Job Summary
The post is designed to attract an existing B6 Occupational Therapist or someone with considerable experience as a B5 and who is interested in progressing to competencies that support them being a B6 Specialist occupational therapist in TEWV.
You will manage an increasingly complex caseload independently, assessing occupational performance and delivering specialist occupational interventions, demonstrating adherence to the Trust Values at all times and operating as a leader in the team, service and organisation.
You will operate as part of the ‘Durham & Darlington Occupational Therapy Hub’. The clinical area is Adult Mental Health and the team work across both inpatient and community settings.
This vacancy is part of a comprehensive recruitment drive to re-build our occupational therapy service within Durham / Darlington. A personally tailored learning, development and support package is also available.
Main duties of the job
Occupationally focused assessments and interventions will be delivered as part of a dynamic service delivery model that has a strong commitment to collaborative working at its core whilst recognising the unique skills of all professional groups represented in the team.
Additional focus is on delivering high quality evidence-based services that support recovery, occupational formulation and occupational engagement. The delivery of 1:1 and group interventions that are occupationally focused is required.
To be responsible for receiving requests for occupational therapy, triaging and prioritising these, completing evidence-based assessments and interventions to address key occupational areas of self-care, productivity and leisure.
To use client-centred approaches to co-producing negotiated occupational goals and evaluate these with service users collaboratively.
To participate in clinical/professional and management supervision
To contribute to multi-disciplinary team working
To contribute to and lead on service improvement and quality initiatives
To use the Trust electronic patient record system
To abide by all Trust policies and procedures
To be able to respond flexibly and creatively to challenges
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Appropriate professional qualification for occupational therapy role
- Registration with HCPC
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS) level 7 (SLT =8) for International recruits
Desirable
- Post graduate training in relevant specialist area
Experience
Essential
- Minimum 12 months post qualifying experience of occupational therapy delivery
Desirable
- Experience of supporting people with mental health issues, learning disability or autism
- Experience of working in Multi-disciplinary Team
Knowledge
Essential
- Understanding of the needs of people who use our services with mental health conditions or learning disabilities
Desirable
- Clinical risk assessment and application in practice
- Knowledge of evidencebased practice in designated specialist area
- Post graduate training in specialist area if applicable to post (e.g. dysphagia, autism diagnostics)
- Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team
- Experience of managing complex occupational therapy cases
- Awareness of professional standards and its application to practice
Skills
Essential
- Good observational skills and ability to describe such observations verbally and in writing
- Record keeping and report writing
- Collaborating with people who use our services and carers and their families in accordance with the principals of coproduction
- Manage own complex caseload and prioritise effectively
- Support other to manage their caseload and prioritise effectively within a supervisor or educational relationship
- Effectively manage complex clinical and social issues
- Motivate and work positively and constructively with other members of the team.
- Delegate tasks appropriately
- Apply latest research evidence and evaluative thinking in practice
- Provide effective teaching, training and clinical supervision.
- Use appropriate digital technologies
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.
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).
Closing Date: 04 March 2026
