Job summaryAre you a newly qualified Band 5 Occupational Therapist or about to graduate?
Or are you wanting Band 5 experience in a busy acute hospital in a joint therapy team.
We have the job for you.
We are looking for an enthusiastic, well-motivated Occupational Therapist to join us in the Therapy department at Northampton General Hospital, part of the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire group for a 9 month fixed term contract until June 2027. The post will involve working as part of the joint therapy team (OTs, Physios and Support Staff) with rotations including Acute Medicine, Elderly Care, Urgent Care and Frailty, Surgery, Trauma and Orthopaedics, Stroke, Respiratory and Hand Therapy. The successful candidate would be expected to work as part of our 7-day service where weekend working will be required.
As a Band 5 clinician within the team you will be required to take part in delivering a quality Occupational Therapy Service working closely with other members of the Multidisciplinary Team including Physiotherapy, Technical Instructors, Nurses, Medics and the Hospital Complex case discharge Team.
Main duties of the jobTo provide a professional Occupational Therapy service to patients on own caseload, under the supervision of senior colleagues.
Rotations include: Surgery, Acute Medicine, Elderly Care, Stroke, Hand therapy, Trauma and Orthopaedics, Urgent Care and Frailty and Respiratory.
To actively contribute to the discharge planning process by selecting and implementing appropriate assessments and interventions to address the needs of patients including those with an acute illness, following injury or surgery and those with chronic disease, palliative illness or undergoing a period of acute re enablement.
Work closely with physiotherapy colleges and the wider MDT
Support the team in the day to day running of the therapy service
Provide effective input into the work of the Trust, to support the achievement of our vision and values.
About usPlease submit your application as soon as possible, as we reserve the right to close adverts once sufficient applications have been received.
We recognise that AI tools can support application writing; however, candidates are asked to keep their use to a minimum. Responses should reflect your own experience, skills and knowledge, as over-reliance on AI-generated content may result in generic answers that do not accurately represent your abilities.
University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN) brings together Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust. As a group, we are committed to improving services for our communities through collaboration, modernising care delivery and striving for excellence. Working together enables us to share expertise, strengthen services and create greater opportunities, and there may be a requirement to work across sites depending on service needs.
Our Excellence Values are Compassion, Accountability, Respect, Integrity and Courage. UHN welcomes applications from all backgrounds and is committed to an inclusive working environment. We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and hold the Gold Award under the Employer Recognition Scheme. Candidates who identify as members of the Armed Forces community and meet the essential criteria will be guaranteed an interview.
DetailsDate posted: 21 September 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 5
Salary: £32,073 to £39,043 a year per annum pro rata
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 9 months
Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working
Reference number: 265-8179383-CSS
Job locations: University Hospitals of Northamptonshire, Northamptonshire, Northampton, NN15BD, United Kingdom
Job responsibilitiesSupporting Clinical and Patient excellenceUnder the regular supervision of senior Therapy colleagues, select, plan and implement assessments and treatment interventions for patients either in the hospital or in their own home or community setting.
Use clinical reasoning to balance risk, safety, patient choice and eligibility for services
Manage a caseload on designated ward/s, seeking guidance from Therapy colleagues as required
Assess patients function for safe discharge, referring on to appropriate community services
Assess and prescribe equipment, adaptations, ongoing rehabilitation and care provision as appropriate and necessary for a safe discharge from the service.
Carry out assessments within patients homes as appropriate within departmental guidelines
Communicate effectively with patients, family members, carers, members of the multi-disciplinary team, Therapy colleagues and other agencies
Provide support to patients and carers, sharing information to enable them to make informed decisions regarding Occupational Therapy recommendations and discharge arrangements
Advise patients and carers, through demonstrating the safe use of equipment or other techniques to optimise the patients functional ability, safety and independence
Liaise with health and social care professionals and other related statutory, private and voluntary organisations, providing verbal and written reports and referrals where appropriate, in accordance with data protection principles
Respect the individuality, values, cultural and religious diversity of patients and contribute to the provision of a service sensitive to these needs
Exercise good personal time management, punctuality and consistent reliable attendance
Submit accurate timesheets within set department timescales for additional hours worked
In the absence of Therapy colleagues through planned or unplanned leave, work flexibly to meet the prioritised needs of the Therapy service both within the specific clinical areas and across all service areas
Work to identified guidelines and eligibility criteria relating to the provision of home adaptations, equipment and wheelchairs to ensure equity of service to all patients
Give guidance and training to Therapy Support Workers and Administrative Support staff where required
Assist Therapy colleagues in the induction, training and education of other staff and students within the Therapy services
Maintain accurate and up to date records of clinical interventions, consistent with legal and organisational requirements
Provide formal clinical reports for the multi-disciplinary team as required
Collect, record and submit accurate clinical and personal statistical data in line with departmental requirements and guidelines
Participate in the Therapy in-service training programme, taking the lead in designated sessions as appropriate
Regularly attend and participate in Therapy service staff meetings
Identify own learning and development needs with support from senior Therapy colleagues, contributing to the production of a Personal Development Plan
Build an ongoing Continuing Professional Development portfolio, reflecting on and recording learning outcomes of development opportunities
Demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate current Occupational Therapy research and apply this to practice in conjunction with the Therapy team
Contribute to audit and research activity within the Therapy Service as appropriate
Review and reflect on own practice and actively participates in regular supervision and annual appraisal
Corporate responsibilitiesBuild safe working knowledge of all equipment used to provide safe patient care and participate in maintenance and training.
People/Management ExcellenceContribute to the Therapy Service governance arrangements and to the work of selected departmental groups (eg Risk Management, Health & Safety)
Delegate work tasks appropriately to Therapy Support Workers and Administrative Support staff
Supporting Financial ExcellenceTo make the best use of the NSH resources
Professional Responsibilities, Quality Assurance and MonitoringContribute towards service development activities through participation in team meetings and service development sessions
Propose changes to processes and procedures carried out within the Therapy Service to improve effectiveness and efficiency
Comply with departmental guidelines for the safe use, care and maintenance of equipment and stock
Contribute to audit and research activity within the Therapy Service as appropriate
Maintain and develop professional knowledge and skills to ensure fitness to practice as an Occupational Therapist, in line with competencies detailed in the Knowledge & Skills Framework Outline for this post
Comply with the College of Occupational Therapists Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, and the Health Professional Council Standards of Conduct, Performance & Ethics, national and Trust policy, protocols and guidelines
Person SpecificationEducation, Training & QualificationsEssential- Occupational Therapy qualification at degree level (or equivalent)
- Health Care Professions Council Registration (or registration pending)
Knowledge & ExperienceEssential- Experience of assessment, goal setting, planning, implementation and review of Occupational Therapy interventions with patients in a physical setting
- Experience of managing a clinical caseload and prioritising work
- Team working experience
- Awareness of the role of an Occupational Therapist within an acute inpatient NHS hospital
- Evidence of recent continuing professional development activity
Desirable- Experience of conducting cognitive assessments and developing treatment/discharge plans that reflect the cognitive needs of the patient
- Knowledge of the discharge planning process
- Experience of multi-disciplinary team working
- Experience of assessment and provision of equipment, wheelchairs and minor adaptations
SkillsEssential- Skills to communicate effectively with patients, carers, team members, Occupational Therapy colleagues and other agencies
- Self-management skills
- Skills to produce clear and concise verbal and written clinical reports
- Effective team working skills
- Ability to review and reflect on own practice
- Interest in contributing towards staff and service development
Desirable- Ability to drive Trust vehicles for assessments in patient's homes
Disclosure and Barring Service CheckThis 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 SponsorshipApplications 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 RegistrationApplicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer detailsEmployer name: Northampton General Hospital
Address: University Hospitals of Northamptonshire, Northamptonshire, Northampton, NN15BD, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.northamptongeneral.nhs.uk/Home.aspx (Opens in a new tab)
Employer contact detailsFor questions about the job, contact:Deputy Head of Therapies
Tarryn Goode
t.goode@nhs.net
01604544427
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.Applicants must have current UK professional registration. 
