Job summary
Why might this job interest you? As a Specialist Occupational Therapist, you will be responsible for contributing to the planning, development and evaluation of occupational therapy services within your designated team, including leading specific service development projects.

Main duties of the job
You will be managing service improvements and supporting the ongoing development and maintenance of the Trusts Occupational Therapy Service. You will be responsible for providing leadership through staff supervision, training, appraisal and service development initiatives, as well as supervising and line managing junior staff and supporting occupational therapy students throughout their practice placements.

About us
Here at NHS Professionals, we run England's largest NHS staff bank and are experts at putting people in places to care. Every year we help thousands of dedicated and highly skilled NHS workers enjoy better career opportunities, more flexible shifts, and a healthier work-life balance across our partnered Trusts.

Career Progression access to Learning & Development opportunities, so that you can take on new roles and challenges

Work-life Balance flexible shifts, committed shifts, wellbeing resources and build paid annual leave

Opportunity & Access over 50 partner NHS Trusts to give you the flexibility of choice to work how and where you want

Job responsibilities
Responsibilities of this job role

• To review and prioritise referrals for occupational therapy input, determining the suitability and urgency of requests for service users with complex mental health and learning disability needs, while ensuring clinical decisions reflect presenting difficulties and individual circumstances.
• To establish occupational performance goals collaboratively with service users and incorporate these into their wider care plans, drawing on specialist mental health and learning disability assessment tools alongside standardised and non-standardised methods to identify functional strengths and limitations.
• To deliver tailored therapeutic programmes through individual and group sessions, using graded activities and meaningful occupations to develop daily living skills, encourage vocational engagement and leisure participation, and promote the use of appropriate community resources.
• To undertake regular clinical reviews to measure service user progress, interpret assessment findings and adjust therapeutic approaches in response to changing needs, while identifying potential risks and applying appropriate risk management measures across different care environments.
• To utilise advanced clinical reasoning to address the functional impact of disability, advising service users on lifestyle modifications and practical adaptations to their home, social and physical environments to enhance occupational performance and support greater participation in everyday life.
• To coordinate individual discharge arrangements by liaising with relevant agencies and community-based services, facilitating appropriate onward support and continuity of care, while providing independent clinical opinions when requested to inform complex case discussions and treatment-related decisions.

Qualifications
Essential

• To be successful in applying for this role you will need:
• Diploma or degree in Occupational Therapy.
• Postgraduate training in mental health and/or learning disabilities.
• Up-to-date CPD portfolio with documented evidence of continuing professional development.
• Experience in mental health or learning disability settings, including supervision of staff and/or students.
• Desirable: Leadership and management training, first-line management experience, forensic experience and Sensory Integration training.

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.

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: NHS Professionals Limited
Address: Parklands Hospital, Aldermaston Road, Basingstoke, RG24 9RH, United Kingdom
Employer's website: Apply through our website

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Nikhil Kenchgundi, nikhil.kenchgundi@nhsprofessionals.nhs.uk

Details
Date posted: 12 October 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 6
Salary: £24.61 an hour
Contract: Bank
Duration: 2 months
Working pattern: Flexible working
Reference number: M0042-91703
Job locations: Parklands Hospital, Aldermaston Road, Basingstoke, RG24 9RH, United Kingdom

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.
Applicants must have current UK professional registration.