to deliver high quality, safe and efficient care.

Details
Date posted: 02 July 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 7
Salary: £58,133 to £65,261 a year
pa inc HCA
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 196-LIS10587M
Job locations: Guys and St Thomas Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE17EH, United Kingdom

Job description
Clinical

• 01. To be responsible for providing individualised and client-centred assessments to critical care and managing the most complex cases, addressing occupational performance skills, patterns, context and activity demands, in collaboration with patients and carers, as an autonomous practitioner.
• 02. To provide occupational therapy input within the critical care environment which is occupation-focused. This practice will be justice-led and champion equity, diversity and belonging for the critical care caseload, including awareness to the religious, sexual- orientation, cultural and values-based practice of occupational therapy practice.
• 03. To demonstrate a good understanding of physical disability and long-term condition management, including common conditions and treatments in the critical care environment.
• 04. To demonstrate a sound understanding of ventilation and tracheostomies in critically ill patients, in order to safely treat, rehabilitate, goal-set, and plan for onward referrals/ discharges.
• 05. To undertake occupational therapy specialist multi-needs assessments, using complex and advanced clinical-reasoning, demonstrating critical thinking, reflection and analysis, to develop meaningful occupation-focussed treatment plans.
• 06. To carry out specialist complex physical and functional assessments, and interventions, including the use of standardised assessments and interventions, to treat critically ill caseload including but not limited to: Neurological assessment; visual assessment; and upper limb assessment and management, including splinting and oedema management.
• 07. To provide advanced assessment, interventions and advice for critically ill caseload who present with delirium and cognitive impairment, including evidenced-based assessment, intervention and management.
• 08. Prepare and disseminate reports, data and onwards referrals, that can include highly sensitive information regarding clinical examination, assessment, and prognostic indicators for functional performance. This may include recommendations for end of life care, disability management, and inpatient rehabilitation referrals.
• 09. To provide clinical leadership and act as a source of clinical expertise and advice within the critical care and Lane Fox team, and as a resource for other teams as appropriate.
• 10. To develop collaborative treatment plans and goal-setting with patients, carers and colleagues, both in the hospital and patients home environment, demonstrating ethical clinical-reasoning and problem-solving techniques, to determine agreed outcomes, across health and social care.
• 11. To maintain high professional standards, continuously promoting and developing quality improvements initiatives appropriate to the needs of the occupational therapy service and profession.
• 12. To be responsible for the clinical and managerial needs of the caseload, ensuring clinical governance, quality assurance and occupational therapy professional standards are met.
• 13. To undertake complex risk assessments, and to advise others in determining appropriate management, specifically relating to moving and handling, safe use of equipment, pre-discharge access assessments, and home assessments, ensuring safety during occupational therapy interventions, both in hospital and the patients home.
• 14. To understand and apply national guidelines and legislation relating to health and social care in occupational therapy practice.
• 15. To take a lead in developing and implementing clinical training programmes and in-service training for occupational therapy staff and other professionals.
• 16. To lead the occupational therapy critical care follow-up clinic service through the provision of occupational therapy assessment, interventions and social-prescribing, including: onwards referrals; specialist condition management; cognitive assessment; and vocation rehabilitation advice for caseload.

Managerial

• 1. To operationally lead and manage designated occupational therapy staff within the critical care teams, including delegation for the clinical specialist occupational therapist. This includes providing effective guidance, supervision and performance management, including the education and management of students on practice placements.
• 2. To comply with relevant legislation such as Health and Safety, Medical Devices and Data Protection Act, in particular relation to provision of hoists, related accessories, and manual handling equipment.
• 3. To support the clinical specialist and occupational therapy critical care team (and wider occupational therapy department) to champion staff wellbeing, encourage reporting of areas of concern, and promote access to trust support structures where required.
• 4. To contribute to the Trusts, Directorates and Teams Clinical Governance and Quality assurance programmes, setting and monitoring practice standards within the occupational therapy service, and in liaison with interdisciplinary colleagues.
• 5. To inform the occupational therapy service of changes in clinical practice which may influence occupational therapy service delivery, business planning and strategic reviews, to support the delivery of the annual occupational therapy plan, meeting agreed objectives.
• 6. To ensure accurate and up-to-date records of all professional judgements, decisions taken, and related statistical information, are kept and reported in accordance with occupational therapy policies for both inpatient and outpatient services (critical care clinic).
• 7. To participate, as required, in the recruitment selection and induction of junior occupational therapy staff.
• 8. To participate in the operational planning and implementation of policy and service development within occupational therapy, and critical care, leading on delegated projects.
• 9. To undertake any other duties not listed, commensurate within the Band 7 grade.

Communication

• 1. To articulate and work to the value-base and principles which underpin occupational therapy practice, representing the unique role of occupational therapy in relation to interdisciplinary working.
• 2. To understand and effectively communicate at an advanced level, the emerging role of occupational therapy in critical care, and promote the benefits of the role, including latest evidence-base and guidelines, to the wider MDT.
• 3. To use advances interpersonal skills to communicate challenging and sensitive information, with regards to prognosis and recovery, ensuring additional measures are taken for vulnerable patients, or where there may be barriers to understanding.
• 4. Utilise formal and informal reporting mechanisms, including electronic reporting, to ensure effective communication across health and social care, including representation at multidisciplinary collaborative forums and networks.
• 5. Use effective interpersonal skills to encourage and to motivate patients and carers active participation in the occupational therapy process.
• 6. Use verbal and non-verbal communication to receive and disseminate complex clinical information in all therapeutic, educational programmes and professional contexts, acknowledging sensitivity, and utilising approaches appropriate to the complexity of the context or culture.
• 7. Maintain confidentiality consistent with Trust and Service policies.
• 8. Act as an advocate on behalf of patients and carers, by adopting a client-centred approach, to support meaningful participation in occupations and life roles.

Professional Development

• 1. To maintain professional status and competence at a senior level, taking responsibility for keeping own knowledge and skills up-to-date, by engaging in and directing continuous professional development and lifelong learning, in line with HCPC professional standards.
• 2. To actively participate and facilitate internal and external post-registration education programmes.
• 3. Use supervision monitoring and performance development plans to promote clinical and personal effectiveness of self and others.
• 4. Share expert acquired clinical knowledge and skills with colleagues and peers, both at a local and national level.

Research Audit and Quality

• 1. To commit to evidence-based practice by undertaking and contributing to audit projects and research opportunities, relevant to occupational therapy within critical care and the follow-up clinic.
• 2. To participate in Therapies Directorate research forum and activities, to develop research knowledge and skills base.
• 3. To develop designated occupational therapy service audit reporting findings and actions, at local and directorate levels.

Person Specification
Knowledge/Qualifications
Essential

• Degree or diploma in Occupational Therapy
• HCPC registration

Desirable

• Masters level or equivalent training in specialist area
• Significant practical experience, research, or publication in specialist area

Experience
Essential

• Evidence of clinical knowledge of the interplay of disease process and functional wellbeing
• Experience should include a varied range of clinical experiences & rotations in an acute hospital setting
• Evidence of continuing professional development and post registration education and training
• Experience of audit/research or service evaluation
• Ability to supervise junior staff and students
• Evidence of a high standard of performance in a range of clinical skills in physical disability and cognitive impairment

Desirable

• Experience in critical care
• Experience in neurology
• Experience in general medicine ie. cardiology/ respiratory
• Outpatient experience
• Symptom-management experience
• Experience of research
• Quality improvement training ie. practitioner level

Other
Essential

• Adherence to Royal College of Occupational Therapy and HCPC guidelines and codes of ethics and professional conduct
• Membership of Royal College of Occupational Therapy
• Reliable work record

Desirable

• Membership of professional body
• Membership of Specialist Section groups ie Critical Care Forum

Skilla and abilities
Essential

• Specialist knowledge, understanding and application of Occupational Therapy process relating to client centred practice
• Specialist knowledge, application and analysis of standardised assessment tools
• Demonstrate sound techniques in applying a wide range of specialist sensory, physical and manual assessments and treatments
• Ability to work autonomously, acting decisively on behalf of self and others, setting own priorities
• Experience of working within multi-disciplinary diagnostic and intervention services
• Ability to manage individual and team performance
• Ability to promote clinical excellence in self and others
• Demonstrate clinical leadership skills and excellent team building skills
• Proven organisational and management skills
• Demonstrates ethical reasoning and critical reflection
• Committed to improve the experience of service users, appreciating complexity of context, culture of equity, diversity belonging
• Proven experience in the training, teaching and supervision of others
• Proven experience in developing and providing education and teaching programmes to other professionals and students
• Ability to apply Clinical Governance principles to practice
• Implementation of national initiatives and legislation relating to Health and Social Care and occupational therapy
• Ability to work to deadlines and under pressure
• Ability to positively manage exposure to patients and environments which may be distressing, antagonistic, open to aggression and unpleasant
• Ability to manage and recognise differences of opinion in both patient related and inter-professional settings, coping positively with inter-professional tensions/ barriers
• Demonstrate ability to motivate and manage teams through change positively
• Computer literacy

Personal qualities
Essential

• Ability to work flexibly
• Leadership qualities
• Proactive, self-directed, with innovative approach
• Demonstrate excellent communication and interactive skills
• Ability to manage conflict positively
• Acceptance of responsibility for self and others
• Commitment to lifelong learning

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.

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. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.

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

Employer details
Employer name: Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Guys and St Thomas Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE17EH, United Kingdom
Employer's website: Apply through our website

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Clinical Specialist Occupational Therapist
Julie McCarthy
Email: Julie.mccarthy14@nhs.net