Specialist Occupational Therapist – Stroke Rehabilitation

Job summary

We are seeking to recruit a band 6 Occupational Therapist to work within the Stroke Rehabilitation Unit at West Cumberland Hospital, Whitehaven. The post is permanent and 37.5hr per week.

Development post opportunities would be considered for a band 5 to 6 with the expectation that the development plan would be achieved within 12 months.

The post holder will independently assess and treat complex patients with a diagnosis of stroke. They will supervise junior qualified therapists as well as support staff, regularly completing clinical supervision and appraisal. They will be required to prioritise and co-ordinate the daily workload of their own and more junior staff members, to ensure rehabilitation is optimised.

The post holder will work alongside the wider MDT members and community services, providing specialist assessment and treatment and facilitating safe and efficient discharge planning.

The post holder will be expected to have specialist knowledge around the assessment and treatment of stroke rehabilitation. They will act as a source of support and advise to team members on rotation who will not necessarily have this knowledge or experience.

Main duties of the job

They will use evidence based/client centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions. Provide leadership and supervision for occupational therapists and support staff within the team, regularly supervising occupational therapy students on practice placements as appropriate.

The post holder will support the Clinical Team Leads of the service, deputising to certain aspects of the role as required.

This service may transition to a seven day service in the future. They will then be required to work within a seven day service which includes weekend and bank holidays. When working at the weekends the post holder will be expected to support other clinical areas outside of stroke rehabilitation.

The service is part of a strong Occupational Therapy network, with links to the teams at the Cumberland Infirmary, West Cumberland Hospital as well as the wider health and social care settings across North Cumbria. This provides many professional development opportunities and there is a strong focus on CPD within the team. You will have access to high quality, regular clinical supervision, and we offer an excellent induction, ongoing professional support and a highly rewarding job to the successful applicant.

Person Specification

Other requirements

Essential

• Able to travel independently around the area served by the Trust.

Desirable

• Driving licence.
• Member of RCOT specialist interest group.
• Commitment to service development.

Personal Circumstances

Essential

• Team player.
• Willing to participate in planned movement at specialist OT (band 6) level.

Desirable

• Commitment to research.

Skills and Aptitudes

Essential

• Organisational ability & time management.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to reflect and critically appraise performance.
• Effective negotiator.
• Ability to work independently and set priorities.
• Problem solving skills.
• Able to prioritise work to meet deadlines.
• Ability to work across other OT specialities to maintain staffing levels.
• Ability to gather and analyse information on occupational performance components of patients functioning as part of OT intervention.

Desirable

• Presentation and training skills.

Knowledge

Essential

• Continuing professional development with portfolio.
• Current health and social policies, NHS modernisation agenda and how these affect OT services.
• Relevant national and service guidelines and their application.
• Evidence based practice.
• A wide range of models of occupational therapy and their application in a range of clinical settings.
• Use of standardised assessment tools.
• Quality improvement.
• Professional ethics, their use & application
• Risk management.
• Multidisciplinary team working.
• Up to date knowledge and awareness of the area of specialist practice.

Desirable

• Leadership development or management training.
• Appraisal
• Clinical supervision.
• Relevant training within the specialist area.

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree in occupational therapy or equivalent.
• Registered as an occupational therapist with the Health Care Professions Council.
• Relevant development to postgraduate certificate or equivalent.
• Practice Placement Facilitator qualification.

Desirable

• Relevant postgraduate diploma equivalent.
• Essential IT skills (EITS) or equivalent.
• Accredited wheelchair prescriber.

Experience

Essential

• Rotation within the key acute areas as a band 5 occupational therapist, e.g. elderly, medical, orthopaedics, surgery, neuro rehabilitation and stroke rehabilitation
• Working with specialised occupational therapy equipment.
• Assessing for, designing and following cross boundary procedures for provision of adaptations.
• Audit and resultant changes in practice.

Desirable

• Supervision of other staff members.
• Research.
• Care pathway development.
• Evidence of publications.
• Experience of working within stroke rehabilitation beyond key rotation.

Closing Date: 23 July 2026