Job Description

Working Full time :

37.5 hours per week



12-month fixed term Band 5 Occupational Therapist



We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic Occupational Therapist to join our supportive Therapy Department.



You will be part of the Band 5 Rotations at The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, having the opportunity to work at Ellesmere Port Hospital and in the Community setting.



The rotations will provide you with an opportunity to gain a wide range of experience across Medicine, Care of Older People, Neurology including Stroke, Rapid Response, Hand Therapy, Vascular Surgery and Intermediate Care.



Applicants must be HCPC Registration and able to demonstrate they have successfully completed a broad range of placement across clinical areas in the NHS. Good time management skills, organisational skills and an ability to work under pressure are essential requirements to this post.



The post holder will be part of an established network for peer support and professional development and will contribute to the development of Therapy Assistants and Students when on placement. Participation on the trusts weekend and 7 day rotas is an integral part of the post.

We offer:

Good team support

A supportive and reflective learning environment

Regular formal and informal supervision provided by experienced Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy staff

Opportunity to engage in Service wide clinical governance activities



To work as an autonomous practitioner to undertake occupational therapy assessments for a designated caseload, addressing occupational performance and skill deficits, enabling the client

in areas of self- maintenance, productivity and leisure using individual and/or group interventions, in collaboration with the client using graded activity to achieve therapeutic goals.



To communicate empathetically with patients with complex clinical presentation, explaining their clinical diagnosis and treatment programmes. Ensure that patients understand this and

answer any queries they may have in relation to their diagnosis and treatment plan.



To identify and carry out Home Visits (where appropriate) in accordance with Trust and Professional standards to assess patient condition and suitability for discharge.



To contribute to monitoring and evaluation of treatment in order to measure progress and outcomes to ensure effectiveness of interventions and service delivery.



To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work, and hold responsibility for own caseload for a defined area of the service, working with direct supervision.



The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust provides services to West Cheshire and to Welsh patients covered by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership. Its services are provided from three locations:

The Countess of Chester Hospital:

providing 438 general and acute beds

Ellesmere Port Hospital:

providing 56 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility

Tarporley War Memorial Hospital:

a base for community services which serve the local rural population.



The Trust employs over 5916 staff (headcount) which includes temporary bank staff and provides acute emergency and elective services, primary care direct access services and obstetric services to a population of approximately 411,000. This includes 361,000 residents in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire which has a population of approximately 50,000.??



The Trust is a busy district general hospital and in 2022/2023, there were more than 503,342 patient attendances (inpatient, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery. This is an increase of nearly 10,000 compared to the previous year when there were 494,387 patient attendances.



See for further details.



Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values.



Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs will be deducted from their salary over the first three months of employment.



You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of 16 per year applies.



New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.



Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.



Good luck with your application.