Job Description

Band 7

Main area

Occupational Therapy

Grade

Band 7

Contract

12 months (Approx. 12 month fixed term for maternity cover)

Hours

Full time Part time
37.5 hours per week (Includes substantive weekend working and cross site working maybe required)

Job ref

343-7511751-FM-AG-R-VCG-B

Site

Epsom Hospital

Town

Epsom

Salary

53,751 - 60,651 Pa incl HCAS Outer pro rata

Salary period

Yearly

Closing

30/12/2025 23:59

At Epsom and St Helier Hospitals, above all we value respect. We put respect at the heart of all we do, by living up to our shared behaviours of kindness, professionalism, positivity and teamwork. This enables us to provide great patient care and make ESTH a great place to work. When you sign up to work with us, you sign up to this and we welcome applicants who share our values.

Job overview

An excellent opportunity has arisen to lead the Occupational Therapy team within General Medicine. Working in close collaboration with our multidisciplinary colleagues, this team provides Occupational Therapy input to the Acute Medical Unit as well as a broad range of clinical areas, including respiratory, cardiac, elderly care, general medicine, and surgery.

The role of Occupational Therapy in the acute setting is integral to ensuring that our patients experience a smooth and positive journey throughout their inpatient stay and beyond. We are seeking a highly motivated individual to lead the Occupational Therapy service at Epsom Hospital and to support the team in delivering a high-quality, outcome-focused service.
This position would be well suited to an individual wishing to progress in their leadership career within a service that encompasses a wide variety of medical specialties.

If you are interested in this role, please do not hesitate to contact us to arrange an informal discussion.

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Previous applicants that have been interviewed will not be considered

Main duties of the job

A Team Lead is expected:



To clinically lead a small team of Occupational Therapists within the area of expertise, be responsible for their learning and development, provide clinical support and guidance and ensure the development of this team in line with the department's strategy.



To assist the manager in the development of the Occupational Therapy service.



To develop and provide highly specialised Occupational Therapy to patients in the clinical area working autonomously, and being accountable for own professional actions.



To provide highly specialised Occupational Therapy advice in relation to the care of patients who have a range of psycho-social, physical and emotional problems working in an acute setting.

Working for our organisation

Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust provides a range of medical services to approximately 490,000 people living across southwest London and northeast Surrey. In addition, we provide more specialist services, in particular renal and neonatal intensive care, to a wider area, covering parts of Sussex and Hampshire.



We serve an area that is rich in diversity, with a mix of urban and rural areas, and differing levels of quality of life. We cover some of the most prosperous postcodes in the country, as well as some poorer areas. Together with our colleagues at NHS Surrey and NHS Sutton and Merton, we work to make sure that we deliver the best possible care to the communities we serve.



The Trust employs approximately 5,000 staff across its hospitals and is supported by over 500 volunteers.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Some of the main responsibilities of this role are:


To be responsible for the development, implementation, and delivery of Occupational Therapy as a specialist clinician, including assessment, treatment planning, carrying out treatment and discharge planning of own client caseload. To develop and implement specialist treatment programmes and initiate discharge planning. To be highly skilled in assessing and interpreting a range of complex factors relating to the patients' condition, including diagnosis and prognosis. To lead and support the OT team in prioritising referrals including delegation of work to ensure equity of provision for patients referred. To provide a positive 'check and challenge' ability to reinforce strong clinical reasoning within the team. To provide awareness and education of the role of OT within the greater hospital site and promote flow positive decision making where appropriate. To create an environment that promotes effective communication to patients, carers, colleagues and the multidisciplinary team by establishing effective communication networks and demonstrating skills in empathy, reassurance and the ability to motivate others. To liaise and establish communication networks with the multidisciplinary teams, external voluntary and statutory organisations as appropriate in planning for client's treatment, discharge and resettlement. To assess, recommend and where appropriate provide and fit a range of specialist equipment and or aids in the clients home, to facilitate patients rehabilitation and reduce risk around discharge. To be aware of changing trends in treatment and promote evidence-based/best practice within own team and interpret this into own specialist area of work, in order to provide the highest standard of care to clients. To conduct and/or actively participate in the in-service training, tutorials, individual training sessions, external courses and peer review. To participate in and contribute to the department and own team's training programme, demonstrating a willingness to learn. To maintain good working relationships with patients, family/carers, colleagues, multidisciplinary teams and personnel from other external agencies. To contribute to the service, develop and provide an overview of the different specialties offered within the service, keeping up-to-date with developments and the expectations of patients, carers and colleagues. As a supervisor, provide individual performance reviews and contribute to the performance assessment and appraisal of qualified and non-qualified staff in line with departmental competencies. To be responsible for and facilitate a safe environment, recognising patient requirements for privacy and dignity. To have a good knowledge of and to abide by the department's and Trusts policies and procedures, and to comment and contribute to the development of these policies and procedures within the defined clinical area. To participate in the process of recruitment and selection.

Please see full job description and person specification outline in attachment.

Person specification

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Qualifications

Essential criteria

Degree in OT HCPC Registration Evidence of continued CPD

Desirable criteria

Post Grad Education Leadership Specific Training #

Skills

Essential criteria

Experience in medicine/the acute setting Understanding of discharge/flow pressures Strong prioritisation and delegation skills Understanding of equipment Ability to work under pressure Evidence of having leadership skills Evidence of strong communication in team

Desirable criteria

Amputee experience Rapid (A&E/AMU) experience Awareness of leadership styles #

Experience

Essential criteria

Experience of working with a medical and care of the elderly caseload Clinical teaching Staff and student supervision Service development Clinically leading a small team of Occupational Therapists

Desirable criteria

Experience of recruitment and selection Clinical audit Operational Management

Your recruitment team

The NHS South West London Recruitment Hub is your dedicated recruitment team, here to support you at every stage of the process. If you have a query, please contact us:

E:

krft.askrecruitment@nhs.net

Your application

Please ensure your supporting statement clearly reflects the

job description

and

person specification

, as shortlisting will be based on these criteria.



Please refer to the latest UKVI guidance and ensure you have the appropriate right to work before applying for this role.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

We kindly ask that you avoid using AI tools to draft your application. We value authentic, individual responses that reflect your own experience and communication style.

References

Please provide a minimum of

3 years' employment and/or education history

, including

professional email addresses

(not personal accounts such as Hotmail or Gmail). If you cannot provide these, please inform the interview panel to avoid delays in pre-employment checks.

Closing date

To help us manage recruitment efficiently, some vacancies may close early once we have received a sufficient number of applications.

Shortlisting

If you are successfully shortlisted, you will be contacted by

email or SMS

from the South West London Recruitment Hub. Please check your registered TRAC email regularly.

Application feedback

If you do not hear from us within

four weeks of the closing date

, please assume your application has not been successful on this occasion.

Safeguarding and DBS Checks

We are committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. For roles with direct access to these groups, an

Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check

will be required. All staff are expected to understand and uphold their safeguarding responsibilities as part of their role.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.


This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.