Job summary
Band 6 Specialist Occupational Therapist / Band 5-6 development post would also be considered

Fixed term contract, up to 12 months, to provide maternity leave cover

We are seeking to recruit a Band 6 Occupational Therapist to work within the acute team at the Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle. The post is full time, 37.5 hours per week, worked over 7 days on a weekend working rota with days off in lieu.

The post holder will manage a defined caseload of patients, using evidence based/client centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions in hospital and community settings.

The post holder will work alongside the wider MDT members and community services, providing specialist assessment and treatment and facilitating safe and efficient discharge planning.

They will provide leadership and supervision to occupational therapists and support staff within the team.

They will be required to prioritise and co-ordinate the daily workload of their own and more junior staff members, to ensure rehabilitation is optimised.

They will regularly supervise occupational therapy students on practice placement.

Main duties of the job
They will use evidence based/client centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions. Provide leadership and supervision for occupational therapists and support staff within the team, regularly supervising occupational therapy students on practice placements as appropriate.

The post holder will support the Clinical Team Leads of the service, deputising to certain aspects of the role as required.

The service is part of a strong Occupational Therapy network, with links to the teams at the West Cumberland Hospital, as well as the wider health and social care settings across North Cumbria. This provides many professional development opportunities and there is a strong focus on CPD within the team. You will have access to high quality, regular clinical supervision, and we offer an excellent induction, ongoing professional support and a highly rewarding job to the successful applicant.

About us
At NCIC, we have an ambition to deliver outstanding healthcare services to the population of North Cumbria. The Trust is committed to creating a centre of excellence in providing rural and remote healthcare and provides a wide range of community and acute services throughout our county.

Our 5 key principles demonstrate our belief in the delivery of 'safe, high quality care every time':

• Being a clinically led organisation
• Quality and safety at the heart of our Trust
• A positive patient experience every time
• A great place to work
• Managing our money well

As an organisation we are serious about supporting a diverse workforce that reflects our local community and are very much focused on being an inclusive and compassionate place to work.

Across the North East and North Cumbria we are working together to deliver our ambition to be the greenest region in England by 2030. All staff are expected to support sustainability.

Details
Date posted: 07 August 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 5
Salary: £32,073 to £48,117 a year
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 12 months
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 262-A-26-8192641
Job locations: Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, CA2 7HY, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
JOB DESCRIPTION:
Please see attached job description and person specification for further information regarding the role and the essential and desirable criteria required to be met by applicants.

CERTIFICATE OF SPONSORSHIP:
Please note, due to changes implemented by the Government to the UK immigration policy, individuals who require a Health and Care Visa or a Skilled Worker Visa may no longer be eligible for sponsorship where the UKVI salary threshold is not met or if the occupation is not included in the updated Immigration Salary List (ISL). Applicants must check their eligibility to be employed in any role they are interested in applying for, prior to completing an application for employment. Any applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria will not be progressed. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

If you are applying under the Disability Confident Scheme or Armed Forces Covenant and you meet all the essential criteria for a post, you will be guaranteed an interview.

Relocation assistance may be available for successful applicants moving to the region for certain posts. Please see our Policy for eligible vacancies.

AHP - Return to Practice Job Advert information. This role may be suitable for individuals Returning to Practice. Please speak to the recruiting manager for more information.

Registered Nurses, Midwives and Allied Health Professionals returning to practice, moving into new roles or changing clinical environments, may access an agreed preceptorship period.

Disclosure and Barring Service:
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.

The cost of the DBS must be met by the successful candidate(s) through salary deduction. DBS charges are as follows if applicable to the post:

• Standard Check: £21.50 + Administration cost of £6.50 = £28.00 Deducted from salary over a 4 month period or a one-off payment.
• Enhanced Check: £49.50 + administration cost of £6.50 = £56.00 Deducted from salary over a 4 month period or a one-off payment.

NCIC can offer successful future employees the following benefits:

• 27-day holiday scheme rising to 33 after 10 years
• Flexible working Scheme
• NHS Discounts*
• Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work*
• Excellent opportunities for development*
• Competitive NHS Pension scheme
• Vivup is a free, confidential counselling and information service to assist with personal or work-related problems

*Subject to eligibility

Important Information:
Please ensure that you document evidence of meeting all the essential criteria in the supporting information.

If sufficient response is received this post could be closed earlier than the specified closing date, please apply as soon as possible to ensure that your application is considered.

Candidates who have been successfully shortlisted for interview will be asked via an email notification to log on to their Trac account to select an interview time. This will usually be within 2 weeks of the closing date.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Degree in occupational therapy or equivalent
• Registered as an occupational therapist with the Health Care Professions Council
• Relevant development to postgraduate certificate or equivalent
• Practice Placement Facilitator qualification

Desirable

• Relevant postgraduate diploma or equivalent
• Essential IT skills (EITS) or equivalent.
• Accredited wheelchair prescriber

Experience
Essential

• Rotation within the key acute areas as a band 5 occupational therapist, e.g. elderly, medical, orthopaedics, surgery, neuro rehabilitation and stroke rehabilitation
• Working with specialised occupational therapy equipment
• Assessing for, designing and following cross boundary procedures for provision of adaptations.
• Audit and resultant changes in practice

Desirable

• Evidence of publications
• Supervision of other staff member.
• Research
• Care pathway development

Knowledge
Essential

• Continuing professional development with portfolio
• Current health and social policies, NHS modernisation agenda and how these affect OT services
• Up to date knowledge and awareness of the area of specialist practice
• Relevant national and service guidelines and their application.
• Evidence based practice
• A wide range of models of occupational therapy and their application in a range of clinical settings
• Use of standardised assessment tools
• Quality improvement
• Professional ethics, their use & application
• Risk management
• Multidisciplinary team working

Desirable

• Leadership development or management training
• Relevant training within the specialist area
• Clinical supervision
• Appraisal

Skills and Aptitudes
Essential

• Organisational ability & time management
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to reflect and critically appraise performance
• Effective negotiator
• Ability to work independently and set priorities
• Problem solving skills
• Able to prioritise work to meet deadlines
• Ability to work across other OT specialities to maintain staffing levels
• Ability to gather and analyse information on occupational performance components of patients functioning as part of OT intervention

Desirable

• Presentation and training skills.

Personal Circumstances
Essential

• Team player
• Willing to participate in planned movement at specialist OT (band 6) level.

Desirable

• Commitment to research

Other Requirements
Essential

• Able to travel independently around the area served by the Trust

Desirable

• Driving licence
• Member of BAOT and specialist interest group
• Commitment to service development

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: North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, CA2 7HY, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.ncic.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Deputy Head of Occupational Therapy
Karen Barwick
karen.barwick@ncic.nhs.uk
01228814445

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.