Highly Specialist Occupational Therapist: Care of Older Adults

Job summary

Are you an experienced and motivated Occupational Therapist looking for your next leadership opportunity? Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust is seeking a dynamic Band 7 Occupational Therapist to join our Care of Older Adults Team.

This is an exciting opportunity for a clinician passionate about supporting older adults to maximise their independence and achieve meaningful outcomes. As a senior member of the multidisciplinary team, you will provide expert occupational therapy assessment and intervention, clinical leadership, service development, and staff supervision.

As the Band 7 Occupational Therapist, you will lead the delivery of specialist occupational therapy services within Care of Older Adults, managing a complex caseload and supporting timely assessment, treatment planning, and discharge pathways.

You will join a dedicated team committed to delivering high-quality care and improving the lives of older people across our communities.

If you are ready to take the next step in your career and make a meaningful difference to older adults and their families, we would love to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for a compassionate, skilled and innovative Occupational Therapist who thrives in a fast-paced acute hospital environment and is committed to improving outcomes for older adults.

As a senior Occupational Therapist, you will be expected to set and maintain high professional and clinical standards across the team by leading through example, promoting evidence-based practice, and fostering a culture of accountability, learning and continuous improvement. You will ensure that patient-centred care remains at the heart of service delivery, supporting staff to achieve clinical excellence through regular supervision, appraisal, coaching and professional development. The post holder will lead and contribute to service audits, quality improvement initiatives and outcome evaluation, using data and patient feedback to identify opportunities for innovation, improve pathways and demonstrate the impact of occupational therapy interventions on patient outcomes. In addition, you will act as a strong advocate for the Occupational Therapy profession, promoting its value within multidisciplinary teams, supporting workforce development, facilitating student education and leadership opportunities, and contributing to local and Trust-wide initiatives that raise the profile of occupational therapy and showcase its vital role in delivering high-quality care for older adults.

About us

Please refer to the Applicant Guide via the link below for key information:- Applying to LGT Guide - Key Information for Applicants

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

1. Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
2. Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
3. Improving the experience of staff with disability
4. Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
5. Making equalities mainstream

We are TeamLGT

"This is what a therapist looks like"

Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trust - AHPs Inspire 2024

LGT AHP Day Newsletter 2025 [pdf] 7MB

Job responsibilities

Job Summary:

To manage a designated case load with complex needs using evidence based/client centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions.

To lead and manage the O.T. teams in Elderly rehabilitation

Maintain records which fulfil legal requirements

To regularly supervise O.T. students on practice placements

To provide leadership for junior staff, through supervision and appraisal

To participate in the planning, development and evaluation of O.T. services within Care of the Elderly team.

To contribute to the maintenance and development of the Trust O.T. Service

To work as part of the wider MDT to achieve client centred goals and facilitate timely discharges.

To develop and evaluate OT services within Elderly care and lead on specific projects.

Key Result Areas & Performance:

1 Clinical

1.1 To assess and treat a specific caseload of patients with complex needs, prioritising efficiently to help prevent re-admissions.

1.2 To apply a high level of knowledge and understanding of the particular clinical area.

1.3 To undertake individual initial screens to identify patient need including areas affecting functional ability, followed by agreed assessment plans.

1.4 To design / plan individual patient programmes to implement oneself or to delegate as appropriate.

1.5 To assess and treat the patients personal and domestic daily living functional activity level to maximise independence.

1.6 To select and conduct standardised cognitive and perceptual testing to identify areas affecting functional ability and indicate need for further assessment / treatment.

1.7 To carry out an initial risk assessment where necessary and monitor ongoing risk.

1.8 To assess need and risk factors for hoist and wheelchair provision.

1.9 To carry out home visits with or without the patient to assess environmental risks and functional ability at home.

1.10 To advise on, recommend, make provision for the installation of appropriate aids and adaptations to the patients social and physical environment.

1.11 To monitor and evaluate treatment, including using outcome measures, in order to measure progress and ensure effectiveness of the intervention.

1.12 To undertake discharge planning and co-ordination of complex patients.

1.13 To take a lead in the decisions regarding placement after discharge.

1.14 To refer onto appropriate agencies for :- the continuation of treatment, reassessment, monitoring and provision of further adaptations.

1.15 To carry out joint working with others from the Trust and across other agencies.

1.16 To participate in the weekend and bank holiday Occupational Therapy service.

2 Communication

2.1 To communicate effectively with patients and carers, O.T colleagues, multidisciplinary

team members and other agencies.

2.2 To participate ( and take a lead as needed) in the multidisciplinary team meetings and case conferences,

with regard to patient care programmes.

2.3 To advise and educate patients and carers regarding aids and equipment in the home and

outside community.

2.4 To participate in staff meetings and other meetings (taking a lead as needed) as

directed by the Lead OT.

2.5 To promote the OT role within the Trust and to other agencies.

3 Documentation

3.1 To maintain up to date activity data and activity records in accordance with Professional and

Trust standards.

3.2 To provide reports on home visits.

3.3 To provide specific reports to other agencies as appropriate.

4 Professional Ethics

4.1 To adhere to the COT Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, and all other relevant policies

and procedures. These include maintaining confidentiality and respecting the patients dignity,

privacy culture and wishes.

4.2 To provide guidance to junior / support staff on ethical issues.

5 Leadership, Supervision and Appraisal

5.1 To lead and manage the OT team in the specialist area.

5.2 To undertake the supervision and appraisal (IPR / KSF) of junior / support staff as delegated by the Lead OT.

5.3 To provide specialist training on an individual basis.

5.4 To provide advice to junior/support staff and students on a day to day basis as required.

5.5 To deputise for the Lead OT in an absence.

6 Training Staff and Students

6.1 To participate in the planning and implementing (taking a lead as needed) of the induction, training

and education of students and other staff in this setting.

6.2 To be responsible for the supervision and written assessment of OT students on practice placement

on a regular basis.

6.3 To give presentations / training on specialist topics.

6.4 To organise and implement training programmes in specialist area.

6.5 To participate in the organisation and implementation of the basic grade development programme.

Person specification

Circumstances

Essential

• oAble to participate in the weekend and bank holiday rota.
• oCar driver
• oAble to work hours prescribed including shift patterns if required (Shifts covering between 8am-8pm)

Experience

Essential

• oAt least three years post registration experience.
• oBroad based Occupational Therapy experience
• oSpecialist experience in the field of Elderly care and Rehab.
• oSpecialist experience in cognitive assessments.
• oKnowledge of wheelchair assessment and provision.
• oExperience of working with patients with an oncology or palliative diagnosis.
• oDemonstrable ability to analyse and evaluate Occupational Therapy treatment
• Clinical experience in a range of healthcare settings.
• oAudit experience.
• oGood knowledge of clinical governance issues.
• oExperience of supervising staff and students and the teaching role.

Desirable

• oEvidence of post graduate study.
• oMember of a special interest group.
• oUse of evidence based practice.
• oClinical experience in a range of healthcare settings.
• oLeadership skills

Knowledge

Essential

• oGood verbal communication skills in the English language.
• oAbility to keep clear precise records which meet legal requirements in the English language.
• oClear concise report writing.
• oComputer literacy.
• oAbility to reflect and critically appraise own performance.
• Ability to organise and respond efficiently to complex information
• oAble to plan, prioritise and manage a caseload.

Qualifications

Essential

• Diploma/Degree in Occupational Therapy
• HPC registration

Personal Qualities

Essential

• oFlexible and innovative
• oAble to lead a team.
• oAble to be assertive and act on own initiative.
• oAbility to work under pressure
• oIntegrates well within teams.
• oCalm and reliable.
• oWell organised.
• oGood interpersonal skills with ability to establish good rapport with patients and carers.