Job summary
The Community Occupational Therapists provide assessment and treatment programmes to clients living in the borough of Barnet. They provide both Specialist Therapy assessments to clients and offer needs lead individual occupational therapy, they are also responsible for delivering groups in partnership with community teams.

Clients can present with acute or enduring mental health symptoms, and often have other coexisting diagnoses which may include a range of physical diagnoses. Some clients have required hospital admission and may need skilled support in integrating back in the community, a key role of the community OTs.

The therapy role within the team often involves functional assessments and providing professional advice which actively informs the teams risk assessments and future planning with the service users. The team works collaboratively with the wards' Multi-Disciplinary Teams.

The Occupational Therapy Team Lead provides a professional leadership overseeing the Occupational Therapy pathway in the community core hubs in order to ensure that OT's work in partnership with other disciplines and voluntary sector organisations to provide an integrated Occupational Therapy service to service users living in the community.

Main duties of the job

• To lead the Occupational Therapy services across the Barnet Mental Health Teams
• To hold a clinical occupational therapy case load within a designated team and complex case support from all core teams.
• To be a team lead, offering advise and consultation regarding occupational therapy and clinical needs of service users
• To supervise and support professional development of staff and students
• To be an active member of the AHP community across the Community Care Group and wider Trust
• To work with the borough and care group leadership for service development

About us
North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.

Our Five-Year Strategy

• We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.
• With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all
• We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.
• We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology.

Why NLFT?

• We develop and retain our staff through leadership behaviours and managers programme and many more opportunities.
• We promote flexible working and support staff with a range of health and wellbeing initiatives.
• NHS Discounts, generous annual leave and NHS pension scheme
• Excellent internal staff network

In order to meet the needs of the Trust you may be required from time to time to work at different locations to your normal place of work. This may mean that you are required to work at any location that fall under Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey or Islington. The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.

Details
Date posted: 05 November 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 7
Salary: £55,524 to £62,652 a year Per annum including HCAS
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 455-NLFT-8364288
Closing date: 15 November 2026

Job responsibilities

• Manage a specialist and complex caseload of service users with severe and enduring mental illness, including those with physical health comorbidities and complex psychosocial needs.
• Conduct comprehensive occupational therapy assessments, identifying functional needs, risks, and goals.
• Plan, implement, and evaluate evidence-based, person-centred interventions aimed at promoting recovery, independence, and wellbeing.
• Deliver both individual and group interventions, using graded activity and therapeutic approaches to achieve meaningful outcomes.
• Monitor, review, and adapt care plans to ensure interventions remain effective, safe, and responsive to changing needs.
• Support service users to navigate and access appropriate services, including primary care, community mental health teams, and specialist services.
• Apply advanced clinical reasoning to support managed risk-taking, enabling individuals to engage in meaningful occupations safely.
• Promote a recovery-oriented and trauma-informed approach, recognising the impact of trauma, inequality, and social determinants on mental health.

This is not an exhaustive list, please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification for more information on the role requirements and duties.

Person Specification
Qualifications/Registrations
Essential

• Dip. COT/ BSc/ MSc Occupational Therapy
• Registered with HCPC
• Evidence of CPD/reflective practice

Desirable

• Masters or post graduate qualifications in relevant areas
• Sensory Integration training
• Supervision / Appraisal Training

Skills/Abilities
Essential

• Able to use a range of treatment skills; to include cognitive behaviour therapy, goal setting, sensory work, and graded interventions.
• Ability to demonstrate sound clinical judgement and clear clinical reasoning for OT interventions.
• Skilled in relating to people from a range of social and ethnic backgrounds and adapting services to meet these needs.
• Effective written communication skills to include assessment and treatment documentation and formal clinical reports for MD team and outside agencies.
• Ability to manage clinical and managerial demands of time and resources.

Desirable

• Skills in managing complex HR challenges e.g. probation, sickness, performance.

Experience/Knowledge
Essential

• Significant experience of working with people with mental health conditions relevant to specialty of post and knowledge of MH conditions
• To have broad base experience at band 5 and band 6 or equivalent in relevant fields including experience of working with adults with mental health and physical health problems. Completing OT specific assessments, interventions and using OT models of practice.
• Experience of supervising and managing junior staff.
• Experience of working autonomously and being responsible for own practice and managing a varied workload including the ability to prioritise and problem solve.
• Experience of implementing service changes and/or Quality Improvement Projects.

Desirable

• Experience of overseeing, planning, monitoring and evaluating therapy programmes to ensure the most effective use of clinical priorities, within own and team practices.
• Ability to instruct others on professional standards of communication.
• Experience of implementing service changes.

Personal Qualities
Essential

• Ability to promote positive image of OT and service.
• Experienced and passionate about service user involvement.
• Ability to be flexible and adaptable to manage fluctuating work demands.

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. 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.

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

Employer details
Employer name: North London NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Barnet Hospital Springwell Centre, Wellhouse Lane, London, EN5 3DJ, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.northlondonmentalhealth.nhs.uk/

For questions about the job, contact: Head of AHP Community Care Group, Camilla Cox, camilla.cox2@nhs.net