Whittington Hospital NHS Trust

Occupational Therapist

The closing date is 06 June 2025

Job summary

The Haringey and Islington Locality Teams are integrated teams consisting of specialist community rehabilitation therapists and district nurses that work together in an integrated way to support the long-term health needs of adult Haringey and Islington patients.

The Band 7 Occupational Therapy Stroke lead will undertake a team lead role for the Haringey Community Stroke Service, as well as managing a clinical caseload, and will support the Clinical Rehabilitation Lead in planning, modernising and transforming pathways. This role is underpinned by clinical practice, area specific clinical competence, leadership and management, and education.

Minimum hours 22.5, with possibility of increasing to 37.5

Main duties of the job

Please see the Job Description and the Persons Specification for further details about the job role. If you are unable to access the PDF, the details of the job description can also be found in the 'Detailed Job Description and Main responsibilities' section.

POST SUMMARY

To undertake a team lead role on a day-to-day basis to manage the therapy staff in the Haringey Community Stroke service including physiotherapists, occupational therapists and rehabilitation technicians

To work closely with the Clinical Rehab Lead in planning, co-ordinating, delivering and evaluating the Haringey Community Stroke service provided to adults referred to the team for rehabilitation, participating in the design and implementation of audit and policy.

To be responsible for an allocated caseload, delegating duties when appropriate but maintaining overall responsibility for patient caseload.

To be competent in undertaking all stages of the Occupational Therapy process with patients referred to the community service.

To be actively involved in evidence-based practice, Continual Professional Development and clinical audit.

To provide support and clinical supervision to OTs, rehabilitation technicians and students on placement.

About us

Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trustbelieves that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.

Date posted

30 May 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£51,883 to £58,544 a year pro rata per annum inclusive of HCAs

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Job share

Reference number

220-WHT-3103

Job locations

Lordship Lane Primary Care Centre

239 Lordship Lane

London

N17 6HZ

Job description

Job responsibilities

CLINICAL

To be professionally and legally responsible for all aspects of own professional activities. To adhere to and apply The College of Occupational Therapists Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (College of Occupational Therapists 2015)
To independently manage a caseload of complex cases, providing specialist occupational therapy assessment and interventions to clients with complex physical, cognitive and psycho-social needs arising from their medical conditions. To provide this service in the most appropriate setting to the client, e.g. clients homes, workplace and other community settings, working closely with the client, his/her family/carer and other professionals in doing this.
To be responsible for prioritising the occupational therapy referrals within the service to ensure that clients with urgent needs are seen within appropriate timescales.
To establish excellent therapeutic relationships with clients/family/carers to gain their participation in the therapeutic process by employing advanced interpersonal skills (e.g. communication, reasoning, negotiation skills, motivational tactics) and overcoming any barriers to communication (e.g. different languages, lack of understanding of the spoken word, visual or hearing impairments, fear, anxiety).
To assess for and diagnose any functional, physical, cognitive, perceptual, psychological and sensory deficits using functional assessments together with specialised standardised and non-standardised assessment batteries.
Based on the analysis of the assessment and a risk analysis, to determine occupational therapy aims and treatment goals as part of the overall care plan, and then to formulate intervention options which reduce the impact of disability.
To attend MDT clinical meetings and have close liaison with the acute stroke services (NMH, RFH and the Homerton) and the hyper acute service (HASU).
To work closely with the client/family/carers to encourage participation in the therapeutic process. To negotiate and agree decisions relevant to the clients management whilst respecting their diversity. To identify and select with the client/family/carers the most appropriate intervention options, which balance the complex interactions of risk, safety, client choice, independence, areas of conflict, eligibility for services and cost effectiveness.
To develop specialised occupational therapy treatment programmes in collaboration with clients, carers and other involved professionals (e.g. physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, district nurses, clinical lead professionals, home care agencies) to be carried out in the clients home or community as appropriate.
To plan, coordinate and deliver client-centred interventions on either an individual or group basis, using the principles of graded activity and a wide range of treatment techniques e.g. functional and remedial activities, splinting, equipment provision, education and health promotion.
To use specialised therapeutic moving and handling skills in the assessment for complex neurological conditions, recommending appropriate equipment in line with national and local guidelines; including providing advice and training to client/family/carers on correct handling techniques, having undertaken specialised manual handling risk assessments.
To provide specialist assessment for and provision of adaptive equipment such as specialist seating in line with national and local guidelines.
To provide assessments for and where indicated the construction of upper limb splinting for clients in order to promote joint integrity or facilitate function.
To challenge and improve current practice where appropriate, ensuring practice is evidence based.
To provide specialist advice on lifestyles, role, functional abilities, self care and the physical environment after taking account of the effects of any medical conditions on the individual and his/her family/carers, e.g. energy conservation, fatigue management.
To prescribe and coordinate interventionsto be carried out by others, such as rehabilitation support workers or home carers, and to train them to carry out the therapeutic programmes as appropriate to the home or community environment.
To use advanced clinical reasoning, critical thinking and reflection to monitor, evaluate and modify treatment, evaluate outcomes and thus ensure effectiveness of interventions.
To provide verbal and written information to support the clients discharge from the service which informs health and social care providers of the outcomes of interventions and of ongoing health and social care requirements.
To produce accurate and detailed reports, therapy programmes, care plans, advice and information as necessary in a timely manner, reflecting clinical expertise.
To identify and manage the potential difficulties and risks involved in working alone in a variety of community settings (e.g. verbal or physical aggression, challenging behaviour, working in unhygienic environments) and to do this for staff to whom work is delegated. To complete incident forms as necessary.

MANAGEMENT/ADMINISTRATION

To participate in service reviews and policy, guideline and protocol development andchanges to service provision as required by Whittington Health and other services e.g. the stroke association.
To undertake a team lead role on a day-to-day basis to manage the therapy staff in the Haringey Community Stroke service
To be responsible for the day-to-day management and provision of occupational therapy assessments and interventions in Haringey by reviewing the appropriateness of referrals, prioritizing referrals and managing junior staff on a day to day basis.
To identify opportunities, in collaboration with the Clinical Lead, for service development and role re-design
To support senior staff in the development and implementation of the Trusts clinical governance strategy, participating in multidisciplinary audits, investigation of complaints, user involvement activity and other mechanisms of service evaluation and monitoring.
To ensure that the agreed professional and national quality standards of service are maintained by self and designated junior staff.
To collect relevant statistical information and activity data in accordance with Trust, professional and NCL requirements. To ensure that designated junior staff do likewise
To maintain accurate and up to date documentation in multi-disciplinary records which is consistent with legal, professional, organisational and NCL requirements. To be responsible for ensuring that designated staff maintain record keeping standards
To attend and participate in team and professional clinical governance meetings, undertaking tasks which result from these meetings.
To provide clinical leadership to other occupational therapists in the team. To be involved in recruitment and take responsibility for professional support, supervision and appraisal.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

To maintain, develop and update own professional knowledge and skills in relation to Stroke and neurological rehabilitation occupational therapy.
To access further education programmes to develop knowledge and skills, and to share learning with the wider team.
To provide highly specialised advice to Occupational therapy colleagues working in other clinical areas regarding the management of adults with stroke/neurological conditions in the community.
To participate in staff and service development through attendance at meetings and in-service training sessions, including taking a lead responsibility for designated sessions.
To undertake management and leadership training as required.
To participate in mandatory training
To actively participate in regular clinical supervision and yearly appraisal using reflection and analysis to inform practice, develop skills and identify training needs in relation to the needs of the service and personal development.
To provide leadership, support, guidance, teaching, clinical supervision and appraisal to senior/junior occupational therapists and rehabilitationTechnicians.
To act as a Professional Practice Educator and support senior/junior staff with students, providing training and education for occupational therapy students on professional practice placements and to provide written reports for the relevant academic institution regarding the students performance.
To be responsible for maintaining a CPD portfolio which clearly demonstrates that competencies required within the post are achieved and maintained.

COMMUNICATION

To communicate effectively and work collaboratively with therapy colleagues as well as other community services to ensure the delivery of a coordinated multi-disciplinary service.
To communicate simple and complex information verbally and non verbally with the client/family/carers during sessions
Ensure information is understood e.g. where the client does not speak English, has a hearing impairment, altered emotional state, cognitive/learning/emotional disability, or where the client does not understand or accept a clinical decision.
To work with advocacy and interpreting services for families where English is not the first language
To adhere to Trust, professional and local policies and standards in relation to confidentiality.
To work in partnership to develop innovative ways of working, with colleagues within Whittington Health Community services and other organisations (NCL Network).

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

To support in the monitoring of the effectiveness of the community therapy service through the collation and correlation of data for ongoing audit.
Contribute to the evaluation of research findings and disseminate them appropriately, including presentations at study days or conferences.
To support the monitoring of adherence to the stroke strategy within Haringey (Whittington Health).

Job description

Job responsibilities

CLINICAL

To be professionally and legally responsible for all aspects of own professional activities. To adhere to and apply The College of Occupational Therapists Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (College of Occupational Therapists 2015)
To independently manage a caseload of complex cases, providing specialist occupational therapy assessment and interventions to clients with complex physical, cognitive and psycho-social needs arising from their medical conditions. To provide this service in the most appropriate setting to the client, e.g. clients homes, workplace and other community settings, working closely with the client, his/her family/carer and other professionals in doing this.
To be responsible for prioritising the occupational therapy referrals within the service to ensure that clients with urgent needs are seen within appropriate timescales.
To establish excellent therapeutic relationships with clients/family/carers to gain their participation in the therapeutic process by employing advanced interpersonal skills (e.g. communication, reasoning, negotiation skills, motivational tactics) and overcoming any barriers to communication (e.g. different languages, lack of understanding of the spoken word, visual or hearing impairments, fear, anxiety).
To assess for and diagnose any functional, physical, cognitive, perceptual, psychological and sensory deficits using functional assessments together with specialised standardised and non-standardised assessment batteries.
Based on the analysis of the assessment and a risk analysis, to determine occupational therapy aims and treatment goals as part of the overall care plan, and then to formulate intervention options which reduce the impact of disability.
To attend MDT clinical meetings and have close liaison with the acute stroke services (NMH, RFH and the Homerton) and the hyper acute service (HASU).
To work closely with the client/family/carers to encourage participation in the therapeutic process. To negotiate and agree decisions relevant to the clients management whilst respecting their diversity. To identify and select with the client/family/carers the most appropriate intervention options, which balance the complex interactions of risk, safety, client choice, independence, areas of conflict, eligibility for services and cost effectiveness.
To develop specialised occupational therapy treatment programmes in collaboration with clients, carers and other involved professionals (e.g. physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, district nurses, clinical lead professionals, home care agencies) to be carried out in the clients home or community as appropriate.
To plan, coordinate and deliver client-centred interventions on either an individual or group basis, using the principles of graded activity and a wide range of treatment techniques e.g. functional and remedial activities, splinting, equipment provision, education and health promotion.
To use specialised therapeutic moving and handling skills in the assessment for complex neurological conditions, recommending appropriate equipment in line with national and local guidelines; including providing advice and training to client/family/carers on correct handling techniques, having undertaken specialised manual handling risk assessments.
To provide specialist assessment for and provision of adaptive equipment such as specialist seating in line with national and local guidelines.
To provide assessments for and where indicated the construction of upper limb splinting for clients in order to promote joint integrity or facilitate function.
To challenge and improve current practice where appropriate, ensuring practice is evidence based.
To provide specialist advice on lifestyles, role, functional abilities, self care and the physical environment after taking account of the effects of any medical conditions on the individual and his/her family/carers, e.g. energy conservation, fatigue management.
To prescribe and coordinate interventionsto be carried out by others, such as rehabilitation support workers or home carers, and to train them to carry out the therapeutic programmes as appropriate to the home or community environment.
To use advanced clinical reasoning, critical thinking and reflection to monitor, evaluate and modify treatment, evaluate outcomes and thus ensure effectiveness of interventions.
To provide verbal and written information to support the clients discharge from the service which informs health and social care providers of the outcomes of interventions and of ongoing health and social care requirements.
To produce accurate and detailed reports, therapy programmes, care plans, advice and information as necessary in a timely manner, reflecting clinical expertise.
To identify and manage the potential difficulties and risks involved in working alone in a variety of community settings (e.g. verbal or physical aggression, challenging behaviour, working in unhygienic environments) and to do this for staff to whom work is delegated. To complete incident forms as necessary.

MANAGEMENT/ADMINISTRATION

To participate in service reviews and policy, guideline and protocol development andchanges to service provision as required by Whittington Health and other services e.g. the stroke association.
To undertake a team lead role on a day-to-day basis to manage the therapy staff in the Haringey Community Stroke service
To be responsible for the day-to-day management and provision of occupational therapy assessments and interventions in Haringey by reviewing the appropriateness of referrals, prioritizing referrals and managing junior staff on a day to day basis.
To identify opportunities, in collaboration with the Clinical Lead, for service development and role re-design
To support senior staff in the development and implementation of the Trusts clinical governance strategy, participating in multidisciplinary audits, investigation of complaints, user involvement activity and other mechanisms of service evaluation and monitoring.
To ensure that the agreed professional and national quality standards of service are maintained by self and designated junior staff.
To collect relevant statistical information and activity data in accordance with Trust, professional and NCL requirements. To ensure that designated junior staff do likewise
To maintain accurate and up to date documentation in multi-disciplinary records which is consistent with legal, professional, organisational and NCL requirements. To be responsible for ensuring that designated staff maintain record keeping standards
To attend and participate in team and professional clinical governance meetings, undertaking tasks which result from these meetings.
To provide clinical leadership to other occupational therapists in the team. To be involved in recruitment and take responsibility for professional support, supervision and appraisal.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

To maintain, develop and update own professional knowledge and skills in relation to Stroke and neurological rehabilitation occupational therapy.
To access further education programmes to develop knowledge and skills, and to share learning with the wider team.
To provide highly specialised advice to Occupational therapy colleagues working in other clinical areas regarding the management of adults with stroke/neurological conditions in the community.
To participate in staff and service development through attendance at meetings and in-service training sessions, including taking a lead responsibility for designated sessions.
To undertake management and leadership training as required.
To participate in mandatory training
To actively participate in regular clinical supervision and yearly appraisal using reflection and analysis to inform practice, develop skills and identify training needs in relation to the needs of the service and personal development.
To provide leadership, support, guidance, teaching, clinical supervision and appraisal to senior/junior occupational therapists and rehabilitationTechnicians.
To act as a Professional Practice Educator and support senior/junior staff with students, providing training and education for occupational therapy students on professional practice placements and to provide written reports for the relevant academic institution regarding the students performance.
To be responsible for maintaining a CPD portfolio which clearly demonstrates that competencies required within the post are achieved and maintained.

COMMUNICATION

To communicate effectively and work collaboratively with therapy colleagues as well as other community services to ensure the delivery of a coordinated multi-disciplinary service.
To communicate simple and complex information verbally and non verbally with the client/family/carers during sessions
Ensure information is understood e.g. where the client does not speak English, has a hearing impairment, altered emotional state, cognitive/learning/emotional disability, or where the client does not understand or accept a clinical decision.
To work with advocacy and interpreting services for families where English is not the first language
To adhere to Trust, professional and local policies and standards in relation to confidentiality.
To work in partnership to develop innovative ways of working, with colleagues within Whittington Health Community services and other organisations (NCL Network).

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

To support in the monitoring of the effectiveness of the community therapy service through the collation and correlation of data for ongoing audit.
Contribute to the evaluation of research findings and disseminate them appropriately, including presentations at study days or conferences.
To support the monitoring of adherence to the stroke strategy within Haringey (Whittington Health).

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Degree or diploma in Occupational therapy
Registration with the Health Care Professions Council
Attendance on courses related to Stroke

Desirable

Higher degree/MSc. relevant to the area of practice.
Member of the College of Occupational Therapists and relevant Clinical Interest Group1

Experience

Essential

At least 5 years post-registration experience, including extensive rotational experience and evidence of dedicated clinical practice and post-graduate professional development in relevant areas of Occupational therapy.
At least 2 years experience working with stroke at a Band 6 or above.
Experience of working in the NHS
Experience of working within a community setting
Experience of running groups
Experience of taking Occupational therapy students on clinical practice placements
Experience of organising, writing and delivering in-service training programmes.
Experience of supervising junior and non-qualified staff, including participation in personal development reviews.
Experience of involvement in clinical governance/service improvement initiatives
Experience of leading change

Knowledge

Essential

Knowledge of current NHS priorities and policy
Understanding of clinical governance activity and its application to Occupational therapy Services and practice.
Up to date and advanced knowledge of a variety of Occupational therapy concepts and approaches, and of current best practice.
Knowledge of stroke management
Knowledge of other medical conditions which you may encounter including, but not exclusively, mental health, cognitive deficits and conditions of old age.
Knowledge of outcome measure tools relevant to community Occupational therapy, and ability to select and justify their use.
Advanced knowledge of the audit cycle and its uses.
Demonstrate an understanding of responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act and of assessing risk within clinical work.

Skills and Abilities

Essential

Able to communicate highly complex and sensitive information in written, verbal and presentational form to patients, carers and staff within the Trust and across other organisations.
Able to lead, motivate and influence a team, and to describe strategies to support effective team working.
Able to apply problem-solving skills to highly complex situations, which may include clinical or organisational issues.
Highly developed clinical reasoning skills with an ability to develop client centred, realistic and achievable goals.
Understanding of issues involved in offering a service to a diverse community, and of practical ways to ensure that the service is culturally appropriate and accessible.
Able to identify and recognise when to seek advice and support concerning clinical, managerial, professional or organisational issues.
Highly skilled ability and competency in using a range of therapeutic skills including but not exclusively, various assessment techniques, handling skills, manual handling techniques, exercise therapy, and splinting.
Able to identify your own and staff's training and development needs.
Well developed counselling and advocacy skills to support staff, patients and carers.
high level of organisation and planning skills and ability to prioritise caseloads and identify areas of unmet need
Essential IT skills, including Word and PowerPoint.

Other

Essential

Ability to work in the community in patient's homes and to travel around the borough.
Willingness to work on any site as service requirements dictate, and as appropriate.
Commitment to holistic patient management and the promotion and progression of Occupational therapy in the community

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Degree or diploma in Occupational therapy
Registration with the Health Care Professions Council
Attendance on courses related to Stroke

Desirable

Higher degree/MSc. relevant to the area of practice.
Member of the College of Occupational Therapists and relevant Clinical Interest Group1

Experience

Essential

At least 5 years post-registration experience, including extensive rotational experience and evidence of dedicated clinical practice and post-graduate professional development in relevant areas of Occupational therapy.
At least 2 years experience working with stroke at a Band 6 or above.
Experience of working in the NHS
Experience of working within a community setting
Experience of running groups
Experience of taking Occupational therapy students on clinical practice placements
Experience of organising, writing and delivering in-service training programmes.
Experience of supervising junior and non-qualified staff, including participation in personal development reviews.
Experience of involvement in clinical governance/service improvement initiatives
Experience of leading change

Knowledge

Essential

Knowledge of current NHS priorities and policy
Understanding of clinical governance activity and its application to Occupational therapy Services and practice.
Up to date and advanced knowledge of a variety of Occupational therapy concepts and approaches, and of current best practice.
Knowledge of stroke management
Knowledge of other medical conditions which you may encounter including, but not exclusively, mental health, cognitive deficits and conditions of old age.
Knowledge of outcome measure tools relevant to community Occupational therapy, and ability to select and justify their use.
Advanced knowledge of the audit cycle and its uses.
Demonstrate an understanding of responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act and of assessing risk within clinical work.

Skills and Abilities

Essential

Able to communicate highly complex and sensitive information in written, verbal and presentational form to patients, carers and staff within the Trust and across other organisations.
Able to lead, motivate and influence a team, and to describe strategies to support effective team working.
Able to apply problem-solving skills to highly complex situations, which may include clinical or organisational issues.
Highly developed clinical reasoning skills with an ability to develop client centred, realistic and achievable goals.
Understanding of issues involved in offering a service to a diverse community, and of practical ways to ensure that the service is culturally appropriate and accessible.
Able to identify and recognise when to seek advice and support concerning clinical, managerial, professional or organisational issues.
Highly skilled ability and competency in using a range of therapeutic skills including but not exclusively, various assessment techniques, handling skills, manual handling techniques, exercise therapy, and splinting.
Able to identify your own and staff's training and development needs.
Well developed counselling and advocacy skills to support staff, patients and carers.
high level of organisation and planning skills and ability to prioritise caseloads and identify areas of unmet need
Essential IT skills, including Word and PowerPoint.

Other

Essential

Ability to work in the community in patient's homes and to travel around the borough.
Willingness to work on any site as service requirements dictate, and as appropriate.
Commitment to holistic patient management and the promotion and progression of Occupational therapy in the community

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).

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

Certificate of Sponsorship

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

Whittington Hospital NHS Trust

Address

Lordship Lane Primary Care Centre

239 Lordship Lane

London

N17 6HZ

Employer's website

https://www.whittington.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Whittington Hospital NHS Trust

Address

Lordship Lane Primary Care Centre

239 Lordship Lane

London

N17 6HZ

Employer's website

https://www.whittington.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)