Occupational Therapist-STAR
The closing date is 28 July 2026

Job summary
St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Acute Therapy Service is recruiting to the STAR therapy team, a B7 Occupational Therapist. Working in the Emergency department, Acute medical unit and short stay ward.

If you have the motivation, enthusiasm and desire to develop your clinical skills, already have excellent communication skills plus the ability to work well and flexibly within a team, we will welcome your application.

We will provide you with excellent clinical support from experienced clinicians in all areas, plus a structured in-service training programme to enable you to develop your clinical and professional skills.

You will participate in late shifts and the weekend service.

Main duties of the job

• St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Physiotherapy Service is recruiting a B7 Occupational therapist. Working in our front door therapy team, STAR.
• As a Senior Occupational Therapist in a front-door service your role will be to complete assessments, using evidence based clinical decision-making, managing risk, and driving operational patient flow within the Emergency Department (ED) and Acute Medical Unit (AMU).
• Completing comprehensive assessments, cognitive assessments for delirium and dementia, head injury screening, assessing for capacity around discharge destination.
• Completing onward referrals to community teams neighbourhood teams.
• Participating in MDT boardrounds and acting as a therapy voice for the STAR team.
• Co-coordinating the daily therapy caseload within ED and AMU to meet critical hospital targets, such as the 4-hour emergency standard.
• Supervising B6/5's therapy techs and students.
• Roster and rota management.

About us
St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and St George's, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group form a leading regional healthcare partnership serving populations across Southwest London, Surrey, and beyond. Our integrated hospitals group delivers a comprehensive range of services--from cutting-edge tertiary, trauma, and specialist care to robust community health offerings--to nearly 5 million people, backed by a 17,000-strong workforce.

At our flagship site, St George's Hospital in Tooting--a major teaching hospital and one of the UK's 11 major trauma centres--we drive clinical excellence and research in partnership with St George's, University of London and Kingston University. Our network extends to Queen Mary's Hospital; St Helier Hospital, home to the South West Thames Renal and Transplantation Unit and Queen Mary's Hospital for Children; and Epsom Hospital, which hosts the Southwest London Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SWLEOC). Additionally, St Johns Therapy Centre and The Nelson Centre provide specialised services to a diverse patient base.

Details
Date posted: 14 July 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 7
Salary: £58,133 to £65,261 a year
Per annum including inner london HCAS
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 200-8071380-DE-PT
Job locations: St George’s Hospital, Tooting, London, SW17 0QT, United Kingdom

Please see the attached supporting job description and person specification document, which contains more information about the role and requirements. Please ensure your application refers to the job description and person specification.

The vacancy may close earlier than the advised date, depending on the volume of applicants.

Person Specification
Qualifications and Training
Essential

• oDiploma / Degree in Occupational Therapy
• oHCPC Registration
• oEvidence of Continued Professional Development including evidence of reflective practice, attendance at recent post graduate courses relevant to the clinical field
• oMasters Degree or evidence of working at an equivalent level

Desirable

• oRecognised post-graduate qualification e.g. MSc in Rehabilitation
• oMembership of relevant Special Interest Groups
• oLeadership Training
• oPost graduate management training

Experience
Essential

• oA minimum of 4 years post graduate experience
• oInvolvement in clinical audit
• oA minimum of 1 year's NHS experience (can include undergraduate experience)
• oBroad range of experience at Band 5 and Band 6 level including acute medicine, senior health, neurology, musculoskeletal, and surgery / amputees
• oParticipation in out of hours working
• oKnowledge and experience of a wide range of approaches to the rehabilitation and discharge planning of complex patients demonstrated by advanced clinical reasoning
• oExperience of managing other therapy staff
• oExperience of teaching in a clinical setting
• oExperience of student supervision/ clinical education
• oExperience of multidisciplinary team working

Desirable

• oExperience of working in an Emergency Department
• oExperience of working in acute medicine unit
• oExperience of undertaking post graduate research projects
• oExperience of operational team management
• oExperience of service development and change management
• oExperience of lecturing externally
• oExperience of Intermediate Care Team or community working
• oExperience of Social Services equipment provision
• oCommittee membership e.g. Heath & Safety, safeguarding, Falls

Skills
Essential

• oAble to present information, written and orally, in a clear and logical manner
• oAbility to organise, prioritise and delegate
• oWillingness to lead staff training
• oAbility to work with multi-interdisciplinary team and set team goals
• oAbility to comprehend and work within the Trust's policies of Data Protection, Equal Opportunities and Health & Safety to meet the differing needs of the patients.
• oAbility to keep legible and accurate notes in English in iclip system
• oShow evidence of being self-motivated
• oAble to carry out moderate to intense physical effort throughout the working day and carry out concurrent activities.
• oAbility to cope with working in a stressful and unpredictable environment.
• oResearch skills
• oAble to lead and motivate others

Desirable

• oCompetent IT skills
• oPresentation skills
• oAbility to run courses - internal/external
• oSupervision of other staff e.g. therapy assistant/technical instructor

Knowledge
Essential

• oKnowledge of complex patient management and frailty
• oRemains updated with professional practice and new research
• oUnderstand the legal responsibilities of the profession
• oAwareness of skill mix and service needs
• oUnderstanding of Clinical Governance and the implications for therapy services including experience of quality issues and audit
• oRemains updated on professional practice and new research

Other
Essential

• oPhysically fit and able to comply with Trust Manual Handling Guidelines
• oAble to perform weekend duties
• oProfessional demeanour
• oAbility to work as a team member
• oFlexible, Empathic, Compassionate, Reliable, Logical
• oGood communicator
• oGood time management
• oAble to alter their working patterns to include working extended hours, unsociable hours and weekend working. This may be via additional hours or a shift pattern.

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.

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
STAR team Lead Physiotherapist
Sarah Bentley
sarah.bentley@stgeorges.nhs.uk
02087254310