Job summary
Ready to take your career somewhere extraordinary -- where stunning coastlines, wild moors, a supportive and forward-thinking team culture meet?

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 6 Occupational Therapist to join our friendly and supportive Intermediate Care and Community Therapy Team based in Newton Abbot working 33.5 hours per week.

Newton Abbot is a vibrant market town, perfectly located with easy access to Dartmoor National Park, the stunning South Devon coastline, and the cities of Exeter and Plymouth. With great transport links, a lively community atmosphere, and an enviable outdoor lifestyle, it's the perfect place to develop your career and enjoy your time outside work.

You will work as part of an established multidisciplinary team, delivering high-quality occupational therapy services across community and intermediate care settings. This is a unique opportunity to make a real difference to patients' lives while benefiting from strong clinical support and development opportunities.

"This is my dream job. Great team, great location and great patients." - Current Team Member

Main duties of the job
This is a fantastic opportunity to provide high-quality, patient-centred occupational therapy across a range of community settings. You'll work autonomously and as part of a dynamic multi-disciplinary team, which includes nurses, paramedics, physiotherapists, social workers, dietitians, and more.

Your day-to-day will include:

• Delivering high-quality, patient-centred occupational therapy to support rehabilitation and independence at home.
• Managing your own caseload across a wide range of conditions and levels of complexity.
• Working closely with GPs, Consultants, Nurses, Paramedics, Physiotherapists, Social Workers, and other professionals.
• Preventing avoidable hospital admissions and facilitate timely, safe discharges.
• Participating in our supportive weekend and evening rota (no overnight on-call commitment).
• Engaging in internal rotation opportunities, including Urgent Community Response work, to diversify your clinical skills.

About us
Please do spend some time learning more about us via the following link. Care to join us?

• Our Occupational Therapy team is committed to supporting your professional and personal growth.
• Regular supervision, career development support, and CPD opportunities.
• Opportunities to supervise and mentor students, apprentices, and junior staff.
• A positive, flexible, and supportive team culture.
• True work-life balance with Dartmoor, the coast, and vibrant city life all within easy reach.
• Integrated working across health, social care, and voluntary sectors, delivering holistic, person-centred care.
• You'll be joining a team that is passionate about service development and research.

Please note: Priority will be given to applicants with recognised 'Priority' or 'At Risk' status, including NHS staff identified across Devon.

Job responsibilities

• HCPC-registered Occupational Therapist with broad clinical experience, including MSK, neurology, respiratory and elderly care.
• Confident working independently and managing clinical risk, including lone working in the community.
• Committed to high standards of patient care and passionate about working in a dynamic community setting.
• An excellent communicator and team player, able to work collaboratively across a multidisciplinary team.
• An energetic, focused, high performer with initiative, who can remain calm under pressure and who enjoys a challenge

Full vacancy details can be found on the attached Job Description/Person Specification.

Ability to travel efficiently around the South Devon locality is important in order to carry out your duties (e.g. Full driving licence and vehicle).

Please refer to your suitability to the post in your supporting information from the role requirements or person specification.

Qualifications and training
Essential

• Diploma/Degree in Occupational Therapy
• Valid state registration with Health Professions Council
• CPD portfolio and evidence of recent post-graduate learning relevant to area of clinical practice
• Experience within the NHS including experience working in a variety of roles, for example orthopaedics, elderly care and musculoskeletal conditions
• Experience in the NHS working in a community setting

Knowledge and experience
Essential

• Proven post-graduate experience
• Evidence of ability to make decisions under pressure and in stressful situations.
• Pressure care knowledge and prescription of suitable equipment
• Wheelchair Accreditation
• Knowledge and understanding of complex legislation surrounding health and social care
• Understanding of National Service Frameworks for Older People, specifically aspects referring to Stroke, Falls and Intermediate Care
• Student Placement Educators Course
• Evidence of excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Proven ability to work on own initiative and without direct supervision and make autonomous decisions
• Evidence of ability to work within a multi-disciplinary team
• Knowledge of specialised disability equipment
• Therapeutic and manual handling skills
• Detailed understanding of roles of multidisciplinary team members/health and social care agencies
• Understanding of clinical governance issues
• IT skills

Desirable

• Clinical leadership skills
• Recruitment and selection training
• Appraisals and supervision training
• Experience of clinical audit

Specific skills
Essential

• Moving and handling protocols and procedures to include provision of hoists and specialist slings
• Knowledge of vulnerable adults' protocols and procedures
• Risk assessment and management of falls
• Chronic disease conditions
• Orthopaedics
• Neurological conditions
• Elderly care / rehabilitation to include multi-pathology and dementia
• Experience of supervision of junior staff and/or OT students

Desirable

• Experience of using standardised assessments, including specialist cognitive assessments
• Experience of initiating change in the workplace
• Crisis intervention/acute medicine
• Evidence of advanced clinical reasoning skills and proven ability to carry out fast track assessments
• Stroke rehabilitation
• Mental Health conditions
• Community rehabilitation
• Experience of the promotion of inter-agency working
• Experience of seating and postural management

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. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).