Senior Occupational Therapist: Sponsorship Available

Job summary

Join our dynamic Crisis Response and Home Treatment Team as a Band 6 Senior Occupational Therapist, where you will play a vital role in supporting adults experiencing mental health crises to remain safely at home and avoid hospital admission. Based at Rochford Mental Health Unit, you will deliver person-centred, recovery-focused interventions, helping service users regain independence, improve daily functioning, and achieve their goals within their community.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and motivated Occupational Therapist to work within a multidisciplinary team, providing specialist assessments, therapeutic interventions, and clinical leadership. You will have the opportunity to shape care pathways, support service development, supervise junior staff and students, and contribute to innovative crisis care services that make a real difference to people’s lives.

If you are passionate about mental health, collaborative working, and empowering individuals through meaningful occupation, we would love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

• Undertake comprehensive occupational therapy assessments and develop person-centred care plans.
• Deliver evidence-based interventions to support recovery and independence.
• Provide crisis assessment and treatment for service users in the community.
• Work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team to deliver high-quality care.
• Support hospital admission avoidance and facilitate early discharge where appropriate.
• Manage a defined caseload and coordinate care for service users.
• Assess and manage risk, ensuring safe and effective care delivery.
• Provide supervision, mentorship, and support to junior staff and students.
• Maintain accurate clinical records and contribute to service audits and development.
• Promote recovery, social inclusion, and engagement in meaningful daily activities.

These duties offer an excellent opportunity to make a real difference to people experiencing mental health crises while developing advanced clinical and leadership skills.

Person Specification

Skills

Essential

• At least 2 years post-qualification experience in mental health
• In-depth knowledge of working with people with mental health problems
• Knowledge of Safeguarding issues and child protection requirements/legislation and how these apply to the role
• In depth knowledge of wider policy and service issues relating to mental health and relevant legislation

Desirable

• Experience of working in the community / lone-working

Knowledge

Essential

• Experience of working closely and developing relationships with other agencies
• Ability to assess clinical situation quickly, use initiative and appropriate treatment intervention
• Ability to work under pressure and ability to contain and manage the stress of others and oneself
• Full Driving license and access to a car

Desirable

• Knowledge of occupational therapy models, including Sensory Integration and the Model of Creative Ability, and their application within mental health services.

Closing Date: 8 November 2026